"Remember PRIDE is a marathon, keep showing up," reads Bobbi Wisekal's email signature quote.
Wisekal has been doing just that since 2016 when she became involved with Baton Rouge Pride after winning the first Mz Pageant that year. This year, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation pharmacist is president of Saturday's Pride Fest at the Raising Cane's River Center Exhibition Hall.
The noon to 7 p.m. event for the LGBTQ+ community and its supporters is expected to draw 10,000-plus people over the course of the afternoon.
Wisekal, 44, is excited to oversee the day and tweak the 15th fest.
"I wanted to bring a tad more culture to Pride, so I reached out to the Baton Rouge Symphony, various arts councils around town, the Manship Theatre, everybody was on board," she said last week.
The Manship Theatre kicked off Pride Month with "The Beat Goes On," a June 1 concert by Cher tribute artist Lisa McClowry. Proceeds benefitted BR Pride. The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge and the Symphony followed with last weekend's Candelight Concerts at the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center featuring the music of queer icons.
For Saturday, Wisekal and her organizational team of 11 also have recruited TV personality Carson Kressley as guest emcee, and "The Dancing Diva of Texas" Kennedy Davenport and Jasmine Masters, a former competitor on "RuPaul's Drag Race" and "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars" to entertain the crowd.
The popular Blessing of Relationships also is returning.
"We have several ministers around town that are going to come in and actually bless any relationship that people would want, so if it's a new baby, or it's just a loving relationship, or if it's just a family, they get to go up there and get a blessing," Wisekal said.
Likewise, Drag Queen Storytime is again a featured event.
"I have challenged my people to make it more of a production," she said. "And that it needs to be what we keep as our theme as family-friendly, so 'Love is Love,' 'Boys Can Like Pink Too' and 'Auntie Uncle' are the three books my people will be performing at 1:30 and 3:30."
Free HIV testing and education continue to be an important component of the event. Last year, 250 people were tested and this year's goal is 300, Wisekal said.
The Pride Fest president also stressed the event is a "safe area" for attendees. Admission is free and the public should enter the building through the River Road entrance near the River Center box office.
"Since it's in the River Center, everybody has to go through a metal detector and the protesters stay outside," she said. "So once people enter into the space, they don't have to worry about the hate, or the screaming, or the yelling, and that's what we want, is for people to just feel the love that's around them, to be authentically themselves, but also feel safe at the same time, especially with the climate of today."
Resource Fair participants include: Alzheimer's Services of the Capital Area, American Red Cross, AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana, Be The Match, California Pizza Kitchen, Capital Renaissance International School, Cindie's, Crescent Care Legal Services, Cricket Wireless Authorized Retailers, Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, ExxonMobil, Family Services of Greater Baton Rouge, Golden Guys, Gulf South LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, Human Rights Campaign, Impact Nexus LLC, J Daniel Photography63, LGBT Outdoors, Louisiana Lagniappe Rugby Team, Louisiana Museum of Art, Louisiana Trans Advocates, Loveday Funck Art, Realtor Mark Akchin, Metro Health, New York Life, NOW-BR, Ochsner Health, Operation Blazing Sword/Red Stick Pink Pistols, Orkin Pest Control, PetSmart, Red Stick Roller Derby & Red Stick Roller Derby Jrs., Rentokil Terminix, Sage Outpatient Services, Solvay USA Inc., Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, Southern University Ag Center's Communities of Color, Sparkhound, Theatre Baton Rouge, The Emporium Signature Spa, The Glass Closet, Trinity Design Studios Inc., Tufting Toad, Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge, United Rentals, UnitedHealthcare, Unity Baton Rouge, Volunteers of America South Central Louisiana, Walgreens, Walmart and Youth Oasis.
Queerative Market artists and vendors are: Tiffany Pennywell, Lane San Miguel, Sofia Thibodeaux, Raymie Braud, Dre Tarleton, Abe Negaran, Twila Arlington, Carman Weathington, Shilo Langlois, Victoria Simmons, Rachel Bozeman, Juni Cassaway, Blaine Banghard, Kara Thomas, Trash, Lisa Hudson, Elyssa Schexsnayder, Caspian Smith, Rex Summers, Tobie Campbell, Storm Walker, Foster Rider, Mia Hearns, Kayla Beavers, Sydney Epps, Johnathan Watson, Angela Lonsgstreet and Holly Duchman.