Chelsea Bossert/Daily Mining Gazette Brigitte Morin, left and Allison Mills talk to a visitor at the Fresh Coast Yoga booth at Keweenaw Pridefest Saturday in Calumet.

CALUMET — The Calumet Colosseum was lively Saturday with vendors, arts and crafts, food trucks, live music and residents celebrating LGBTQ+ pride in the Keweenaw for the annual Keweenaw Pridefest. Event organizers, Keweenaw Queers, sought out many volunteers to help run the afternoon of activities.

At Pridefest, more than 20 vendors and community organizations from the Copper Country and beyond came to celebrate. Keweenaw Queers President, Emily Stanton, said there was no entry fee for the event and it is hoped attendees will come out of it feeling satisfied. “You don’t have to spend any money if you don’t want to,” she said. “But it is mandated that you have fun.”

This is Keweenaw Queer’s fourth annual Pridefest and second at the colosseum. The idea behind Pridefest is joy and community Stanton said, adding being yourself is part of what makes this event work so well. “I think we need to radically accept ourselves and live your authentic self,” she said. “And I think that’s what you can get here.”

Pridefest’s art project this year was a community art quilt, in the style of the AIDS quilt of the 90s. The quilt this year is focused on community and solidarity for queer and straight people.

LGBTQ+ organizations, political organizations, churches, recreational sports leagues, creative arts — everyone who showed up at the colosseum believes in the mission of Keweenaw Queers. Keweenaw Queers Finance Officer, Katrina Linde-Moriarty, said LGBTQ+ people having a welcoming community in the Keweenaw is not just for their benefit — it works for everyone.

“That’s the thing that most queer folks want in their communities or from their communities is just to be able to be neighbors, be friends, be coworkers and exist together,” they said. “And so, just being able to celebrate the stuff that makes us unique, but also brings us together as a community, and that we can collectively share, is really important.”

After Keweenaw Pridefest concluded at 5 p.m., additional events in Hancock took place, including two “after parties.” One was a concert held at the Orpheum and one was a celebration at Small Craft. Stanton said another Keweenaw Queers event this summer is going to be the Big Gay Picnic, slated for some time in August.

“We have a lot more planned on the horizon, especially because people have been so generous that we’re now able to do more year-long events that aren’t fundraisers, just fun events that are free for everyone,” she said.

Linde-Moriarty said if anyone wants to help put on events like the picnic or next year’s Pridefest, they should reach out and have a conversation with anyone on the leadership team.

“We’re always looking for people to get involved,” they said. “If you want to get involved, please reach out and we’d love to find a way that connects you to your desires, your passions…”