East Central Minnesota Pride

Sat., May 16 Garage Sale supports Pride

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In May, hundreds of bargain hunters will descend upon close-knit Pine City, Minn., for the annual citywide garage sale.  About 65 homes will host individual garage sales, and shoppers can walk or drive from sale to sale, securing deals on secondhand goods that might have otherwise ended up in the landfill or languished in storage.

One such sale’s proceeds will benefit East Central Minnesota Pride.  It is located in the garage of a town home at 922 7th Street SW, in Pine City, and a wide variety of items will be displayed for sale including, but not limited to, clothes, sporting equipment, electronics, toys and games, household items, furniture, books and gardening equipment.

East Central PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) of Mora will be on-hand with its popcorn wagon with fresh, buttered popcorn for sale.  There will also be a delicious bake sale with bars, brownies and cheese cakes.

The Pine City citywide Parade of Garage Sales begins at 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 16. Check the Advertiser May 10 or the May 14 edition of the Pioneer for a full listing, map of sale locations, and sale descriptions.

Pride Planning Committee Seeks New Members To Plan June 7 Pride Event

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For some, an annual picnic in the park isn’t enough. For those people, there is the East Central Minnesota Pride (ECMP) planning committee.  If you want to take an extra step in community building, changing hearts and minds about LGBT issues, and getting involved with your neighbors has a whole, consider attending an ECMP planning committee meeting.

The planning committee does the important work of putting on one of the few rural LGBT pride events… in the (gulp) world!  East Central Minnesota is comprised of Pine, Isanti, Chisago, Kanabec and Mille Lacs counties, and the ideal planning committee would be made of of a good cross-section of members from each of the counties in the region.  The ECMP planning committee has generally had between 10 and 15 members, and has been a mix of people who identify as part of the LGBT community as well as straight allies.  To get involved, email .

Volunteering for ECMP is a great way to get involved with your local LGBT community all while having a fun and rewarding time doing it. Some of the tasks of the committee members include:  coordination, public relations, outreach, entertainment lineup, food, setup, breakdown, and fundraising throughout the year.  ECMP began in 2005 and last year celebrated its 10th anniversary.