President's Message - June 2025

Busy month ahead at our busy little church! Of course we're celebrating Pride Month, but we're als rosting a free OSFL Chorus Concert, tabling at Juneteenth with our Racial Justice Team, getting nev arpet installed in Beecher Hall, hosting a children's theatre program, and starting up our ninth year o ark Church lectures from Mark Twain Scholars. Whew!

I thought you'd like to see how we're explaining to the public why we sponsor the Elmira Pride Festival:

News release...May 23, 2025....Elmira, NY....Third Annual ELMIRA PRIDE FESTIVAL

The Park Church announces these details for the June 7th Elmira Pride Festival in Wisner Park:

• The free, family friendly event kicks off at 11 AM and will be a wrap at 4 PM, rain or shine. To accommodate the festival, Main Street between Church and Gray Streets will be closed to traffic.

• The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes has granted funding to support artists on stage. This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes.

• Community Arts of Elmira is collaborating by bringing local artists including:

  • Artist Filomena Jack of Filomena Jack Studio with her Interactive Community Built Mural Board

  • Artist Jharmi "Cuba" Leach with his Interactive Community Built Pastel Street Art

  • Artist Jennifer Sekella of Painted Love Face & Body Painting & Glitter Tattoos

  • Artist Erica Unterwoman of Aubergine Glass & Jewelry with a Stained Glass Demonstration

  • Artist Betz White of Betz White Designs with her Interactive Knitting Machine Peacework Project

  • Artist Morgan Williams with her Interactive Community Built Pastel Street Art and Artist Natalie Tom with her interactive Watercolor Art Station.

• The festival’s entertainment schedule on the Wisner Park Gazebo Stage will begin with welcomes from Brent Stermer, Chemung County legislator, minority chair and Rev. Gary Brinn, pastor and teacher at The Park Church, who will relate how this festival can be a life-saving celebration and why The Park Church is committed to bringing it annually to Elmira.

• Featured solo musicians on the Gazebo stage this year include four singer-songwriters: Andy G. Fagan, Lori Lynn Barrett, Lisa Bloom and JOGO (Jose Gomez).

• Also returning to the festival is local playwright Kai DonDero; local cheer team, 607 Dance Unity; and “Story Time with Miss Vanessa.”

• A ninety-minute staged set of karaoke drag performances by nine local queens and kings will be featured about 12:40 pm.

• Festival-goers will be invited to remember members of the LGBTQI+ community who lost their lives to hate crimes, AIDS, and suicide, by giving their names to the Doves Ascending table so that their names may be read at the close of the event as doves are released in their memories.

• Food trucks will line up along the eastern side of the closed Main Street and craft vendors will line set up along the western edge of the street.

• Over twenty-five community organizations that support the LGBTQI+ community will table at Elmira Pride, including religious and political organizations; health, fitness and social services; plus arts, literacy and youth advocacy non-profits.

• Deadline for tablers is May 30 contact office@theparkchurch.org for an application.

• The intention of the Pride celebration is to foster understanding and acceptance through open, honest and non-judgmental learning and dialogue between those who identify as LGBTQI+ and those who would like to support and foster relationships with LGBTQI+ individuals in the community.

• The Festival Sponsor this year is Dabber Hashery, located at 1051 College Avenue in Elmira. Assisting The Park Church is Southern Finger Lakes Pride (SOFLXPride), which joins the church in their mutual dedication to creating a safe and inclusive community for everyone.

• The Sixth Annual Corning Pride Festival, sponsored by SOFLX Pride, happens

  in Centerway Square and on Market Street June 13-14. Go to soflxpride.org for details.

If you’d like to help, we’re having a preparations work party on Friday, June 6 at 6 PM in Beecher Hall. Or come to volunteer at Pride – a sign-up poster is in Beecher Hall.

Otherwise, see you at Pride! Jenny