Most parades, like the Hudson Flag Day (6/12/10) (noted earlier here)are at best droll affairs with a somewhat cookie cutter format, content, and purpose. The Hudson Pride Parade, Rally and Tea Dance was quite different. It was a fun event. Along with the recent Prom King and Queen election at the high school (reported on here in the Register Star) it is clearly a marker of a maturing public acceptance and engagement with a wider range of people as they are, not as some might wish or imagine them to be.

We were a sponsor of this event through the gallery. And so we had our Hudson Pride flag out along with our usual BeLo3rd Open flag.

Karen was not available to take pictures and make movies, so you have to settle for my photographic efforts.

The parade was notable for its many groups of people with simple banners, paucity of floats, and almost complete avoidance of the usual herds of fire trucks and rescue vehicles. I admit to only being surprised at the large contingent from the Capital Area Pride Bowlers.

I particularly liked the crowd that gathered at the end of Warren and up onto Promenade Hill. Right size space and right size crowd. Still in Hudson instead of visually cut off down in Henry Hudson Park.

You should visit the website for the event, HudsonPride.com, and note the endless list of sponsors.