Pride provides perfect weather

Hamilton (OH) – For once, the weather helped.

After a spring filled with rain and frigid temperatures during outdoor events, the Fitton Center Community Engagement team found itself in ideal conditions for most of Hamilton Pride on Saturday, June 1, at Marcum Park.

People responded to the sun and warmth; nearly 400 stopped by the Fitton Center booth to make Pride color-wheel charms.

Guests selected bases with five, six or eight triangular slots and filled the slots in their own design with colored tiles similar to wedges from the old Trivial Pursuit board games. Then they affixed the charms to key rings, necklace chains or waxed cords to complete their wearable/workable art.

“Everything went really well,” said Caroline Digiovenale, assistant director of education and community engagement. “I had some volunteers who were a huge help. And the weather was great all day until around 5.”

A slight rain late in the day thinned the crowds for the final hour of the festival. Even that was an unexpected weather windfall.

“I think we would have run out of the bases if it hadn't started sprinkling,” Digiovenale said. “It all worked out perfectly.”

Digiovenale said the inclusivity Pride celebrates matters.

“There have been so many years and decades the LGBTQ+ community has been treated as an ‘other,’” she said. “They are welcome at any event we do – everybody is. But to have an event specifically for them that’s safe and fun and appreciative – and a craft that specifically celebrates their impact – that’s really important.”

Interested in being a part of the Fitton Center engagement team? Digiovenale said she’s always in search of volunteers to assist in the booth, which will be out and about all over Butler County this summer. Call 513-863-8873 ext. 136 or write caroline@fittoncenter.org for more information.

The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is located at 101 S. Monument Avenue on the Riverfront in downtown Hamilton, Ohio.

Building Community Excellence through the Arts and Culture