1999 Parade & Festival

The 1999 Pride Parade was one of the largest in Syracuse history. Led by Dykes on Bikes and a large rainbow balloon arch, the annual parade made its way through the streets of Syracuse. The 1999 parade had three Grand Marshals: Penelope Williams, a New York City GLBT activist, Eugene Koveos, from the Jamesville-Dewitt Acceptance Coalition, and Mary Ellen Kavanaugh, local women's bookstore owner. A large number of our local GLBT community groups were accompanied by several out of town groups, including two marching bands: The Bassically Treblemakers from Rochester, and the Long Island Ravens. The Pride Parade followed a longer route in 1 999,
ending on the grounds of Everson Park, where the Syracuse Pride Committee staged the first-ever outdoor Pride Festival. The park behind Everson Museum was decked with rainbow flags, balloons and large festival tents. The main stage featured the musical
	sounds of nine different music groups, both local and out of town. A large white party tent housed representatives from our city's large contingent of community groups, along with merchandise from vendors. Food and beverage vendors, as well as the large reflecting pool, provided refreshment from the heat. The Syracuse Pride Committee used rainbow stickers to estimate attendance at the festival, which was well over one thousand people. The whole celebration, from parade to the festival, overflowed with a great sense of the pride and dignity of our Syracuse GLBT community.