Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Wrapping up Southern New Mexico Pride

It is always a nice change of pace at Southern New Mexico Pride following the giant party in Albuquerque the week before. This year we had the added benefit of a breeze and a break in the 100+ degree weather.

Like our annual Pride trip to ABQ, our Southern New Mexico Pride had its glitches. We left the banners that identify our booths at home. This is not as big a deal here as it would have been in Albuquerque because here home is five miles from the park vs. three hours in Albuquerque. The bigger challenge was the camera batteries died just as the walking parade was lining up. Richard did a battery run but was not back until the parade was over. If you have pictures of the parade send them to me at david at nhcv dot org.

Approximately 800 people made their way through Pioneer Women’s Park during the five hour Pride Parade and Picnic. There was never a massive crowd like at bigger events so you could actually enjoy the people and chat. This relaxed environment is what I love and based on my conversations on Saturday a lot of people agree. As Southern New Mexico Pride grows I hope it keeps this easy going feel.

All in all I think Pride season was good. We had some conversations that moved projects forward and had some fun. All the goals were not met but given the resources we had I think we did as well as possible. There will be lessons for next year, there always are.

Happy Pride.

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