October 13, 2021

In honor of National Coming Out Day, a Pride celebration will be held on Saturday, October 16 at Combustion Brewery & Tap House (80 West Church Street, Pickerington) from 5 pm to midnight.

The event will include food trucks, live music and children’s crafts.

“I really wanted to organize Pickerington’s first ever Pride event so people of all ages in the LGBTQIA+ community know they belong here as themselves, and have support,” said Michael Minor. “Also, for people who don’t understand LGBTQIA+ to see we are all humans. We all have value and it just takes a bit of open mindedness to understand perspectives that are different than our own, to explore that, and see how interesting differences in each other can be!”

Minor believes that the night will be a chance for people “to celebrate being themselves, and to celebrate with others while sharing and learning from each other’s perspectives. Diversity truly is a strength within the community, and Pickerington is such a fantastic town. Let’s celebrate living openly and authentically!”

Lindsey Lewis-Stacy said that the evening will also provide a safe and friendly opportunity for parents to show their children that it is okay to be different.

“We learn to ‘other’ and exclude people; this is one of many life events to stop that behavior before it starts,” Lewis-Stacy said. “Seeing other families at the Pride event will also have a huge impact on the younger members of the LGBTQ+ community. They are learning to navigate life, just like all other young children, with the added layer of not knowing if they will be accepted by their peers (and their families). Knowing there are families with children their own age that will accept them can make a positive impact on their emotional and mental health.”

Mike Miller said that he has been to more Pride celebrations than he “honestly can count. I love to go and support others.”

Like Lewis-Stacy, Miller believes that the Pickerington event is especially important for younger generations who need to know that love and acceptance can be found in their community.

Earlier in the day at Combustion from 11 am to 3 pm, Tabouli Café’s food truck will provide Mediterranean fare such as falafel, shawarma and Moroccan brisket. Then from 3 pm to 9 pm Mai Chau will be cooking up Vietnamese-inspired street food including pho, noodles and pork dumplings.

Pride officially begins at 5 pm with entertainment including a children’s area with crafts and stickers. From 5:30-6:30 performer Nikole Trader will entertain the crowd and read to the kids. She’s gonna read a book for the kids and perform. Later acoustic musician Evan Holcombe will perform from 7 pm to 10 pm.  Homcombe performs a wide variety of genres from country to classic rock to modern pop to bluegrass.

“Pride will be a fun and Covid-conscious event!” Lewis-Stacy said. “You can be outside. There will be music, good food, and friendly people. We all need a little more of that in our lives right now!”

Also, that day Combustion will be debuting two new “Pretentious Barrel House Collab Sours”: “Before Times Port Barrel-Aged Sour” and “Future So Bright Chardonnay Barrel-Aged Sour” as well as two new editions to their cider series: “Sugar Mountain Elderberry Cider” and “Dreams of Cranberry Cider”.

Pickerington Pride was created by members of the Facebook group, Pickerington Diversity (. Minor created the group as a place “where we can share our perspectives and stories to help each other understand and educate ourselves respectfully in order to bring growth and unity to the Pickerington community.”