Capital City Pride is going to be huge this year — expanded to two days, June 16 and 17, with lots of special events leading up to the big parade and celebration in Sylvester Park, including:

Thursday, June 14: Pride Night at Olympia Little Theater with a special presentation of the Tony Award-winning play “Take Me Out.”

Friday, June 15: Theater Artists Olympia’s Pride benefit performance of “Vampire Lesbians of Sodom” at the Urban Onion Ballroom.

Saturday, June 16: The Seattle Lesbian and Gay Chorus “Rise Up & Sing! Songs of Peace, Protest and Liberation” at Capital Playhouse.

Sunday, June 17: The Pride Parade will kick off at 12:30 p.m. with staging to begin at 11 a.m. at the Capitol Steps. The African drumming group Crow Drummers will perform at the Capitol at noon. The parade will go down Capital Way to Sylvester Park.

Entertainers in the park Sunday afternoon will include the Kim Archer Band, Red and Ruby, Trick Cowboy, Ms. Led, drag performers Busty Palmer and the Jakettes, drumming by Planet Percussion and Crow Drummers, comedy by Scatterbrains, and dance performances by Samba Olywa and Troupe O-WA.

There will be information and food booths in the park, a marvelous kids’ area with activities provided by the Hands On Children’s Museum, and lots of speechifying. Mistress of Ceremonies will once again be the great drag queen Auntie Bijou from Spokane.

Check out the Capital City Pride Web site for details.



[Capital City Pride, June 16-17, downtown Olympia, www.capitalcitypride.net]