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The rainbow flag, which represents the LGBTQ community and social movements, was raising in La Ronge Tuesday. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

Pride Month begins in La Ronge with rainbow flag raising

Jun 2, 2021 | 3:51 PM

The rainbow flag has been raised in La Ronge’s Patterson Park and residents can look forward to several family-friendly events in the coming weeks.

Close to 60 people gathered Tuesday to raise the flag to officially mark the start of Pride Month. The flag raising included speeches by La Ronge Mayor Colin Ratushniak, along with other invited guests. The rainbow flag is currently at half-mast, however, and two minutes of silence was observed to remember the 215 children recently discovered in a mass grave at Kamloops Indian Residential School.

Ratuskniak announced the Lac La Ronge Regional Pride committee is planning a festival and pride parade in the beginning of July.

“Our festival is going to be happening on Saturday, July 3 in Patterson Park,” he said. “We are sort of still working out the details of what COVID is going to present with that, but we’re going to be having music, performers and different activities.”

Then, on July 4, a pride parade will be held starting at the Lac La Ronge Indian Band (LLRIB) office and ending at Patterson Park. Also on July 4, YXE Drag Collective will be hosting a drag show drive-thru at the parking lot of the Mel Hegland Uniplex.

“Ticket sales are now available on their website,” Ratushniak said. “They have drag queens and drag kings coming from all over Saskatchewan.”

(Twitter/Derek Cornet)

Approximately 60 people attended the flag raising ceremony. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

Residents are also encouraged to join in on the fun with two contests the public can enter to win prizes. The first is a tri-community pride yard and window competition between June 1 to 30. Those entering are asked to decorate their yard and windows in pride colours.

The second is an art contest that will also be running this month. All submission will be featured next month during the festival.

Ratushniak mentioned Air Ronge village council also has a rainbow flag displayed in their council chambers and the LLRIB is expected to raise the two-spirit flag soon.

derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno

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