June is Pride Month — when lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and other members under the rainbow umbrella celebrate being able to live as their open, authentic selves without fear. Last year, local business owner Kyrie Borsay, who identifies as a queer woman, spearheaded the inaugural Fort Dodge Pride Festival to bring that celebration to Fort Dodge.

Borsay saw last year’s event as a huge success and the event she threw together mostly by herself morphed into a new non-profit organization with a board of directors. Today, Borsay is the president of the FD Pride Fest board.

Celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride is important, Borsay said, because it shows members of that community that they have a space in this world and, more specifically, in Fort Dodge.

“This is to embrace diversity,” she said. “Whether it be gender or sexuality, or whether it be race or religion or whatever. It’s a rainbow for a reason. We want everybody to feel welcome here.”

-Messenger file photo
While his human, Sydney Allbee, of Fort Dodge is all smiles, Brair, the French bulldog seems less than impressed with his first-place in dog costume at the Fort Dodge Pride Festival Saturday morning.

Saturday’s all-day event will be filled with activities, local food trucks and entertainment, including drag queens and drag kings, Borsay said.

“It’s so exciting,” she said.

The event will kick off at 10 a.m. with opening ceremonies, followed by a Pride procession down Central Avenue at 11 a.m. Speakers, entertainment and games will run from noon to 5 p.m.

Duck King Fun party rentals will be bringing a dunk tank, where local leaders like Webster County Attorney Darren Driscoll and Webster County Democratic Party Chair Sarah SmallCarter will sit and hope that anyone who plays the game has really bad aim. Iowa Central Community College history instructor David Drissell will also tell the history of Pride in the queer community.

Borsay said she was blown away by the response to the event, with businesses and organizations like Starbucks, T-Mobile, Community and Family Resources, the Community Health Center of Fort Dodge and the Webster County Health Department participating.

“It show’s there’s tremendous support from the community,” she said. “It’s been incredible.”

Many other businesses, groups and individuals donated items for the raffle and silent auction that will be held during the event to raise money to continue the Pride Festival organization’s mission of supporting Fort Dodge’s LGBTQ+ community.

In the event of heavy rains, the celebration will be moved into the Eagles Ballroom, 1018 First Ave. N.