Small-town pride: pride festivities in smaller places are where the biggest changes are possible. Here's a preview of five down-home pride events.

Nyack, N.Y.

POPULATION: 6,700

PRIDE FOUNDED: 1999

THIS YEAR'S PRIDE: WWW:GAYPRIDEROCKLAND:ORG

Many pride celebrations are defined more by drag queens and go-go boys than by families with children. That's why Phyllis Frank, head of the Community Change Project at Volunteer Counseling Services of Rockland County, just northwest of New York City, set out to create Gay Pride Rockland.

"Our goal is to mainstream GLBT issues, to make our issues everyday issues," says a passionate Frank. "Our challenge is to demystify the images created by the media, which influence the way people see the gay community." In particular, she is talking about sexually charged images that appear in large-scale pride events in places like New York City and San Francisco.

"Don't get me wrong," she says. "I love the men and women who dance on the floats, but that's not the entirety of the gay community. And when those are the only images, that's very harmful."

The first Gay Pride Rockland, held in 1999, brought out over 1,000 people with the successful slogan "It's not a parade. It's an event for everyone." Frank said that she knew she was on the right track when she convinced her straight uncle to attend. "He was shocked that it was just regular people," she recalls. "He thought he'd be able to pick out the gay people."

The day's festivities include entertainment and speeches, most notably by a slew of local elected officials, inside the Nyack Center on Depew Avenue downtown. Outside, there is a children's carnival, food and merchandise vendors, and supervised family activities. There is no admission charge to any of the activities.

With family-friendliness in mind, organizers have rejected sponsors and vendors deemed too sexually oriented, says Michael Segovia, LGBT program coordinator at Volunteer Counseling Services. They even turned down offers of trash receptacles from a ubiquitous lubricant company. "I love lube. But I don't want a lube ad on every trash can," says Frank, adding that other aspects of Gay Pride Rockland are more important than money. "Our goal is major social change in Rockland County. And that's no small task."

Hopkinsville, Ky.

POPULATION: 30,000

PRIDE FOUNDED: 2002

THIS YEAR'S PRIDE: MEMBERS.TRIPOD.COM/RSBPPRIDE

When Andy McIntosh moved to this small city in western Kentucky six years ago, he found almost no signs of LGBT life: only one gay bar that soon closed, no gay community center, no gay organizations, and no gay pride celebration.

Hoping to find other gay people, McIntosh started a Yahoo! group, which now has about 140 members and grew into a volunteer-run gay social and community service club called Remember Stonewall Be Proud. The group now sponsors Hopkinsville's annual pride picnic and festival. In June they will celebrate their fifth year.

Hopkinsville is "the buckle of the Bible Belt," McIntosh likes to say, and organizers initially had a hard time coaxing local gays to their public event. "Many people were afraid at first," McIntosh says. "They would tell me, 'I can't [attend pride]. They'll find out at work. Or my church will find out."

As a result, only 12 people attended the group's first pride celebration. Last year, however, attendance was over 200. The event, held on private property, has grown into a festival with food, games, and information booths. In 2005 the group held its first Miss Stonewall Pageant, something it plans to make an annual part of pride day. An individual once made a complaining phone call to the employer of one of Remember Stonewall Be Proud's volunteers, but the group has never suffered in-your-face harassment.

McIntosh is owner of Gaelic Dreams Floral and Imports, a local store that sells pride merchandise and has become somewhat of a default gay community center.

Despite being a short drive from the larger community of Clarksville, Tenn., where there is a bigger gay pride celebration, McIntosh says it is important for Hopkinsville to host its own pride observance. It's about visibility in the local community, he says. In fact, Remember Stonewall Be Proud was the first group ever to set up a gay pride booth at Little River Days, an annual citywide arts and crafts festival.

"We let a lot of people know that we're just like everyone else," says McIntosh. "This kind of visibility gives the community at large a better understanding of who we are."

Flagstaff, Ariz.

POPULATION: 53,000

PRIDE FOUNDED: 1997

THIS YEAR'S PRIDE: WWW.FLAGSTAFFPRIDE.ORG

The city of Flagstaff was immortalized in the song "Route 66." about the legendary U.S. highway. And even though it is a relatively small city, you could definitely get your kicks this June at Flagstaffs annual Pride in the Pines, now in its 10th year.

The roster of talent belies Flagstaffs small size, with famous recording artists Chaka Khan and Sophie B. Hawkins performing this year. In the past, entertainers have included Martha Wash and Tiffany. David Fiss, managing director of the Northern Arizona Pride Association, says Flagstaff can attract top talent in part because of its proximity to Los Angeles and its not-too-hot June temperatures. "Flagstaff is more like Fire Island, N.Y.," says Fiss. "It's an escape from the big city."

