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24 Thursday, July 25, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com

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SHELLY KEHRLE-SULSER
Executive Editor

The turnout of more than 2,500

people to Saturday’s BC Pride

Festival in Battle Creek, combined

with the 152 people enjoying the

Saturday night dance party plus other

weekend events led President Deana

Spencer to conclude that last week-

end likely set a new record.

“I think it was a smashing suc-

cess,” she said Monday. “I think it

was probably one of our most suc-

cessful pride festivals to date, so

far. Every bit of feedback from the

people who came up to me includ-

ing some of our volunteers said they

loved everything about it, front to

back.”

From the many Saturday vendors

to the Friday parade and Thursday

trivia contest participants, BC Pride

showed the community at-large that

people who identify as LGBTQIA

are in every age group, ethnicity, job

classification, religion and economic

background.

Deana Spencer: ‘One of our most successful pride festivals to date’

Kerry Kurek appears here in the

grand marshal entry in honor of his

late husband, Matt Downing, during

the Battle Creek Pride Parade Friday

in downtown Battle Creek. (Shopper

News photo by Shelly Kehrle-Sulser)

Mx Battle Creek Sasha Banks

appears on stage at Leila Arboretum

during Saturday’s Battle Creek Pride

Festival. (photo provided)

“Just the energy of the entire week-

end was so upbeat and positive,” said

Spencer. “I noticed a lot more kids

attending this year and I’m sure that

was due to our giant kids area but I

also noticed different age brackets

and different ethnicities and parents

and just a very nice, wide array of

people across the board from all dif-

ferent walks of life which was just

really lovely.”

The weekend kicked off with the

LGBTQ&A trivia contest in which

a wide variety of people including

Battle Creek Police Chief Shannon

Bagley and Mx Battle Creek Sasha

Banks (James Sims) played the quiz

game emceed by Charlie Fulbright.

Friday’s posthumous parade grand

marshal was Matt Downing repre-

sented by his husband, Kerry Kurek.

Also joining the parade was the