We Miss You All!!

This year, the year of covid, the year pride marches and celebrations around the world have been postponed or cancelled. We take a moment to look back on all that we’ve accomplished together and still have yet to do.

To all those people who over the decades have stepped up, who’ve sacrificed, who’ve been willing to change the world around them to leave a better world for those who follow. To those who are still standing, who are still moving us forward, We Thank You!!

This year both flags, The Unity Pride Flag and The River of Pride Flag will not be a part of the scheduled pride events due to public safety.

The River of Pride Flag has been a part of Pride events since 2006, being requested each year to help support those who wish to Be Seen, Be Heard & Be Proud. We miss you and hope to see you all next year!!

Boston Pride 2020

We’re heading to Boston Pride to celebrate their 50th pride march this year!!

Join us in as The River of Pride and The Unity Pride Flags take part on Saturday June 13th. 

Maine Man Who Made 900-Foot Flag to March in Boston Pride Parade 2019

The River of Pride Flag Blackstones 2006

By Dustin Wlodkowski

Click the link below to be taken to NBC Boston 10 to watch the interview. https://www.nbcboston.com/on-air/as-seen-on/River-of-Pride-Flag_NECN-510931612.html

A Maine man will be responsible for a big part of Boston’s Pride Parade — 900 feet of it to be exact.

That’s the length of the “River of Pride” flag, sewn together by Bishop McKechnie of Augusta.

For more than 10 weeks, McKechnie has been busy sewing, eight hours a day, to get the flag ready for Saturday.

“It’s a labor of love, we’ll just say that,” McKechnie explained.

 

He first had the idea to make an extremely large flag 13 years ago when customers at Blackstone’s, a well-known Portland bar, asked if they could be on the bar’s pride parade float.

“The clientele would come in and ask to be on the float,” he said. “It dawned on me [to] come up with something that would make the parade longer.”

That’s how, with limited sewing experience and support from his husband, David Hopkins, McKechnie created his first River of Pride flag with a length of 700 feet.

“This was my solution for people who felt unseen or unheard,” he explained.

As McKechnie put it, for the first time, anyone who didn’t belong to an organization or group with a float in the Portland Pride Parade could now belong to a new open-door group with no bar to entry.

A few uses later, the giant rainbow banner became 900 feet long and was used over and over in the Portland Pride Parade until 2017.

After a one-year hiatus, a friend put McKechnie in contact with Boston Pride.

The Massachusetts group jumped at the opportunity to use the flag made of a special shiny silk fabric, which McKechnie says has the price tag of “a nice car,” altogether.

A 200-foot Unity Flag will also make its way to Boston.

The separate flag sewn by McKechnie is meant to include people who don’t feel represented by the rainbow, like individuals who are non-binary.

“Some may feel they’re such a small sect inside the rainbow,” said McKechnie. “I created a brand new flag for those people.”

The Unity Flag uses all different kinds of swatches sews into one flag and has a multi-colored infinity symbol at its center.

It also has room for new colors to be added by anyone who feels they need a color not in the flag to be represented.

Having one of his epic flags in the Boston Pride Parade has been a dream of Bishop’s since the inception of his project that Hopkins said resulted in at least one “intense” needle accident.

But McKechnie, the one who actually had a needle go through his thumb, has never held one of his flags in a parade before.

That will change on Saturday.

“I’ll be marching in Boston. It’ll be my first time picking up the flag,” said McKechnie, who eschewed any type of title like “artist” or “creator,” saying it distracts from the togetherness he’s trying to foster.

“The flag doesn’t get its way down the parade route,” he said. “You make that happen.”

To clarify a few details from this news story:

The first 125 feet was sewn by Bishop and friends in 2006 along with 2007 to 2008 the addition 775 feet was added. The next 750 feet was sewn by Bishop alone in 2019. The 10 weeks included the 750 feet of The River of Pride Flag and 200 feet of The Unity Pride Flag.

The Month of Pride Is Around the Corner

The River of Pride Happy New Year

We’re days away from this year’s pride month of June. The calendar is full and the days to our first parade/march of the season is nearing.

Here’s a list of our scheduled events:

Boston Pride June 8th

This is our first event of the season with 900 feet of The River of Pride Flag and the highly anticipated debut of The Unity Pride Flag. The new flag is made up of 274 flags that is 200 feet long. We’re looking forward to seeing it unfurled for the first time!

