PRIDE EVENT LOCATION & PERMIT UPDATE:

We are working hard to make our inaugural Pride celebration a meaningful, welcoming and memorable event for Bell County.

We have submitted permit applications for two different locations while working to find the best possible setting for the celebration.

Our original application was for the City Hall parking lot. However, we were informed today by the city employee responsible for scheduling venues that the parking lot had already been booked and was unavailable.

We immediately submitted a new application requesting Ashbury Avenue and Lincoln Park.

According to the city employee who handles venue scheduling, the new application has been received and is currently being reviewed.

The proposed location would provide considerably more space for our events and activities, allowing us to accommodate more vendors, food trucks, performers and community activities. Security will also be present during the event.

The proposed layout includes:

• Ashbury Avenue blocked off from the area where traffic turns toward the bridge at the stop sign to the second entrance from the residential area.
• Lincoln Park used for event activities.
• Food trucks and vendors located in the parking circle.
• A stage on the softball field for the live band and performers.
• Security present to help provide a safe environment for everyone attending.

THE PRIDE MARCH

The Pride March is also in the planning stages. We are working to coordinate the necessary arrangements with the Middlesboro Street Department and Middlesboro Police Department, including the route, traffic control and safety measures.

This coordination is one of the reasons some aspects of the event are taking additional time to finalize. We want to make sure the march is organized properly and that appropriate safety measures are in place for participants, spectators and motorists.

EVERYTHING IS CURRENTLY ON HOLD

At this time, everything is pending approval of the necessary permit(s) by the Mayor.

We are hopeful that the Mayor will review and sign off on our permit application Monday, allowing us to move forward with finalizing the event plans.

Until we receive that approval, we do not want to represent anything as officially confirmed. We will keep the community updated as soon as we receive a decision.

HONORING TK BRYANT

This inaugural Pride celebration will also be an opportunity to honor and remember the life of TK Bryant. We want this gathering to celebrate life, community, love and inclusion while respectfully remembering TK and the impact their life had on others.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

We have already had some success securing vendors, a live band and several performers, but we still need more!

We are looking for additional vendors, performers, entertainers, volunteers, community organizations and local businesses who want to be part of this inaugural event.

And most importantly, we need our community to show up.

Let’s come together, support our local community, celebrate Pride, and honor TK Bryant’s life and memory.

Help us make Bell County’s inaugural Pride celebration an event our community can be proud of.

For ALL vendors, food trucks, performers, volunteers and security— including those who filled out the other form. It would not let us see all who had filled out the form  

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