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Mermaids, reptiles, rainbows. Oh My! Ottawa Family Pride Festival returns Saturday · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Mermaids, reptiles, rainbows, Oh My. Ottawa Family Pride Festival returns Saturday.
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  Written by Bill Frescos. This article is being read by
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  an automated voice brought to you by Everlett. Crowds larger
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  than the population of Ottawa itself are expected to fill
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  downtown this weekend as organizers prepare for the fifth annual
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  Ottawa Family Pride Festival and Parade on Saturday. The fest
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  has grown dramatically since its debut in twenty twenty two,
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  when just under five thousand people attended. Today it's a
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  completely different story. Organizer Dylan Kanne said last year's event
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  had roughly seventeen thousand visitors, and this year is expected
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  to draw well over twenty thousand people. That first year,
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  I was just happy that we were able to use
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  the parks, Conmee said, I don't think anyone ever expected
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  it to get this big in such a short amount
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  of time. That increase in attendance has also expanded programming
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  this year, bringing in more than one hundred and twenty
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  vendors along with a slate of new family friendly attractions.
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  It's crazy the amount of work it takes to make
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  everything happen. Logistically, but once the day finally comes together,
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  it's a very humbling feeling, he said. It never ceases
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  to amaze me just how many people show up to
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  support the event here in a rural area. The Pride
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  Parade will kick off on the day at ten am
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  in downtown Ottawa, with festivities continuing throughout the day in
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  Washington Park and the Jordan Block. This year's parade grand
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  marshals are Nina West and Darien Lake, both alumni of
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  RuPaul's Drag Race. West also appeared on Broadway in Hairspray.
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  After the parade, The Exotic Summit Reptile Show is scheduled
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  for eleven am in Washington Park, while Magic Matt will
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  also perform at eleven and again at three point thirty
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  pm in the Jordan Block. An inflatable obstacle course with
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  water slides will also be available in Washington Park as
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  a fundraiser, with participations set at two dollars for two
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  runs through the course. Conmee said that it's been a
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  point of emphasis among organizers to keep bringing in activities
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  that children enjoy and that also work well with the
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  expected heat. One of our big goals this year was
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  to really build out the children's activities so families have
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  more to experience and enjoy together, he said. Plus, the
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  day is usually a scorcher, so the water slides will
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  also be nice. Among other events, the drag show will
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  begin at noon in Washington Park, while DJs and live
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  music will run throughout the afternoon. Charles Van Horn Entertainment
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  will be the main DJ in Washington Park. The Flannel Junkies,
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  a local nineteen nineties cover band, will open on the
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  Jordan Block stage, followed by DJ Vinyl Messi taking over
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  later in the day with DJ Reco Inferno doing music
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  in karaoke in Washington Park. Windy City Mermaids will also return,
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  offering appearances and photo opportunities, while face painting and vendor
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  booths and being spread out across downtown. For more information
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  on vendors and performances, visit Humankind Initiatives website or Facebook page.