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QUIET CORNER PRIDE 2024
LOcation: ROTARY PARK
Welcome to Rotary Park, right in the heart of downtown Putnam. The town of Putnam is one of gems of northeastern Connecticut. It is a cultural and culinary destination.
We are so proud to the town leadership of Putnam for sponsoring this wonderful event. You'll see them out and about during the day's celebration. Thank them if you can.
They are making ready the town and rolling out the rainbow carpet to welcome any and all who are ready to celebrate all things love!
Rotary Park is a handicap accessible park nestled alongside the scenic Quinebaug River right in the middle of Putnam.
There is ample free parking across Kennedy Drive and we encourage you to shop the local businesses and restaurants while you are visiting for the day. We are excited to showcase local food vendors in the park too.
We are envisioning this pride celebration to be like a fun afternoon in the park, so bring a picnic blanket, pack some drinks, and stay all day.
There will be plenty to keep the whole family busy and having fun, both on the stage and all around the park. From community murals to yoga to comedy to mental health resources, you'll be able to see it all.
SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY
Park EVENT HOURS: 12 PM - 4:30 PM
AFTER hours: 4:30 PM - 7 PM
ALL DAY ACTIVITIES
COMMUNITY MURAL
A special thanks to TEEG for sponsoring Quiet Corner Pride's community mural. Designed by Lisa Andrews, this year's mural will feature a series of human silhouettes surrounded by hundreds of butterflies, waiting to be filled in with words that fly within us: our wonderful identities.
BROWSE LOCAL VENDORS
Between events happening on the stage, take a break and stretch your legs by checking out a whole assortment of local vendors. There will be artisans and crafters selling their work. You can find demonstrations of pottery-scuplting and massage. Local businesses and organizations will also be showcasing their pride by setting up booths and giving away swag!
GRAB A BITE TO EAT
The picnic-like atmosphere of this pride event is a perfect chance to bring your own lunch, yet save room for delicious offerings from local food trucks that will be parked right in the middle of the park ready with delicious food. What goes well with a picnic? Think hot dogs, sandwiches, pizza, and gelato!
FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
A pride celebration is meant to be fun for the whole family. While all the events on the stage will be family friendly, there will also be lots of ways to keep anyone from grandma to toddlers engaged and having a blast. Be on the lookout for photo booths with costumes, face painters, and craft tables.
SCHEDULED TIMELINE
10:30 AM
Community yoga
Bring your yoga mat and center yourself for a whole day of celebrating love! Yogi Don from the Wholistic Collective will be teaching a yoga class in a quiet area of the park from 10:30 to 11:30. The class will be approachable any skill level and free of charge.
Vendors / volunteers arrive
If you are taking part in the festivities as a vendor or volunteer, please plan to arrive at 10:30 to sign in and begin setting up your space. Volunteers, plan to park across the street in the Price Chopper parking lot. Vendors, you are able to swing in the small park parking lot to drop off your items before finding nearby parking. Please be sure to check in with Marcy.
12:00 pM
Words of welcome:
rev. ross johnson
The pastor of Living Faith United Methodist Church and this year's organizer and emcee of Quiet Corner Pride, Rev. Johnson has a heart for creating sanctuaries beyond the local church. If you think about it, what's more holy than a park on a beautiful day filled with people of all ages celebrating love?!
BLESSING THE SPACE:
rev. pamela briddle
The new minister to Putnam Congregational Church, Rev. Briddle is passionate about drawing the circle wider, so that every single person may know that they are loved and accepted just as they are. She will lead an inclusive blessing of the park for the day's event.
MAYOR'S GREETING:
barney seney
Putnam's finest, Mayor Barney Seney is excited to welcome everyone to the Pride celebration. He lights up when he sees his town coming alive in new ways and this is certainly one for the books. We are thankful for his support and his taking part in this year's festivities!
pride performer:
patty bourree
A tour-de-force of all things drag, Patty Bourree is one of Boston's greatest LGBQTIA+ performers. Pick almost any day during the week and you can find her performing anything from cabarets, to singing competitions and more. You'll see Patty performing a number of times during the event.
12:30 pM
musical performance:
catnip junkies
Meet the first musicians for Quiet Corner Pride: Catnip Junkies. They have appointed themselves "the World’s Greatest Tribute to New Orleans! Because New Orleans isn’t just a place, it’s a vibe!" Prepare to feel the vibe of New Orleans all the way in the Quiet Corner with Catnip Junkies sure to bring all sorts of rhythm and soul to Rotary Park for Pride!
1:00 pM
Keynote introduction:
State sen. mae flexer
Representing the Quiet Corner in the State Senate and a native of Killingly, we are glad Senator Flexer will be joining us for her district's first ever pride celebration. In addition to kicking off this event, she will also be introducing our first of two keynote speakers, Commission Beth Bye.
keynote speaker:
commissioner beth bye
Tapped by Connecticut Governor Lamont to lead the Office of Early Childhood, Commissioner Bye is one the state's highest serving openly LGBTQIA public servants.
She was among the first out state senators during her time in the General Assembly. A fun fact about her: she and her wife were the first same sex couple legally married in Connecticut! We are thrilled to welcome Commissioner Bye to Quiet Corner Pride.
1:15 pM
musical performance:
catnip junkies
Following our keynote speaker, the cool cats of Catnip Junkies will take the stage again for a second set of New Orleans style sound. Get ready to dance and shake it!
1:45 pM
PRIDE comedy SHOW
If the idea of hundreds of LGBQTIA folks at a picnic in northeast Connecticut isn't funny enough, then get ready to really rattle your funny bone with an hour of pride comedy. A series of hilarious comedians will each perform a set of family friendly jokes sure to get the whole family laughing.
2:30 pm
keynote speaker:
rev. jonathan chapman
Our second keynote speaker is the pastor of Westfield Congregational Church in Danielson, CT. Rev. Chapman is one of our area's most vocal leaders, having served here as a beacon for inclusive love for the better part of a decade.
We are grateful for Rev. Chapman's sharing a good word with us this year at Quiet Corner Pride. Can we get an amen?!
2:45
pride STUDENT open mic
Pride is a place to speak your truth. If you are a student, whether in public or private school, or college, you are invited to take the stage this year and share with us something from the heart you wish to declare.
We are looking for hopeful and positive messages told through songs, stories, spoken word, comedy, or poetry. If interested, please click the button below and let us know.
3:15 pm
GRACIE DAY PERFORMS
Gracie Day is a resident of Southbridge and a Worcester County based singer and songwriter. After listening to the many voices who will take the stage for open mic, sit back and listen as Gracie graces the park with her amazing acoustic music.
4:15 PM
Final patty performance
To give us one last taste of sheer excellence, following the student open mic, Patty Bourree will grace the stage one more time to give us an awesome performance.
Closing words:
rev. kevin downer
Bringing Quiet Corner Pride to a close, the minister of Woodstock Congregational Church will give everyone a few parting words of grace and blessing. Rev. Downer is a bright light in the town of Woodstock, serving with care and love. His voice will be a welcomed way to bring our day of celebrating all things love to a truly beautiful end.
4:30 - 7:00 PM
pride AFTER PARTy
While the official event ends at 4:30PM, Putnam's very own Bear Hands Brewing Company, located at 75 Main Street Suite 1, is hosting a Quiet Corner Pride after party downstairs in their special event space. Come thirsty and get ready to dance!
Whew! What a packed and wonderful day this will be! We hope to see you there for any and all of it!
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