06/09/2026
Yesterday’s Pride Picnic was a powerful reminder of what community can look like 🏳️🌈
Despite the rain bringing our afternoon to an early close, we were thrilled to see such a strong turnout from across the Crowsnest Pass. Families, friends, neighbours, allies, elected officials, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community came together to celebrate belonging, visibility, and connection. We were genuinely overwhelmed by the turnout! 🌈
Events like this do not happen by accident. They happen because people show up. They happen because volunteers give their time, businesses offer support, allies stand beside us, and community members choose to participate.
Amanda Slugoski, founder of Crowsnest Pride, delivered a powerful reminder of the very existence of pride in The Pass:
“There is something quietly radical about the fact that we are here.
Not just here today, but here, in the Crowsnest Pass, visible, loud, together. In a place where, not long ago, many of us kept ourselves small and kept our doors closed. That has changed, and it has changed because of you.
Pride Month is often painted as a celebration...and it is. We have earned every moment of joy, every flag, every piece of colour we put into this community. Rights were fought for bitterly, sometimes at great personal cost, by qu**rs and allies who came before us. We don’t take that lightly. We celebrate because celebration is itself an act of resistance. Because when you tell a community it shouldn’t exist, existing joyfully is the most defiant thing you can do.
And.
Pride is not finished. The rights we have are not permanent fixtures; they are positions we currently hold, and positions require people to hold them. Every year that we show up, we are making it known that we are here, we belong here, and we are not going anywhere.
What you do as members of this society and members of this community matters enormously. Not just in the abstract, not just symbolically , but concretely, practically, visibly. You are the reason a young person in Blairmore or Coleman or Frank or Bellevue or Hillcrest sees that there is a community waiting for them. You are the reason this Pass looks different than it did three years ago. Visibility is not vanity. It is infrastructure. It is the thing that makes it possible for the next person to come out, to stay out, to thrive here rather than leave.
So I invite you to go into this Pride Month with your elbows out. Take up space. Be seen. Fly your freak flag! Fly every single one of your flags, freaky or otherwise. Come to the events, not just because they’re fun but because your body in that space sends a message that no poster or social media post can replicate.
You are not a passive recipient of Pride. You are what Pride is made of.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for being visible. Thank you for being the kind of community that makes this place worth fighting for."
It does not escape us, at Crowsnest Pride Society, that it felt especially meaningful to hold this event in partnership with the Crowsnest Museum. Our sincere thanks to Jude and the Museum team for hosting and helping facilitate the picnic. There is something powerful about gathering in a place dedicated to preserving our community’s history while also creating space for new stories to be told. It is a reminder that communities are not defined only by where they have been, but by their willingness to grow, evolve, and welcome one another. In many ways, the day reflected how the past and present can come together to help shape a more inclusive future.
We would also like to extend our thanks to Ophelia Outpost , Tuesdays Bookshop, Mudlarker, Country Encounters, Ryan Mueller, Gutts Armstrong, Pumpkin, Brian Gallant & Sinister Sports, and the many other individuals, organizations, volunteers, and organizers whose contributions helped make the day possible. We are grateful as well to Mayor Pat Rypien for attending and showing support for the event. We appreciate everyone who took the time to join us and help create such a welcoming and affirming gathering. Every year we gather, we make it known that we are here, we belong here, and we are not going anywhere.
Happy Pride Month, Crowsnest Pass!!! 🏳️🌈🫶
PHOTO CREDIT: Peyton McAuley (Photographer) & attendee photos. Credit to Crowsnest Museum for Collage
