Cottage Grove hosts first Pride Picnic with all-star drag show

South Lane County PRIDE will bring Cottage Grove’s first-ever Pride Picnic to Coiner Park on Sunday, June 28, turning 1319 E. Main Street into a free, family-friendly gathering from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The day is built around visibility and community, with organizers inviting neighbors to spread out on picnic blankets and lawn chairs, bring food and friends, and stay for a slate of entertainment and activities.

The centerpiece will be an All-Star Drag Show at 1 p.m. featuring Oregon titleholders and a special surprise performer. Saydie B Goode, Emerald Empress 51 and a candidate for Ms. Gay Oregon, will host alongside Cottage Grove native Taylor Maide, an internationally recognized burlesque artist. The schedule also calls for local vendors, music from local DJs, lawn games, face painting, rock painting, a photo booth, raffle drawings and a Pride-themed fashion runway competition.

For Sara Aloi, the picnic is meant to do more than fill a Sunday afternoon. She said the event is about building safe, inclusive spaces for queer residents and allies, and called it "the first of many." Her comments reflect the organizing goal behind the picnic, which South Lane County PRIDE is presenting as a community resource as much as a celebration.

That emphasis matters in Cottage Grove, where public LGBTQ+ visibility has often been thinner than in larger South Lane County hubs. By placing the event in Coiner Park, organizers are making the gathering easy to find, easy to join and open to families, while using a familiar city park to signal that queer residents and allies belong in the center of town. The inaugural picnic is set up as a starting point, with the drag show, vendors and family activities meant to draw first-time visitors and regular supporters into the same space.