My Big Gay Summer - Part II: Pride Alive In Green Bay
Interview by Mike Fitzpatrick
As veteran Wisconsin gay pride watchers well know, celebrating pride in Wisconsin is a summer-long sensation. After the record numbers posted by Milwaukee PrideFest, organizers around the state are hopeful that those attendance figures plus the recent political successes for LGBT equality in Wisconsin and around the country during the 40th anniversary of the start of the gay liberation movement will combine into added interest for the upcoming regional pride events.
  Due to a new group in Madison switching the city’s pride event from its traditional date to mid-August, northeast Wisconsin’s Pride Alive is the next big event and now has July all to itself.
  Pride Alive has expanded to five days for its second year, kicking off July 8 with the "Safeguarding Our Lives Together" legal issues workshop at Green Bay's Harmony Café. However, the day-long festival festival on July 11 remains the centerpiece of the week-long party. Quest news editor Mike Fitzpatrick sat down recently to speak with Andrew DeBaker and Andrea Schultz, the tirelessly energetic producers of Pride Alive, to see what’s on tap for the upcoming week.

Quest: Before we get to what’s happening in 2009, tell me a little bit about how the first Pride Alive went last July.

Andrew DeBaker: Last year was the inaugural year for Pride Alive. We walked into it with realistic expectations. If we could hold the event and make sure some people show up and have a good time, we would consider it a success. We originally said if we could get 800-1000 people it would be a success. We had over 2500 people attend.
  We had all sorts of vendors and sponsors, great media coverage. It was an incredible success for a first-time event.
  What we’re doing this year is building on that success - expanding the event , making it bigger and better.
Quest: Give me two examples of how this year’s Pride Alive will be bigger and better.

Andrea Schultz: The first thing that’s super obvious I think is the Pride Alive 5, which is a 5K run or a two mile walk that will start and end at Joannes Park, where Pride Alive will again be held this year. Runners have the option of donating a portion of their registration fee to local charities that are LGBT-supportive: Golden House, which is a domestic abuse shelter that has specific programming for the LGBT community; the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters Institute, which works on environmental and conservation issues; and the GLBT Partnership of the Harmony Café, which reaches out to and works with (gay and lesbian) youth in both Green Bay and Appleton.

Andrew: Also, Pride Alive this year runs from Wednesday to Sunday, July 8 to the 12th. The next biggest thing would be the Friday (July 10) Pre-Pride. Something we wanted to do this year is to expand into other areas besides Green Bay so everyone understands that this is definitely a northeastern Wisconsin event. On Friday, July 10, we’re having a movie showing of the Oscar-winning movie “Milk.” After that will will be a “disco diva” drag event at Liberty Hall (Banquet and Convention Center) in Kimberly. The movie showing starts at 8 o’clock, with the drag show to follow immediately afterward. Then after that wraps up we’ll be heading over to Rascals in Appleton for the after-bar party.

Quest: What about the festival itself on July 11? Are there things that are new and different there?

Andrea: Last year we had great success with our main stage entertainment. This year we’re having the nationally known comedian Vickie Shaw as our headliner. We also are having some really great bands from all over the country. We’re also adding a second stage this year with different groups and karaoke. These will be more interactive performances. There will even be hula hooping.

Quest: Hula hooping was very big this year in the dance pavilion at PrideFest. I also understand that you’re having one the the acts that was one of the biggest hits during the afternoon in Milwaukee, the Chicago band Pulsation. I was shooting (candid photos) of the band as the crowd was screaming relentlessly for an encore, even as the next  act was waiting - instruments in hand - to take the stage.

Andrea: Yeah. They’ll be taking the stage in later afternoon, getting everybody ready for Vickie Shaw.

Quest: Are you doing anything to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Stonewall?

Andrew: One of the things we are adding to make the event bigger and better is an LGBT History Tent, similar to PrideFest in Milwaukee, but headed by two local members of the local LGBT community who have been very involved in the last several decades. We will be showcasing the LGBT history of this area for the last 40 years to coincide with Stonewall, but also back to the 50’s and 60’s.

Quest: Is this is the very first attempt to collect the history of the northeast Wisconsin “neighborhood?” I’m aware that most of the archival work done to date has focused on Milwaukee and Madison.

Andrew: Correct. This will focus on northeast Wisconsin, from Oshkosh to Marinette, from Door County to west of Green Bay.

Quest: Tell me about the other pre-Pride events.

Andrew: Thursday night (July 9) will be a LGBT Art Gallery opening. It will be at 319 Broadway, just north of the new Broadway Lounge and Chefusion. That will be showcasing local LGBT artists. There will be wine and hors d’ouerves. It will be a great night to see some art and mingle with the community.
  The Wednesday before that (July 9), we are having a legal protections workshop at Harmony Café in Green Bay from 6 - 9 o’clock. The event will focus not only on couples but individuals as well, talking about the impact of recent events on gaining legal recognition. (The workshop) will wade through what couples need to do to protect themselves in case something should happen.

Andrea: Also on the day of event (July 11) we are having a food drive, to