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Other live-performers will also feature
the Skamokawa Swamp Opera, Sparrow
Dance Co. and Miss Ariel View.
Community members of all ages are wel-
come to join the remainder of the weekend’s
festivities, including the Pride Treasure
Hunt and the Pride Party, which are sched-
uled for Saturday.
Later on in the evening, there will be a
drive-in, where people can enjoy a commu-
nity-made film showcasing local LGBTQ
community members, their stories and
recorded performances. Expect a lot of spe-
cial appearances throughout the communi-
ty-made feature, DeAngelis said, including
a recorded cameo by singer-songwriter Judy
Collins.
“(Making the film) was a labor of love,”
DeAngelis said.
A raffle for a $500 dollar Costco gift card
to raise money for the continuation of Asto-
ria Pride will be drawn at the drive-in.
On top of the activities the center has
planned for the weekend, Cambium Gal-
lery is hosting a Pride art show, showcas-
ing work by LGBTQ artists on Saturday,
followed by a donation-based after party,
including a DJ. A total of 10% of sales and
the after party donations will go toward the
Equality Federation.
A look back at Astoria Pride
DeAngelis has 30 years of perform-
ing under her belt and directs the Q Choir
in Astoria. She got her start in fundraising
events in her home city of Seattle. She got
involved with the Q Center after moving to
the North Coast.
Along with help from community mem-
bers, she and the Q Center team launched
Astoria’s first annual Pride in 2016 and
have continued to put it on since, including
a socially distanced drive-in movie expe-
rience and car parade for last year’s pride
festival.
“There was probably six of us, mainly
putting (the first Astoria Pride) together, lots
of volunteers.” DeAngelis said. “But we
were able to get it going and it just caught
on like wildfire.”
As Pride weekend nears, DeAngelis feels
excited to be back on the mainstage but also
nervous because it has been so long since
she has publicly appeared since the pan-
demic started. It’s not the first time she has
been in the midst of a pandemic, she said,
recalling a time when the U.S. AIDS cri-
sis took a huge toll on her community of
friends.
“Planning Pride has really helped me
get back into it on a personal basis — and
also reaching out to those that need to be
reminded that we’ve been here before,”
DeAngelis said.
hailey hoffman/The astorian
Marco Davis, as Daylight Cums, waves during the 2020 Astoria Pride parade.
hailey hoffman/The astorian
The 2020 Pride parade on Commercial Street.
The Lower Columbia Q Center is a
resource and advocacy center for the
LGBTQ community in the local community.
The nonprofit center holds support groups
for the queer community and provides one-
on-one social services. Last year, the center
moved into 171 W. Bond St. so that its pro-
grams and resources had a permanent home.
A view from the 2020 Astoria Pride celebration, which featured a virtual gala.
Thursday, June 10, 2021 // 9