Molalla’s 2024 Pride event has been cancelled.
In the lead-up to the Sept. 8 event, things went from calm and normal to something else entirely. It was a situation that organizer Hendy Appleton said simply left too much uncertainty about what might happen. And with that uncertainty, the fourth annual event couldn’t go on.
“The Molalla Pride event was originally scheduled for Sept 8 at Clark Park in Molalla. The three previous events, which were ‘flag wave and info table’ events, drew some online response when announced, but had no in-person disruption or protest of any kind,” said Appleton. “Because of that lack of response, and because of the success of Canby Pride just a few weeks ago, this year I decided to step it up – the event was to be a small town ‘picnic,’ with homemade carnival games sponsored by nonprofits that provide services in Molalla, field races with prizes donated by local businesses, a few vendors, and some entertainment. One of the entertainment was a Drag Queen Story Time.”