By Blake Haas
BLOOMINGTON – June is Pride Month, and McLean County’s only alternative bar is celebrating through a variety of events through “Pridefest.”
In downtown Bloomington, Jan Lancaster, owner of the Bistro located at 316 N. Main St., said the bar would hold a concert and drag show for a “Pridefest street party.”
“This year, we are kicking off Friday night, June 25th, bringing down (singer) Jen Porter from Chicago. She will be singing from about 10:00 p.m. until close. And then Saturday is our big event. We will shut down the street, get a stage set up, and begin our festival at 4:00 p.m. and end it around 10:00 p.m. And then we will move inside for another (drag) show around 11:00 p.m.”
Lancaster told WJBC’s Scott Miller, the weekend events would feature food stands from Under the Ground BloNo and Dead Wood BBQ along with non-profit and vendor booths.
“It’s a very large event. We have tons of vendors, non-for-profits that are there set up to give out information. We actually this year will also have the health department there giving COVID-19 shots. If you haven’t had your shot, you can come down and have one. It’s basically a festival, a celebration of community and friends. That’s so important; I think for us all to unite, that burns us together and makes us stronger.”
Lancaster added that the weekend event would also include bands and drag shows for performers under 21 and performers over 21-years old.
To honor Pride month, Destihl Brewery in Normal created a Pride Pilsner with pride colors on the outside.
“I was just thrilled. It means the world to me, and I’ve had so much support from the community and my downtown neighbors. It’s just wonderful to see us all come together.”
The event will also feature the McLean County Health Department, administering COVID-19 vaccines for those unvaccinated.
Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].
