Two Alternative, Creative Pride Celebrations
While most think of June as Pride month, with multiple celebrations throughout cities and towns in the state, two alternative events take place during September, bursting with their own signature pride.
Photos from a previous North Country Pride Ride Truck Love. Photos courtesy of Jill Kimball
North Country Pride Ride
The rural towns and communities of northern New Hampshire not only support diversity and equality, they embrace it — holding true to the state motto of “Live Free or Die!”
“North Country Pride (NCP) is a nonprofit organization, based in Littleton, where we can all come together to celebrate diversity and honor our LGBTQ+ residents,” said Jill Kimball, co-chair of NCP.
Towns encompassing NCP include Littleton, Bethlehem, Franconia, Lancaster, Whitefield and the northeast kingdom of Vermont.
“There are a lot of activities in June,” Kimball said. “The Pride Ride began in September of 2020. We had a festival on the riverfront planned, but because of COVID, decided to do a spirited ride through the autumn foliage of Littleton, Franconia and Bethlehem.”
Last year, 65 cars joined the parade, with people along the route waving flags and handing out flowers. The parade ended with an after-party at the Rek’-Lis Brewing Company in Bethlehem.
Photos from a previous North Country Pride Ride Truck Love. Photos courtesy of Jill Kimball
Earlier this year, NCP received a grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation through the Krakoa NH Fund in Littleton. The $4,375 grant is earmarked for general operating expenses
to help assist NCP’s commitment to supporting the queer community at large.
This came after disheartening events in 2023 when Littleton Selectboard member and NH state Sen. Carrie Gendreau publicly criticized inclusive artwork sponsored by NCP and went on record to state that the artwork was “not good,” and that they “didn’t want any more of it in their town,” and that the flower and image portrayed in the artwork was “demonic in nature.”
The art, which went up last summer on the side of a Chinese restaurant, featured a subtle rainbow, meant to symbolize inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community, as well as a blooming iris, dandelions and birch trees.
Photos from a previous North Country Pride Ride Truck Love. Photos courtesy of Jill Kimball
The controversy grew regionally and nationally, causing negative press for the town, and resulted in the resignation of the Littleton town manager, Jim Gleason, whose son came out to him at age 16. He lost this son to cancer at age 35 in 2016.
Gleason resigned in February 2024, and Gendreau did not file for reelection to the selectboard this year.
“It was a terrible time for (Gleason) and us, but we’ve moved on,” Kimball said. “We’re looking forward to this year’s ride. We’ve changed the original route a little, and North Country Public Radio plays a playlist that coincides with the ride.”
This year’s North Country Pride Ride will be held on Sept. 22, with the after-party held at the Rek’-Lis Brewing Company in Bethlehem. Registration for the ride and after-party is $10 per car.
Keene Pride features drag queens, circus performances, music, a prom and more.
Photos courtesy of christopherdavidstudios
Keene Pride Celebrations
Adam Toepfer is the president of Keene Pride, a nonprofit organization and passion project he started in January 2022.
This year’s Pride Festival will be held in the Elm City on Sept. 15. Keene has long-been nicknamed Elm City because of the large number of elm trees that were once a main part of the downtown Keene tree population.
Pride festivals are often in June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City on June 28, when a police raid at the Stonewall Inn gay bar turned violent, prompting LGBTQ+ activists to organize demonstrations and protests.
While there are Keene events in June, the main event is the September Keene Pride Festival, billed as the largest Pride event in the region, with more than 5,000 expected attendees and 100 vendors including artisans, nonprofits, live music acts, food trucks, circus performances, drag queens, kings and much more.
Beth Leilnau with Keene Pride Board Member
Samantha Belle at the 2023 Keene Pride Festival.
Photo courtesy of christopherdavidstudios
“It’s a great time with the kids back at college, and we can include them in our festival,” Toepfer said. “Many small towns do this in different months, as they don’t want to compete with everyone else in June.”
One event that is held in June for Keene Pride is a prom for adults over 18. This year’s prom theme was “Super Queeros,” held on June 29 at Heberton Hall in Keene.
“A lot of LGBTQ+ kids didn’t get to go to their own prom while in high school, so this is for them,” Toepfer said.
The festival’s kickoff event this year is a drag show at the Colonial Theatre on Sept. 7. The first year it was a tribute to Madonna. This year’s theme is a tribute to Britney Spears with a bevy of RuPaul Drag Race All Stars and more.
Keene Pride features drag queens, circus performances, music, a prom and more.
Photos courtesy of christopherdavidstudios
“I left my hometown in 2005 and spent 16 years in New York City working in the nightlife, entertainment and technology industries,” Toepfer said.
“I returned to Keene in 2021 and found that the LGBTQ+ community was highly under-recognized and underserved. This is how Keene Pride began. I live in Keene nearby my family and am a very happy uncle to four beautiful children.
This article is featured in the fall 2024 issue of 603 Diversity.
603 Diversity’s mission is to educate readers of all backgrounds about the exciting accomplishments and cultural contributions of the state’s diverse communities, as well as the challenges faced and support needed by those communities to continue to grow and thrive in the Granite State.
