Jun 17, 2005  |  By: YUSEF NAJAFI  | COMMENTS     

Gay icon RuPaul, singer Melissa Ferrick and 40 other local and national performers are scheduled to perform during the 30th Baltimore Pride celebration this weekend to prove that Charm City is just as proud and loud as any other city.

This year’s Pride festival is scheduled to take place Sunday, June 19, one day after a high-heel race up Charles Street in Mount Vernon. The race officially kicks off the city’s Pride parade on Saturday, June 18.

Organizers describe Saturday night’s block party, on Mount Vernon’s Eager Street, as a “nightclub without walls.” It includes more than 75 vendors and four hours of entertainment, including a performance by RuPaul.

“Our block party is going to be the best we’ve ever had,” says Scott Baum, co-chair of this year’s volunteer-based planning committee.

The 30th celebration of Baltimore Pride began in May with various events, including an “American Idol”-style karaoke contest. The festivities conclude with the Pride Festival Sunday at Druid Hill Park.

Getting RuPaul, the notorious drag artist who garnered national attention in the early ’90s with her well-known hit “Supermodel (You Better Work!),” to perform during this year’s Block Party has added to the buzz.

“I think she’s a strikingly beautiful person and an incredibly talented musician,” Baum says. “When you look at her life and what she’s all about, it’s inspiring. She’s been a strong gay icon for a lot of people.”

Ferrick is a lesbian musician who plays guitar and sings deeply personal songs. She performs about 150 shows across the country per year, and is known for her mix of old and new songs from her many albums released since 1993. she is scheduled to perform at the Pride festival on Sunday.

The Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore, which provides programs and services to more than 500 people each month, produces the city’s Pride festivities.

This year, organizers introduced Baltimore Pride’s “Movie Dearest,” its first film festival. The three-day event, which included six screenings and four parties, took place June1-3. In addition to the films, patrons were treated to two female impersonators who performed tributes to Joan Crawford.

An interfaith worship service was scheduled to follow on Thursday, June 16, at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Baltimore. On the same night, organizers also planned to officially kick off Baltimore’s Pride weekend with a happy hour special at the Purple Pepper on Boston Street.

If the turnout at the movie festival is any indication, expect this year’s Pride celebration to outdo last year’s attendance of about 25,000 people, an organizer said.

This year, Baum says Baltimore police officers are scheduled to participate in the parade on horseback.

This year’s Pride festival includes a drag stage with seven hours of drag performances; a karaoke stage, and a dance floor with lessons on how to perfect your square and country dancing moves.

Charm City is borrowing some traditions from the City of Brotherly Love this year. Baum says some of the festivities are inspired by Philadelphia’s Mummer’s Day Parade, the annual costume celebration held on New Year’s Day.

Other performers include Baltimore singer Angie Henle. She won the opportunity to perform during Sunday’s festival after winning the Voice of Pride contest, the “American Idol”-style karaoke competition at Grand Central, a gay bar on Charles Street, in late May.

The contest also raised $3,400 for Baltimore Pride 2005, according to Baltimore Gay Life Online.

Other local artists scheduled to perform include the band Morel, led by D.C.-based gay singer Richard Morel. Morel is well-known for such hits as “True,”
“Cabaret” and “Funny Car.” The band is scheduled to perform material from their latest outing “Lucky Strike,” during Saturday night’s block party.

Despite the big names and large turnout that is expected, Baum says D.C. residents should expect a calmer event than Capital Pride.

“It’s in a city park, so it’s a green and calm natural setting,” he says.

“People lay out on the lawn and listen to our musicians so it’s much more relaxed, intimate and fun. I hate saying that because I love D.C. Pride, but I think [Capital Pride] is so big it can sometimes be overwhelming.”