East-Central Minnesota Pride facts for kids

Audience watching show in bandshell in Robinson Park.

East-Central Minnesota Pride is a special yearly event. It celebrates all people in the rural area near Pine City, Minnesota, United States. This includes people who are part of the LGBT community and their friends and families. When it first started, it was the first Pride event in a rural part of the U.S. It was also the first one in Minnesota held outside a big city. The celebration happens every year during the first weekend in June in Pine City, Minnesota.

About East-Central Minnesota Pride

People gathered at East-Central Minnesota Pride.

East-Central Minnesota includes several counties. These are Pine, Isanti, Chisago, Kanabec, and Mille Lacs counties.

In 2010, a study showed that Pine City had many different kinds of families. To celebrate the 5th birthday of the East Central Men’s Circle, a picnic was held in 2005. This group helps men in the area. Hundreds of people came to this picnic. This event is seen as the very first East-Central Minnesota Pride.

East-Central Minnesota Pride became an official nonprofit group in 2010. This means it is a group that works for a good cause, not for profit. In 2020, the event was canceled. This was done to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Other groups now help plan and run the event. These include the East Central Purple Circle. This group is for women and their allies in the region. Another group is East Central Minnesota Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).

Awards and Recognition

East-Central Minnesota Pride has received special awards. These awards recognize its importance to the community.

Featured Performers

Many talented artists have performed at East-Central Minnesota Pride. Here are some of them:

• Barb Ryman
• Chastity Brown
• Esera Tuaolo
• Kat Perkins
• The Big Wu
• Tommy Ryman