Toms River to hold drive-by, virtual ‘Pride’ celebration

Need your 'Pride' fix? With a lack of parades and festivals honoring Pride Month due to pandemic concerns, some LGBTQ+ organizations are having to get creative on how to bring people together. As it turns out, Toms River Township and Exit 82 Theatre Company are teaming up to deliver New Jerseyans a unique way to celebrate.

The drive-by and virtual festivities will all be taking place this Saturday, June 20. According to a press release, the drive-by course will be open from 11am to 1pm beginning at the entrance of Hyers Street at Washington Street, where participants will pass through an adjacent parking lot while enjoying the festivities from their rainbow-decorated vehicles. They encourage coming out to support local businesses participating nearby and to bring personalized statement signs demonstrating your support of Pride. The virtual portion of the day kicks off at 5pm and goes until 9pm. Participants are set to include representatives from Garden State Equality, along with special performances by top New York City drag queen and Toms River native Izzy Uncut, Jan from RuPaul’s Drag Race (season 12), Lexington Banks, Asbury Park’s Milian Mafia, and more.

NJ Congressman Andy Kim, whose 3rd congressional district spans Toms River and many parts of Ocean County, offered his support: “I’m thrilled to see that even in these tough times, we can come together to celebrate Pride right here in Toms River. Since that day over 50 years ago at Stonewall, we’ve seen great progress made, but there’s still so much work to be done."

If you are interested in attending or are looking for more info, check out Exit 82 Theater Company's website here.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 producer, writer, and host Joe Votruba. Any opinions expressed are his own.

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