Pride Lives Here
More than just a party…
This was an EPIC night of celebrating the Queer Community and our freedom to live our lives authentically. It was also a chance to pause and acknowledge the LGBTQ+ community's history - all the drag queens and other brave souls who came before us and fought so that we can be out, be married, and hang the Pride flag on our home.
We felt SO MUCH LOVE. Everyone who attended was here to celebrate diversity and inclusion, spread love, and of course…PARTAY!
Pride in Palatine
“Pride is important because someone today still believes they're better off dead than being themselves.”
We strongly believe that celebrating pride in OUR community is essential. We both come from very conservative families where the idea of “being gay” was not an option. If either of us had seen or experienced a Pride Celebration as a kid, how would that have changed the trajectory of our lives?
Our goal is for Palatine to one day host a Pride Celebration, Parade, or Festival. But in the meantime, we’re starting here and we think it’s a pretty great place to start! 🙂
Fly the Flag
It gives us the chills to think about our 137-year-old home proudly flying a Pride Flag every June. We think about all the folks who have lived in this home who were perhaps too afraid to come out, or who were judged or ostracized because of who they are. Flying our Pride Flag at Plum Grove is taking a stance that we support and embrace ALL people.
Visibility in our community is EVERYTHING.
The Pride Logo
Isn’t this Logo gorgeous, darling?
This was actually our friend Nicole’s idea from NiKnack Marketing. We mentioned throwing a Pride Party, and she brilliantly envisioned a Pride Logo - and voila!
If you look closely, you will not only see the traditional Pride colors, but also the addition of black, brown, pink, and baby blue. In case you didn’t know, the Black and Brown represents people of color and Pink and Baby Blue represent Trans People.
The detail is incredible and we could not be more proud of how it turned out - thanks, Nicole! We love you!! XOXO
Thank You to ALL our Sponsors!
Eat, Drink, & Be Gay!
No pride party is complete without Proud Tipples!
The signature tipple was named “Jungle Juice” - because we knew it was going to get HOT and DANGEROUS that night! (hehe) The food, wine and beer (including the champagne splits that each guest received upon entering the party…😜), was generously donated by one of our favorite local restaurants - Giannis Italian Bistro! Our guests dined on the most amazing Italian fare and there was plenty for everyone to go back for seconds! The desserts were donated by our beautiful friends at Ambrosia Euro American Patisserie! If you haven’t given them a try - it’s a MUST here in the NW Suburbs! OH! & don’t forget to stop at the adorable Joe + Dough Airstream trailer on your way out for some freshly made donuts and coffee - Yummers!!
The Awards Ceremony
BTW, did we mention this was an 80s-themed party including a costume contest?!? WELL, you can’t have a fabulous costume affair without an awards ceremony to honor those who REPRESENTED the best! Rather than a costume parade, we secretly engaged the super-hot boys to choose the award winners as they checked into the party. We started off with the worst dressed award - the “Gag Me With A Spoon” award! Our dear neighbor, Bob Logan, won this award, which was a giant gold wooden spoon! Although he gets an “A-for-Effort,” his costume didn’t scream The 80s. Bob was a great sport and still got a huge round of applause - good job, Bob! Next up was the “Totally Tubular Award” for best costume of the night, and that went to everyone’s favorite Ira Woolwich who brilliantly replicated Elton John’s bedazzled LA Dodger’s look from Elton’s iconic concert! To top it off, we presented the “Friend of Dorothy” award to Janesa Dohme, who channeled her best Madonna and truly embodied the “Back to the 80s” vibe…….crimped hair, tulle for days, and tons of neon jewelry and a glittering tutu! She left smiles…..and a little bit of glitter and confetti….wherever she went! Haha! It was a totally bitchin’ good time!!
“Our Pack Includes Everyone”
Before we even began to plan the “Pride Lives Here” extravaganza, Second City Canine Rescue (SCCR) reached out to us about collaborating on something special for Pride Month - so freakin’ cool! Our hearts were so happy to know that this incredible organization was planning to celebrate diversity within its organization and in our community! No matter what role you play at SCCR, whether you’re a board member, volunteer, adoptee, or foster parent - “our pack includes everyone”! The photo shoot was SO FUN and who doesn’t love puppy kisses?!
