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MADE IN CANADA Tel: 519-208-8200597 King Street, North, WATERLOO, ON THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2017 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • 3 CITY NEWS WATERLOO CHRONICLE CITY NEWSCITY NEWS WATERLOO CHRONICLE By Bill Jackson For the Chronicle After taking a year o� , Waterloo Region's Tri-Pride festival is back with more than 30 events planned over the next two weeks, including the return of the Tri- Pride Music Festival on June 3. "Tri-Pride is still very relevant in this day and age," said president Alex Chunaco. "It's a means of getting together with our friends and partners, notwithstanding the community as a whole. "Obviously we want to maintain that face- to-face interaction." Due to a dwindling volunteer base, the 2016 edition of the festival was cancelled. However a new board of directors is hoping to change course, making it once again a staple of the region's annual festival lineup. Tri-Pride's mission is to bring together events, networks, resources and people to cre- ate a "vibrant, collective culture" in Waterloo Region. The festival aims to promote inclu- sion, particularly of sexual orientation, gen- der expression, family, religion and ethnicity, recognizing that systemic homophobia is still something that's real, persists and must be defeated. "We're doing pretty good right now when it comes to the rainbow community, but there's still much work that needs to be done," Chu- naco said. � e � rst event organized by the pioneer- ing pride committee was held back in 1995. A total of 86 people showed up to the ini- tial gathering at the Kitchener City Hall rotunda. In following years the festival grew to include thousands of people who attend- ed an annual out- door music celebra- tion on Roos Island under the banner of Waterloo-Welling- ton Pride. But after Guelph Pride formed in 2004, the focus of Tri-Pride changed to encompass only the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. � e local festival took a hiatus in 2007 before being revived again in 2008. Chunaco admits Tri-Pride has struggled in recent years due to a lack of community involvement. Today's six-member board of directors is still small for a working board that ideally would have about twice the members. "Part of being a regional pride event means there's three times the work as opposed to most other pride organizations that deal with one municipality," he said. An aging population and the advent of social media also means that people are spending more t ime online and aren't going out to social events as much, and partici- pation can � uctuate simply due to the issues of the day, Chunaco added. "We want suc- cessful events in all three cities and we hope to see people sticking with the movement," he said. � is year's slate of activities got underway Tuesday, with people encouraged to wear their rainbow colours throughout Waterloo Region. � ursday evening is the Mr. and Miss Tri- Pageant, a free event at � e Order in Water- loo, beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday evening's Tri-Pride kickoff party gets underway at 10 p.m. at the same venue, for a $5 cover charge. Other events include a karaoke night on Sunday, followed by a dinner fundraiser on Monday evening at the Kitchener Holiday Inn. Tri-Pride at the Races is next Friday eve- ning, June 2, at Grand River Raceway in Elora, featuring the drag (queen) race that's been a popular draw in the past, Chunaco said. But the biggest event is the Tri-Pride Music Festival, which returns this year on Saturday, June 3. Performers for this year's festival include several bands along with well-known Canadi- an artists Andrew Scott, Matthew Boutros and Charlena Russell. Volunteers are still being sought to assist with set-up and take-down and various other tasks throughout the day. � ere are also smaller activities scheduled in the days ahead, from bowling and yoga to comedy and crafts. Many highlight the support groups and services that are available to the LGBT com- munity. Folks are encourages to check out the festi- val's website at tri-pride.ca for more informa- tion. The festival concludes with the Tri-Pride march and picnic on June 4 at Kitchener City Hall. Annual Tri-Pride festival back after one-year hiatus bigger and better than before Tri-Pride restored "We want successful events in all three cities and we hope to see people sticking with the movement." Alex Chunaco Tri-Pride President