The Central Alberta Pride Week is being run by the Central Alberta Pride Society (CAPS), no surprise. So don’t hate Tony Jeglum, co-chair of CAPS, just because we talk to him from Tofino, B.C. ("Yeah, there are beaches. . . and surfing!"), just before he heads off to hike the West Coast Trail. Okay, maybe hate him a little bit; but he’s doing good work!

"The Central Alberta Aids Network (CAAN) got CAPS going: [the executive director] of CAAN had a summer intern a couple of years ago, and tasked him with putting together a Pride something-or-other, nd that was the launch of the CAPS."

The CAAN website (http://www.caans.org), though not directly controlling the Pride Week events, does mention that the Central Alberta area is considered to have a population of about 450,000 people, which Tony clarifies as stretching from Wetaskiwin to Olds, and from Rocky Mountain House to Stettler. Don’t go driving to all of those places looking for Pride week events, however.

"In terms of the Pride week in August, the only event that is taking place outside of Red Deer is the ‘Pride at the Beach’, which is held in Sylvan Lake. Last year we did have our Pride church service in Lacombe (just north of Red Deer). "

"There is a tourist train that runs from Stettler down to Big Valley, and we plan on having a ‘Pride on the Train’ sometime in the near future, but the dates for that haven’t been determined. Ideally, the intention of the society is to have Pride events once a month."

This year’s Third Annual Central Alberta Pride Week is scheduled from August 14^th to August 20^th, but Tony points out that this timespan seems to be continually expanding, so he recommends checking out the Facebook page, which has the most current information.

"[For example, once a year] we man a booth at the Red Deer Farmer’s Market, to advertise the fact that we exist; that we have these events happening. We just lay a rainbow flag on the table, and people either come over saying, ‘Oh look at this! I had no idea! When and where?!’ or they just walk on the other side (laughs). But by and large, a really great reception. Nobody has protested us; nobody has shouted us down. If they disapprove they are silent, or [give us] ugly eyes (laughs again)."

"For the last two years we have had our Saturday night concert with live music, drag queens and kings, in a Red Deer pub called The Vat, which is a fantastic live music venue. . . but it’s not the largest [place]; we were always sold out. So we moved this year to the Legion, which is an interesting location for a bunch of drag queens to hang out. But there’s a couple on [the CAPW] board who are Legionnaires who have pointed out that – undoubtedly – there were gay people in the military fighting in the First and Second World Wars. So we are delighted that we’re going to be in the Legion this year.

" ‘Pride on the Beach’ has never happened before: we [ask that] no-one drowns! [And] this is the first year we’re putting on an improv show for Pride Week. There is an improv group in Red Deer called BullSkit ( http://www.bullskitcomedy.com ) [doing a show designed specifically for us]."

GC asks Tony, as someone who has been involved with all three of the Central Alberta pride weeks so far, what he found especially exciting at last year’s CAPW.

"The overwhelming support of the community! Central Alberta gets a bit of a negative reputation for [a lack of] community: there’s no gay bar; there’s no place to congregate. It seems like there are no gay people there at all, but a little bit of advertising –and you put on a couple of events –and there are people coming from everywhere! It’s delightful to see so many people show up. It’s one of the reasons we want to try and do things on more of a monthly basis."

Tony points out, specifically, that The Golden Circle, a seniors’ resource centre in Red Deer, will be putting on a Pride Tea’ Tuesday afternoon for ‘anybody who wants to come’, with a couple of drag queens in attendance. "The fact that this is occurring (as part of the official Pride Week events) kind of blows my mind... I think Alberta, sooner or later, will lose its stereotypical redneck reputation, because it doesn’t really hold true anymore."

WHAT??!! Oh, that’s just crazy. Where would we put them then? The rednecks, that is?