Pride week is here and the parties have already started. Every time I’ve gone out in the past month, I hear someone announcing how exciting it is that Pride is coming up and telling me that theirs will be the most fun event in town. Of all the cities I’ve lived in, I’ve never seen Pride hyped up so much for so long. And that’s why I was so shocked and appalled when two of my friends told me they’d never been to Pride….WHAT! (I’m still recovering)

So I decided to give a quick rundown of the official events. The Center organizes PRIDEFEST Denver as a two day event centered in Civic Center Park. It’s a pretty big deal. We’ve even got a wikipedia entry. Anyway, Sunday is the bigger, more impressive day with that parade down colfax, major entertainers and drinking galore. Saturday is the more family friendly day with children and dogs all around. Less beer and shirtlessness. Both days offer a packed park with people and booths and performances and… ok you really have to see it. You have to feel the feeling. I just cant’ describe it. Be there. This saturday and sunday 10am til you’re tired.

Now, to add to the fun, there are all kinds of fundraisers and parties and networking events happening around Pride. You know cause we’re all in a proud , happy, tipsy, touchy, cuddly mood. So take advantage.

If you want to know about everything GLBT, the one stop shop is definitely Cafe Vivid. Their website is so poorly designed that it makes me want to rip all my hair out… but seriously, if it’s for us or by us, it’s there. If you’re the spontaneous type, you can even follow them on twitter and just head out when you get an update. I think I may try that.

Oh, PS…. If you’re not volunteering for an organization this weekend, you should be. It’s really the best way to spend Pride. You get to meet fun people and you can people watch without feeling like a weirdo. hint hint, you should volunteer for ELEMENT. send me an email for our activities at Pride this year. corey@thdenverelement.com

PPS… Craigslist and bathhouses 1, 2, and 3 are gonna be exploding this whole week so if casual sex is your thing, hop on it

PPPS… Does anyone think it’s weird that this year’s pride is on national HIV testing day?

Photo from Westword

Westword reports The Center has purchased the Video One building on Colfax at Lafayette for $985,000.

Westword printed an email from The Center stating:

[The Center] plans to begin renovations on the 15,000-square-foot building in September to transform the space into “a more widely functional center” for their operations. They are currently in the “quiet phase of a capital campaign, but expect to go public with the campaign within the year.”

The Center’s press release page is mum on the purchase but I have an email in to them asking when they’ll be unveiling their plans for the building.