PFLAG Chautauqua and Jamestown Pride are collaborating on a Pride Prom event to be held Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m.

The event will begin with some light music to allow guests to mingle and order from the bar or kitchen. During this time a wide variety of door prizes will be available to win as well. Music will be provided by Master of Ceremonies Paul Clemente, with assistant DJ Lennox WT of Moonlight Revival. Before the open dance commences, a special Royal Drag Court will occur. Running the court will be WT (Moonlight Revival). A special Royal Drag Court will feature entertainers Sabrina White of the Knights of Enchanted Dreams, and Justin Tyme, of ShowTyme Productions. White and Tyme will be serving as the drag king and queen of the court, and will be doing two separate performances throughout the night. Once the performances conclude, guests will be invited to come out onto the dance floor.

“We at Jamestown Pride are thrilled to finally offer a larger event in addition to our annual June festival,” said Karen Hewes Suber, events coordinator for Jamestown Pride.

“Our partnership with PFLAG this year has helped us organize events that enrich the queer community when visibility and representation are much needed.” PFLAG Co-President Jo Hyatt added, “Fueled by love and dressed in our best, we are gathering in celebration unapologetically being our authentic selves. In this current climate, it is an act of bravery.”

Jamestown Pride board member Jessica Frederick stated that the event was conceptualized due to the group’s hope to create more programming. Frederick stated that, while the Summer Pride Parade is a great annual event, the group wants to help the LGBTQ+ community feel included all year long. Not only that, but the groups wanted to have a specific event that would ‘kick-off’ the other events for the year, with the ability to fundraise a little bit for these upcoming events.

Suber also noted the ways which residents can keep up with, or get more involved in, the event coordinated by PFLAG. Suber stated that the organization holds community meetings once per month in the few months leading up to the parade. These meetings not only discuss any upcoming events that support the LGBTQ+ community, but also create group discussion while keeping this community better connected.

“Prom can be difficult for people when it is heteronormative, and cisgendered, and a binary. So this is a chance for people to really be their queer selves, and experience prom in a comfortable environment, not only with LGBTQ+ people but with allies as well,” said Suber. “So we just want to try to create that kind of supportive environment where people can come and get their jam on.”