Pride Portland! June 15th

We’re happy to say this will be The River of Pride Flag’s 12th time in the Portland ME pride parade. We’re honored to have been requested and looking forward to seeing familiar marchers carrying the flag again this year!

New York City Pride June 30th

June marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and the first time WorldPride is being hosted in the United States.

NYC Pride invites both flags to take part in the march. 1/4 mile of The River of Pride Flag will be participating along with The Unity Pride Flag.

A Picture Worth 450 Feet

A Longer The River of Pride

In the coming days leading up to June also known as Pride month for some, The River of Pride Flag will gain 450 feet to its overall expanse. The flags overall length will go from 900 feet long to 1/4 of a mile.

This undertaking is in response to the additional venues asking for the flag to take part in their celebration. The addition will come in the form of three new sections being connected by zippers added to the 5 previous. As in past years individual sections can be seen at different venues supporting the community.

2008 was the last time The River of Pride had seen an increased. At the time 600 feet was added bringing the flag to 900 feet.

Be Seen, Be Heard & Be Proud!!

Share Your Pride with Everyone!!

The River of Pride NYC Pride 50th

Would you like to show your pride by marching in the largest Pride Marching in the country. The River of Pride Flag and The Unity Pride Flag have been invited to WorldPride held in New York City on June 30th for the 50th anniversary of Stonewall.

Whether it’ll be your 1st time marching or your 50th, it’ll be historical for us all.

To connect with others that are going you can join the Facebook group WorldPride NYC 2019. Signing up to march is easy, click the signup form and enter your info.

We’ll see you in New York City!!

More Then Just A Flag

The River of Pride was an inspired idea by one, believed in by a community. It was a labor of love of friends showing their pride, support and encouragement for those around them.

When you see The River of Pride, you’ll find hundreds of people Being Seen, Being Heard & Being Proud!! Just what you’d expect to find when a larger then life rainbow flag passes by.

You won’t find any company logos, support by or affiliate sponsors, not even who owns it. The River of Pride is about more than that. It came to life in hopes of showing support for everyone regardless of our differences.

You no longer have to watch from the sidelines wishing you where a part of just one of the many groups passing by. The flag was created for you and over the years grow to accommodate more and more people just like you.

In its presence, your excitement builds, you start looking for an opening, before you know it, you’re a part of the event and marching with the flag. You’re now being seen, being heard and able to share your pride.

The flag was made for you, to have this very liberating experience. So you could be a part of your own personal pride celebration.

Be Part of History NYC Pride 2019

The River of Pride Flag

A follow up to the Dec 4th announcement

The River of Pride Flag and The Unity Pride Flag have been invited by NYC Pride to be a part of a historical moment in time. This June 2019 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and the first time in our history that WorldPride will be hosted by the USA all to take part in this celebration.

Describing the feeling of an invitation to be a part of history, a once in a lifetime event with WorldPride, Stonewall 50th and NYC Pride altogether is more than an immense honor. One we are proud to share with everyone!

A community coming together

After announcing our participation in NYC Pride we received an outpour of support  and people looking to volunteers to march. The River of Pride Flag is looking for around 600 people to walk with it and The Unity Pride Flag will need around 100. If you’d like to join us in NYC for the march please signup here by filling out the form asking for your email and name. This info is a requirement for NYC in order to be let into the march and with take less than a minute. This info will be shared with the NYC police for safety reasons.

Stay informed by joining the WorldPride NYC 2019 Facebook Group. A hotel & bus package is being worked on by a friend of the flag and will be posted in the group when ready.  It’s NYC so don’t hesitate as the first hotel we reserved for our group sold out in less then four hours. People have been having good luck with AirBnB as well.

The River of Pride Flag NYC Pride WorldPride Stonewall 50th

Thinking about your NYC travel plans

On average 2 million spectators attend the march in NYC for Pride with 46 thousand people marching. This coming pride they are expecting 5 to 6 million spectators. What that means for people getting in and out of the city is a lot of traffic.

If you’ll be driving, try to give yourself extra time getting there. Some have said to expect up to 4 hours of added traffic. Peak travel will be Saturday and Sunday so if possible you may want to add on a day either side of those for an easier trip.

Have you thought about your stay yet? The hotel rooms in the city will soon be filling up before you know it if they haven’t started already started so you’ll want to get your room very soon. If you’re driving the same goes for parking. Many parking garages now offer online reservations so you know a spot will be ready for you when you arrive.

Contact us at info@theriverofpride.com

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