Northport Pridefest to make its debut with a flag raising at Village Hall
In anticipation of anchor events throughout the month of June, storefronts in Northport Village have been promoting a key message of Pridefest: All are welcome here.
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Northport Pridefest will open the month of June with a flag raising ceremony at Northport Village Hall tomorrow, June 1. It will mark the first time the traditional rainbow Pride flag will be displayed at the Main Street location, headquarters for Village officials and adjacent to the Northport Village Police Department.
The flag will fly over Village Hall every day throughout June.
The flag raising is part of Northport Pridefest, a first-ever month-long event with a mission to celebrate, embrace, inform, educate, empower and inspire. The key message of Pridefest, according to organizers, is “All Are Welcome Here.”
The Pride flag will be raised by Northport Village Mayor Donna Koch at noon. Neighboring churches, including St. Paul’s Methodist Church, will ring their bells in solidarity shortly after 12pm, to proclaim the official opening of Northport Pridefest.
The mayor will be accompanied for the 30-minute program by community and religious leaders, as well as fellow trustees, other locally elected officials representing the Village, town, county, and state, including Supervisor of the Town of Huntington Ed Smyth, and Stephanie Bontempi, Suffolk County legislator, as well as members of the Huntington town board, Village Police, Northport’s local businesses, and members and allies of Northport’s own LGBTQ+ communities.
Throughout the month, various other styles of Pride flags (contributed by individual local residents and representing the diverse segments within the LGBTQ+ communities) will fly at other selected locations in the Village.
The Northport Historical Society, located across the street from Village Hall, will be opening its first-ever Pride exhibit at the museum, and will also outline the property around its building with Pride flags.
A second anchor event, Pridefest in the Park, will take place on Saturday, June 17, from 1 to 4pm in Northport Village Park. In a statement, Mayor Koch said “I invite all area residents, from Northport and our surrounding communities, as well as members of Long Island’s LGBTQ+ community, are welcomed for an inspiring day of fun and celebration on Saturday, June 17. Please come and enjoy Northport hospitality.”
