Lake County PrideFest 2023 a ‘smashing success’

ROUND LAKE BEACH – Like many involved with Lake County PrideFest 2023, Jen Houghton wants the LGBTQ+ community to know they have a home in Lake County.

Hosted in Round Lake Beach for the first time, the June 10 festival’s food, entertainment, crafts, resource fair and more drew thousands. The festivities were fun, organizers said, but they also sent a clear message.

“A lot of us, including myself, we grew up in Lake County,” said Houghton, the event coordinator and program manager for the county’s LGBTQ+ Center. “We didn’t have resources. We didn’t have representation for the LGBTQ+ community and we’re trying to be part of that change.

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Candace H. Johnson for Shaw Local News Network Jessi Reid-Swiech, of Gurnee and Sol Cabachuela, of Mundelein, both with the Lake County Clerk's office in Waukegan, show the different flyers and positive messages they were handing out in the Resource Fair tent during Lake County PrideFest at the Round Lake Beach Cultural & Civic Center. (6/10/23) (Candace H.Johnson)

“We may not have had representation in the past, but we as a queer community, we belong in Lake County.”

The Lake County LGBTQ+ Center, with help from numerous volunteers and sponsors, hosted PrideFest in Waukegan the past two years before moving it to the Round Lake Beach Cultural & Civic Center this year. The event is the center’s biggest and most highly anticipated event of the year.

Houghton credited area police, fire and village leaders with helping to make all who attended feel safe.

“That was obviously important for everyone,” she said. “Also, the venue itself was so beautiful and peaceful. It was great to see different areas of the festival so all people could find something they wanted to do.”

Among those attending, a group of about 15 people from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Waukegan – one of the event’s sponsors – wanted to simply show support.

With anti-drag and anti-transgender laws in other states, it’s more important now than ever to be an ally, said Ellen Montgomery of Wauconda, who has attended all three of the Lake County PrideFests with members of her church.

“We’ve heard stories of just the presence of a Pride Flag making a huge difference to people feeling so ostracized and so alone, and so it’s a lot of fun,” she said. “You get to meet a lot of people and hear a lot of stories. … It’s really important that the people who feel marginalized know they have allies.”

More than 40 Lake County organizations were represented at the resource fair, Houghton said.

Among the highlights of the day, a drag queen partnered with a pageant queen to host a children’s storytime.

“That was fun to see that royalty comes in all forms,” Houghton said.

The free, family-friendly outdoor festival featured music and theater performances, multiple drag shows, dancing, games and entertainment for children, artisan vendors, food trucks, a beer tent and more.

People of all ages attended.

“I think it was a smashing success,” said Vishal Banker of Libertyville, one of the LGBTQ+ Center’s board members. Banker helped organize the event’s food, drinks and entertainment.

“We definitely had a couple thousand people come through and people were so happy,” Banker said. “It’s just fun to bring joy to people and have a place where things are inclusive for the day and fun for the day. Nobody’s picked on and you’re setting the bar for being a really decent person.”

Banker and his five fellow board members do their part on a volunteer basis, putting in hours to help plan the festival and the center’s year-round programming.

Among numerous services – available through lgbtqcenterlakecounty.com – the center offers a lineup of regular programs and events, including support groups for adults, youth and parents and social events.

Activities include a Queer Happy Hour that provides connection and networking and a Nature Series hosted at forest preserves and parks in the county to bring people together in the outdoors.

The center’s Community Safe Zone Trainings throughout Lake County aim to strengthen competency and knowledge about the LGBTQ+ community. A long-term goal is to one day have a physical location for the center, said Houghton, the center’s only staff member.

“Our hope is within the next three to five years to have our own brick and mortar, but we really want to focus on expanding staff and programming first,” she said.