BASC Pride Committee hosts annual Pride on The Common event

BUCHANAN — Community members and visitors alike descended on the Common Sunday to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in Buchanan and Michigan.

The Buchanan Area Senior Center hosted its annual Pride on The Common event Sunday evening. Presented by Lifted dispensary, sponsored by Cannavista, High Profile, Honor Credit Union, Pinnacle and 7 Engines and produced by the Buchanan Area Senior Center’s Pride Committee, the family-friendly event featured sponsor, non-profit and artisan booths, food trucks, a DJ and live entertainment. According to Pride Committee Chair Adam Burck Burck, the theme for this year’s event was “Celebrating our Visibility.”

“It’s fantastic,” he said. “The weather couldn’t be better, a lot of people are here and we have twice as many vendors this year. We’re very happy.”

Love & Hope Co., performed weddings at the event for couples with wedding licenses in hand. The band Ultrafab band returned as the headliner this year, and the ever-popular DJ Chuck  Fry will open and close the concert.

The Buchanan Area Senior Center, a non-profit charitable organization, is a community focal point on aging. The BASC offers programs and services that promote physical, social, and mental well-being, including exercise, recreation, crafts, Senior Nutrition Services, transport to medical appointments, food commodities, a Senior Community Garden and more.

During the height of the pandemic, older adults suffered isolation. According to the BASC, studies found that LGBTQ+ seniors suffered greater isolation as they are twice as likely to live alone, so it started a monthly LGBTQ+ social to build social connections and support. The group has grown and organized Buchanan’s first Pride event on The Common last year.

For Burck and the Pride Committee, the strong community turnout was evidence of the community’s support.

“It means we did it right,” he said. “It’s a team effort. We have a Pride team, there’s five of us, and we put a lot of effort into it and it’s just coming together. The second year is even better and the community is so supportive. The city provides the Common for the event and the local businesses that are participating are wonderful. We’re just thrilled.”

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