By Kathy Brown.
HK Pride Day will be held June 26, 2021, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the courtyard at 176 Route 81, Killingworth. “It’s an afternoon to celebrate love, diversity, and inclusivity in our community,” said Andrea Freibauer, owner of Andie’s Cookies, as well as one of the creators of the event.
HK Pride Day will be a free event, open to anyone “who just wants to spend an afternoon celebrating love in all its forms.” Everyone is encouraged to bring blankets or chairs to relax on the lawn. Live music will be starting at 4:00 p.m.
“I thought of [doing this] after attending the Middletown Pride event two years ago with my daughter and her friends,” explained Andrea. “I tossed out the idea to some of my friends and local groups and everything seemed to just fall into place within a couple weeks with a small committee of incredible women who know how to get things done! I never would have been able to get this off the ground without their support and assistance.”
“I am so thankful to be a part of this event,” said Rebecca Degnan. “As school counselors at HKMS, Alan Fortin and I have started our middle school’s first Gender and Sexuality Alliance this past year and we have many students involved. Research shows the importance of supporting our LGBTQ+ students, and having a GSA is an important part of that support.”
Andrea told us that students from the LGBT+ clubs at Haddam Killingworth High School and Haddam Killingworth Middle School will have tables set up with free crafts. HK Youth & Family Services will have information about local support systems. The Killingworth Library will have age-appropriate reading lists on LGBT+ topics. There will also be a Kindness Wall where people can post notes of love and encouragement, as well as a selfie station. There will be a few vendors who will be selling Pride-related items, and Andie’s Cookies Café and BarrelHouse will be selling food and refreshments.
There will be HK Pride tshirts for sale. Christa Douyard designed the shirts, and James Murphy, of Pride & Passion Tees made them. The profits from selling the shirts will go to HKYFS, the HKMS and HKHS LGBT+ clubs, and the Peace Flag Project.
“We celebrate diversity, individuality, inclusivity and love every day at the Café, so it made so much sense to spread the love, especially since there is so much negativity in the world,” said Andrea.
