CORNWALL, Ontario – This long weekend, Cornwall came together to celebrate diversity, acceptance, and love in all its forms at the Cornwall Pride Festival.
Departing from the Cornwall Aquatic Centre, the parade wrapped up at the Justice Building with a flag raising, music, and guest speakers/open mic.
The colourful celebration surpassed the expectations of organizers, with the Justice Building courtyard overflowing with community support.
“The turnout was unbelievable, but I think we’ve outgrown the courtyard,” said Diversity/Diversité Cornwall’s director and president, Stephanie Nadeau. “Next year, we’re hoping to bring the festival back to Lamoureux Park to accommodate the growing numbers.”
With hundreds of community members coming out to support the event, Nadeau said that there was a healthy number of patrons coming out from as far as Montreal and Brockville. The event brought in a wide variety of ages, with many children getting in on the festivities.
“The support and the encouragement from the community is just wonderful,” said Nadeau. “I had tears of joy seeing the whole community come together for this event.”
Nadeau says that there’s a lot that she enjoys about being involved in Cornwall Pride, but her main focus has always been the kids.
“My favourite part is the community feedback – when people stop me and thank me for doing this for the kids, I feel I’m doing something right,” said Nadeau. “This is for the teenagers, because that’s when most people are struggling with their sexuality.”