The board of Northern Arizona Pride is all volunteers, but the job of managing director is a paid part-time position. The group also has the full support of both the city and the county governments. "The first year it was held outside of town, but then we decided to move it downtown, right in front of City Hall in Wheeler Park," Fiss says. "That year a lot of local people didn't come out of fear of being outed, of losing their jobs, of suffering physical violence. But if we were going to call it a pride festival, we had to be proud. Now people--especially young people--can't wait to go to pride."

Indeed, last year 3,500 to 4,000 attended.

Gays in Arizona are fighting a proposal that would put a ban on same-sex marriage in the state's constitution, and that is part of the reason that having a pride celebration in Flagstaff is more important than ever, says Fiss. "The fight continues." he says, "and pride celebrations in small towns are what are helping to change the landscape. It shows the community that we are here."

Pocatello, Idaho 

POPULATION: 51,500

PRIDE FOUNDED: 2002

THIS YEAR'S PRIDE: WWW.PRIDAHO.ORG

Every red state seems to have one or two gay-friendly towns, like Austin in Texas or Bloomington in Indiana. In Idaho it's Pocatello, home of Idaho State University. But even though this southeastern Idaho hub has a thriving gay and lesbian community, there was no pride celebration until a few years ago when a group of friends decided to put one together.

This year they will celebrate the fifth annual PrIdaho LGBT Pride and Diversity Festival, which has attracted about 250 people each year. Attendees have come from as far away as northern Idaho and even across the Canadian border. PrIdaho doesn't sponsor a parade because "we just don't have enough people to have a parade," says PrIdaho president Seven Gardner. In the past the city closed off a portion of one of Pocatello's main arteries, Center Street, for an all-day festival across the street from Charley's, which is said to be the only gay dance bar between Boise, Idaho, and Salt Lake City.

This year, however, organizers are moving the festival to a public park to make the day more family-friendly, Gardner says. In addition to typical festival activities, PrIdaho hosts an event dubbed Queer Factor. "People eat disgusting things, for not much of a prize," Gardner says with a laugh. Later in the evening, there is a special themed dance at Charley's, where Gardner is the resident DJ, as well as an outdoor street dance for all ages.

When asked if PrIdaho is run by volunteers, Gardner quickly responds, "Oh, God, yes. We have relied on the love and grace of 15 to 20 people to make this happen. But this year we are really working on building the organization and involving more people."

During PrIdaho's first year, police had to disband a group of protesters. But there have been no problems since. While Idaho is one of a number of states with an anti-marriage equality measure on the November ballot, PrIdaho is keeping its event nonpolitical. "But we're working on getting more radical [for next year], bringing in speakers," says Gardner. "In the meantime, we work through the year on educating people."

"But it's also for those young people who have nowhere else to turn," Gardner continues. "One young man told me that coming to pride was what finally made him feel good about who he is. That's why we keep doing this."

Portland, Maine 

POPULATION: 64,000

PRIDE FOUNDED: 1987

THIS YEAR'S PRIDE: WWW.SOUTHERNMAINEPRIDE.ORG

Maine won a major victory at the ballot box last November when voters rejected an effort to repeal a gay-inclusive antidiscrimination law. It was a milestone, in a sense, since it was the third time the issue was put to voters but the first time that gay equality won at the ballot in Maine.

This June another milestone will be marked in Maine when Southern Maine Pride holds its 20th annual parade and festival. The first year of Portland Pride, as it was called then, included a picnic at a public park and a march of about 200 people along Congress Street, one of the city's main drags. The June event has since grown into a weeklong festival that attracts more than 8,000 people.

Organizers also put on events throughout the year. Recently they hosted the Pride on the Prince boat cruise featuring Provincetown, Mass., drag staple Guys as Dolls. In October the city will host the conference for InterPride, the international association of LGBT pride coordinators.

Pride week festivities this year will include Walk With the Ones You Love, a family-oriented high-visibility walk sponsored by the Maine SpeakOut speakers bureau, a comedy night at a local club, and the King and Queen of Southern Maine Pride Pageant.

One of the most highly anticipated events, however, is the annual Pier Dance on the Maine State Pier, which brings big-name DJs to this small coastal city. It's also the group's major fund-raiser. And as is the case with most smaller pride celebrations, the organizers are all volunteers.

Although Portland is close to gay-friendly Boston, Southern Maine Pride cochairman Chris Shuping says it's important that Portland have its own celebration. "Many gays here in Maine, especially in the rural areas, won't go to Boston," he says. "And it's really an opportunity to build the community here in Portland and in Maine. If we can allow one individual to come out of the closet and feel empowered, then we've won."