Pride event coming to Lake Geneva
ABOVE: Lake Geneva pride Weekend is set to feature sidewalk sales, similar to what is conducted during Maxwell street days in august, as well as several other activities at participating businesses.
LEFT: Business improvement district Board member Stephen Schroeder first announced plans for lake Geneva pride weekend during the Business improvement district's annual Meeting and Community improvement awards on April 1. Members of the lake Geneva Tourism Commission awarded a $15,127 grant to the organization to help them promote the event.
Grant funding has been awarded to help promote a newly-established event in the city of Lake Geneva.
Members of the Lake Geneva Tourism Commission unanimously approved on April 13 to award a $15,127 grant to Business Improvement District officials to help them promote and market their upcoming Lake Geneva Pride Weekend, which is scheduled to be held Thursday-Friday, June 11-14, in downtown Lake Geneva.
Business Improvement District representatives first announced plans for the event during their Annual Meeting and Community Improvement Awards on April 1. The event is to honor June's National Pride Month.
Pride Weekend is set to feature sidewalk sales throughout the downtown area, as well as activities and events at participating businesses.
"So, we're going to encourage everybody within the city to activate for this event in some way shape or form," Stephen Schroeder, Business Improvement District Board member, said. "The goal for this going forward is to continue to grow and grow and grow. The goal this year is starting this small and getting this striving every year."
Pride Weekend also is set to feature several family-related activities.
"We're trying to make this a vibrant, inclusive, community-driven celebration designed to position Lake Geneva as a welcoming destination for LGBTQ visitors," Samuel Kelly, Business Improvement District Board member, said. "This is more of a family event, so a lot of things that we will be doing will be driven towards families."
Business Improvement District officials plan to market the event through advertisements, sandwich board signs, banners, posters and window clings in the local area, Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago.
The four-day event is expected to attract about 5,000 visitors to the community.
"With the assistance in marketing, we can make this substantially large and fill the hotel rooms," Schroeder said.
Business Improvement District officials also plan to launch several websites including www.LGPride.com, LakeGenevaPride.com and LakeGenevaPride.org, which are set to list a schedule of the activities, as well as places people may stay and visit in Lake Geneva.
"So, we will list all the hotels and all the events that are going on during Pride Weekend," Kelly said. "There will be a QR code that will direct people throughout the city and all over the place where they can look and see what they can do."
Luke Pfeifer, Tourism Commission member, said Pride Weekend should help attract people to Lake Geneva during a week when the city does not receive many tourists.
"The time of year is good. You kind of get the low after Memorial Day in June and it carries through then," Pfeifer said. "This includes weekdays. This is a new event trying to get something going."