The Kenneth Young Center
We are truly grateful to have such a phenomenal resource for the Queer community right here in The NW Burbs - The LGBTQ+ Center at Kenneth Young (KYC). This amazing center offers free resources to Queer youth and young adults, which includes programs that focus on advocacy opportunities, professional trainings, and community events throughout the year. The KYC was represented at this event in hopes to help spread the news about their mission and resources - we hope you check them out!
The Go-Go Boxes…
If you’ve been following along, you know that we wanted to have some amazing Go-Go boxes for the hot boy dancers who were performing at the event - I mean, doesn’t that always liven up a party??
Cut-to-Us making a trek to the Homo Depot to purchase lumber for our wonderful friend (and builder extraordinaire), Ken Hewett to magically make them appear! But alas, after purchasing $300 worth of lumber, we determined that the lumber wouldn’t fit in our car! oi. So, this debacle necessitated renting a flatbed truck to get everything to Ken’s house…
The following day, while chatting with the lighting designer, Ken Murphy, the topic of the wood and boxes came up and he tells us, “Oh, I have a friend who has boxes that he rents - with light beams shooting up from each corner!” All said it was too late to pivot..SO we are now the proud owners of two very sturdy black Go-Go boxes (just in case someone wants to rent them) But, what better excuse is there to make this an annual event. And, as the pics portray, they were well used and a big hit at the party!
A great time was had by all!
Yaaaaas, we had a Drag Show!
We are sad to admit that the word “Drag” has become a lightning rod for controversy in recent months…
HOWEVER, we weren’t going to let this keep us from honoring this ancient art form, and recognizing that no Pride celebration would be complete without a Drag Show! If there is any group within the Gay community that lives unabashedly authentic, it’s this incredible group of dedicated and talented performers. Special thanks to Aleyna Couture, Zelina Azul, and Destiny Valero for putting on a FABULOUS show! They got the crowd energized and managed to spread a little glitter in our beautiful Village in the process. Thank You, ladies, for being so fabulous and sharing your talent!
🔥 Da Boyz 🔥
Y’all - we said it above, but the best word to describe this party is EPIC.
From the red-carpet entrance, to the hot shirtless boys serving cocktails and holding puppies, to the delicious food, to the dancing - it was definitely a night to remember!!
While hotties Carson, Brock, and Hunter were serving guests cocktails in the tent, Thomas and Dom were manning the outside bar looking SEXY as HELL (do you think they workout?!?) HA! Thanks guys for driving out to the burbs to join our festivities - we adore you all!
Dance the Night Away!
We mentioned that it was an 80’s-themed party, BUT our DJ Gary spun some incredible tunes, including many requested “Gay Anthems” - think Madonna, Cher, Mariah, and Kylie Minogue! It was a night full of energy. We (and probably our neighbors, too) can attest to the fact that the tent on Plum Grove’s driveway was pumpin’! Nothing brings people together better than a crowded dance floor with fun, energetic music. The energy was palpable, and we were so honored to share this night with so many great friends!
OH YEAH, don’t forget that above all this was a Benefit Event supporting the incredible Life-Saving work of Second City Canine Rescue! We are overwhelmed and proud to report that we were able to raise $7,160 for this great cause! Congrats, Sweet Friends - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
It’s no secret that we love the our community and its local businesses. Another one of our goals was to highlight their services. These restaurants, bakeries, and business owners were incredibly generous to us, so we wanted to make them shine too! If you’re in the Chicagoland area be sure to check them out below.
Photography
Logo / Sponsorship Boards
Website / Merchandise
Food & Beverage
Desserts
Flowers
Calligraphy
Balloons
DJ
Puppies
Lighting
Drag Queens
Location
The Etter’s at Plum Grove
Be sure to check out the full gallery of fun!
