MANSFIELD — If someone would have told Chris Dwiggins 10 years ago the Mansfield Pride parade and festival would be thriving in 2025, he probably wouldn’t have believed it.
The evidence was all around him on a sun-soaked Saturday afternoon in Central Park, no matter how unlikely it seemed a decade ago.
“Ten years ago, we would have hoped it would last this long,” said Dwiggins, co-founder of Mansfield’s Gay Pride Association and the Grand Marshal of Saturday’s festivities. “We never imagined something this big, but at the time it was needed and the need continues.
“I’m so happy that it’s still here after all these years. And not just here, but growing. We’re so thankful for all the support.”
Hundreds of revelers lined the parade route, which ran from the five-way light at the intersection of Park Avenue West and Marion Avenue toward downtown. Almost 30 organizations marched in the parade, which stepped off at 11 a.m. with a police escort.
“Ten years is huge, and not just because we have survived but we have been allowed to serve our community,” said Tim Denis, the Mansfield Gay Pride Association president and coordinator and emcee of Saturday’s parade.
“It speaks volumes for our community and the need that we’re filling in this community by providing the kind of services that we do.
“We’re just ecstatic we’ve reached this milestone. At one point at the beginning, we never dreamed that it would become what it has become.”
Several booths and food trucks were stationed along Park Avenue in Central Park for the Pride festival, which kicked off shortly after the parade’s conclusion. There were balloon and face-painting stations and attractions for young and old.
“We try to involve the community as much as possible,” Dwiggins said. “We’re trying to bring people together.”
So what will the next decade hold in store?
“We hope it’s still growing strong,” Dwiggins said. “The future is looking bright. As long as the need is there, then we will be here.”
