The Pride Festival Burns Me

As I previously mentioned, I worked the table for the City of Brotherly Love Softball League at this year's Pride Festival at Penn's Landing. This was a unique thing for me, since I'm usually the one going from table to table instead of sitting behind one.

We signed up people who were interested in playing, as well as those who were interested in volunteering for the Women's World Series coming here in August. And we sold some raffle tickets as a fundraiser for the Women's World Series and the league. (Buy them here if you'd like. The grand prize is two round-trip Southwest Airlines tickets, and the second prize is four tickets to the Phillies-Marlins game on Friday, August 26th (which happens to be the 9th Annual Gay Community Night). I actually sold the first ticket of the day. Yay me!

I wasn't sure how long I was going to volunteer my time, but I ended up staying at the table for most of the afternoon. I got there around noon, just as things were beginning to get under way. The Pride parade itself was making its way through the Gayborhood and along Market St., so most of the crowds hadn't arrived yet. So it was slow at first. But once the parade floats began arriving, the people watching the parade followed them and we had a steady stream of visitors.

Many of them were more interested in the free candy we had, but as the day went on quite a few people put their contact info on the sign-up sheets. How many of them will actually end up playing (either in the fall league or next season) or volunteering to help at the Women's World Series, I don't know. There must have been at least 50 or more names on the sign-up sheets to play -- at least 60 percent from women, from my unscientific observation. Fewer people signed up to volunteer, but they got to at least the second page of that sign-up sheet.

Since I stayed at the table most of the day, I didn't really get to see everything that was going on, and I didn't see any of the entertainment at all, except for some of the performance by Dawn Robinson of En Vogue (see first picture). I was happy to help, but I kind of feel like I missed out on the fun stuff a little. Actually, what I think I'd like to do next year is march in the parade itself. I'll have to get myself on a float somehow...

The second picture is of a guy watching Dawn Robinson perform. Although I appreciate the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt (and, more importantly, isn't one of those chest-shaving fools),  I can't imagine how much sweat was under that hat and those boots, considering how muggy it was. Speaking of weather, at first it was rather overcast and not especially warm. Then the sun came out and...well, I figured the back of my neck would be burned from the sun beating on it. It wasn't. The one and only place on my body where I got really red -- to the point where it's a little sore and I'm applying aloe vera to it on a regular basis: above my right knee. SMH, as the kids text and tweet these days.

Gives new meaning to the phrase "hot legs"