The Saint Croix Valley will come alive with Pride during the “Queer Crawl” for the third annual event June 13-21. The Queer Crawl provides visitors and locals with a road map to the local businesses and festivals that proudly welcome members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“It’s so exciting to see how much support and enthusiasm we see all across the area,” said Val Mondor, one of the organizers of Out In the Valley, a social and community service group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer folks in the St. Croix River Valley founded 27 years ago. Making space to help herself and others live their truth is a deeply personal passion project for Mondor. “I didn’t come out until I was 45. I tried to suppress my authentic self and deeply regret hurting the man with whom I was living for many years. I wish I would have known myself better and come out sooner.”

Organizer of the Queer Crawl, Bridget Faricy, has been committed to ensuring that progress continues to be made in advancing the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals and those who love them.

“Despite his liberal views, and the fact that he and mom had close gay friends, my dad never felt he could embrace his own sexuality, and he and mom both felt they had to hide his secret. It’s a terrible thing to be told you can’t be yourself, or worse that there is shame in who you are. People do not have a choice in these matters so let’s just love everyone,” Faricy said.

In conjunction with Franconia Sculpture Park’s Midsummer Pride Party and Hudson Pride’s Valley Wide Pride Festival on Saturday, June 20, the Queer Crawl expands Pride activities over the nine days to include engagement throughout the Saint Croix River valley from Hastings to Franconia, River Falls to Saint Croix Falls with fun events such as a Tie Dye Your Pride Shirt event at Spiral Brewery in Hastings to a Pride Paddle down the St. Croix River hosted by Paddlefish Adventures.

“It’s astonishing how far we have come with this event in just a few years. I think people are starving for community, positivity and fun and that is what the Queer Crawl is all about,” said Faricy.

Check out the website at www.saintcroixpride.com for the events and offers that make up the Queer Crawl. Area businesses are encouraged to participate by creating their own events and offers. A limited number of Queer Crawl buttons are being produced for the event and are available at the sites listed on the website while supplies last.

Submitted by Bridget Faricy