LAMBERTVILLE/NEW HOPE: Marriage equality is Pride Parade focus

   Officials are celebrating the history of the bridge connecting New Hope and Lambertville. Next month the structure will serve as a social and political metaphor.
   The two communities are celebrating the 200th anniversary of a bridge spanning the Delaware River. On Saturday, May 17, the bridge will be used as a symbol to spur the movement for marriage equality.
   For the first time, the annual Pride Parade, the signature event of Pride Week for the New Hope Celebrates organization, will start in Lambertville before marching into New Hope. The theme, “Bridge to Equality,” will highlight the fight for marriage equality in Pennsylvania and across the country.
   The parade will begin at Lambertville City Hall, where New Jersey’s first same-sex marriages were performed in October. It will proceed to the Lambertville House inn on Bridge Street, where the parade will pause briefly as Lambertville Mayor David DelVecchio performs a same-sex marriage.
   The parade will continue down Bridge Street and pause again on the state line, allowing New Hope Mayor Larry Keller and other Pennsylvania politicians to join the marriage float before the parade continues into Pennsylvania, symbolically bringing marriage equality to Pennsylvania.
   Invitations have been sent to several politicians and political organizations to show their support through participation in the parade.
   Special guests Victoria Lace and Mayor Keller will serve as MCs for the parade at the new location of the reviewing stand on South Main Street next to local sponsors Country Fair Chocolates and Whatever’s Hot and across the street from John & Peter’s restaurant.
   Suggested parade viewing points are at the Lambertville House, the New Hope Lambertville Bridge, Karla’s, John & Peter’s, Havana and Fran’s Pub.
   The parade begins at 11:30 a.m. and will conclude at about 1 p.m. Following the parade will be the vendor fair and block party (featuring special guests Trisha Dasch, Christine Martucci, Dario, Josh Zuckerman & Kristine W.) in the Bucks County Playhouse parking lot. The day will cap with a nighttime Pride Dance Party at the Raven.
   ”The board is very excited about the parade route change and the opportunity to continue to highlight marriage equality as a key issue that will be before Pennsylvania courts later this year,” said New Hope Celebrates President Sharon Fronabarger in a release. “Pennsylvania remains the only state in the Northeast that has yet to pass marriage equality. Our goal is to send a clear message to Pennsylvania that all loving couples should have the freedom to marry.
   ”NHC is not a political organization, but we feel it is important to educate the public on issues relevant to the LGBT community and to support issues focused on equality and diversity,” she said.
   For information on New Hope Pride, which is taking place May 11 through 18, visit the New Hope Celebrates website at www.newhopecelebrates.com. You could also download the New Hope Pride event app, or pick up the New Hope Celebrates Pride Guide at several local businesses and the Bucks County Visitors Center at the New Hope Chamber office.
   New Hope Celebrates is a nonprofit organization focused on highlighting the history and cultural nuances of New Hope, while stimulating the retail, hospitality and professional community.
   NHC is comprised of a board that drives activities and events that serve the diverse LGBT populace through the creation and promotion of marketing opportunities, educational activities and cultural events.
   One such event is the annual week-long Pride celebration in May.
   Since 2003, NHC has organized events that recognize the strong LGBT presence in New Hope and celebrated the history and culture of the river town. Funding generated through New Hope Celebrates events is channeled back into the community to support neighbors in collaborative business and cultural initiatives.