The inaugural Pride on 7th got plenty of fanfare before the Aug. 28 event, and mixed reviews the day of.
The celebration, organized by Jorge Alvarado and the Umbrella Management Group, featured a collection of vendors ranging from non profits and political groups to area businesses. In all, an estimated 30 or so vendor booths were set up for attendees to browse inside a trolley barn in The Heights neighborhood of Tampa.
While the event was dubbed a “Pride” celebration, not everyone saw it as one. A $10 entry fee that was divided among three charities—Equality Florida, Metro Wellness and Community Centers and the GaYbor District Coalition—was a turn off for some. Others complained that the entry fee wasn’t well advertised on literature distributed by organizers.
“We drove from Spring Hill to celebrate a Pride event, but this is just an indoor expo,” said James Fienney. “Pride is a celebration of diversity and a chance to show off the strength of our community. This is an expo inside a hot, stuffy warehouse and I just don’t see the point.”
Fienney and his partner, Ivan Cochoran, declined to pay the $10 entry and decided to spend the day elsewhere.
Another would-be attendee lamented that she and several friends drove up and down 7th Avenue in Tampa looking for a street festival, but wound up just going to the beach when they didn’t spot any obvious activity.
Others, however, were happy to front the $10 donation and roamed the venue for several hours, taking in special performances by area entertainers and listening to welcome speeches by Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner and commission candidate Linda Saul-Sena.
“It’s nice to have something this time of year for our community,” said Claudia Ramirez, who attended with her two children. “This was a great chance for us to get out of the house before the fall schedules start with school and other activities. We’ve enjoyed our day so far. Plus, having it indoors makes sense considering it rains every afternoon in August.”
Another parent, Cristal Soto, wasn’t as thrilled with the children’s activities provided by Pride on 7th.
“I was so disappointed,” Soto said. “I don’t like to be strong-armed into giving to charity; you should give to charity from your heart! We got up early because they advertised kids’ events from 9-10 a.m. and when we get there it’s nothing but a table with pipe cleaners! This was the worst Pride event I’ve ever been to.”
But events such as these, according to Mark Ferguson, who was manning the booth for St. Jude’s Helping Hands Foundation, are what you make of them. He credited Alvarado and the handful of volunteers for creating the event in just two short months.
“Any time we can get our community together it’s a positive thing,” Ferguson said. “This is a chance for people to see all the great organizations that are out there working hard for us.”
As the day wore on, more people seemed to fill the trolley barn, especially when Beckner took the stage. Later in the evening, Pride on 7th celebrations continued at bars throughout Ybor City and the surrounding area.
According to a spokesperson with the Umbrella Management Group, $3,200 was raised for charity.
