Fort Smith is set to celebrate pride this weekend with drag performances, music, food and other activities.
Ryker Lonehardt, a 17-year-old transgender student at Paul William Kaeser High School who uses he/him and they/them pronouns, is organizing the first Frank Gruben Pride Festival.
Lonehardt said he wanted to hold the festival as Fort Smith hasn’t had a significant pride event in “a very long time.”
“I’m just looking forward to having something good for Fort Smith, especially after evacuation last year,” said Lonehardt, noting one year has passed since Gruben – a Gwich’in-Inuvialuk man and member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community – went missing from Fort Smith, where he was attending college.
“I wanted to do this to raise awareness for him but also make Smith a bit of a friendlier place,” Lonehardt said.
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“I felt connected because we’re both LGBT and we stick out for each other a lot, like LGBT people. So him going missing kind-of hit close to home for me.”
The free festival will run from Friday to Sunday and include performances by Thunder Normz, CandyPop, Gemma Emma and Slickeur, as well as a bisexual and pansexual discussion group, a raffle, a drag contest, drag story time and a drag brunch. Lonehardt said events will take place indoors to avoid potential wildfire smoke or rain.
Lonehardt has been promoting the event on Facebook and calling for anyone with information about Gruben’s whereabouts to contact the Fort Smith RCMP detachment at 867-872-1111 or via Crime Stoppers.
Leonhardt said the positive response so far showed “people do still definitely care a lot about Frank.”
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Thebacha MLA Jay Macdonald highlighted the festival in the legislature on Tuesday, prompting applause from fellow politicians.
“Events like this play a critical role in fostering a sense of belonging and dignity,” he said.
“Beyond its artistic and cultural offerings, the Frank Gruben Pride Festival is a vehicle for education and awareness. Through conversations and celebration we aim to uplift Indigenous, Métis, Inuit and LGBTQIA2s+ voices, artists and businesses, enriching our collective understanding of diversity and inclusion.”
