Second annual Celebrate Your Awesome a hit with local community

Written By BRIAN LOCKHART

It was all about being inclusive at the Celebrate Your Awesome event held on Mill Street in Orangeville last Saturday, June 22.

The street was shut down for this annual festival that featured a variety of bands, vendors, entertainment, and more than a few colourfully dressed people. 

The event also featured two drag shows later in the day.

Celebrate Your Awesome is the brainchild of organizer Jim Waddington, who put together a committee a couple of years ago when he thought it was time Orangeville needed this type of event.

He approached several local people and they all agreed to get on board and make it happen.

“Three years ago my brain said it's time to have one of these, so I carefully selected a committee,” Mr. Waddington explained. “It's a committee of eight people and they're very very good. They put this together and I just kind of go ‘awesome.' We started it two years ago and first sat down at the Mill Street Pub, and I said ‘guys, this is why I assemble you here. I would like to do this. Are you in?' And they said ‘definitely. When do we start?'”

For now, the event fits nicely onto Mill Street – a street that is routinely used for public events as it is convenient and doesn't restrict traffic flow when it is closed off. If the event continues to grow, they may have to move to a larger area.

“The full name is Celebrate Your Awesome, Pride and Diversity Day in Dufferin,” Mr. Waddington explained. “Today is to make it an inclusive event where all people, no matter what their race, colour, sexual orientation – we're here to celebrate. We are highlighting pride of course. We are building a community of acceptance. And as opposed to a parade, we opted to have an actual festival. Parades are an hour or two long, then everyone goes to a party somewhere. This starts at 1:00 p.m and goes right through to 10:00 p.m. We have two drag shows today. The one at 5:00 p.m. is more family oriented.” 

The event lived up to its name and drew a crowd of diverse people from groups of friends in colourful clothing to families with strollers.