Even a lot of rain wasn’t going to stop soggy Granville Pride festival goers from showing up in celebration of Pride Month on Denison University’s front lawn.
Unfortunately, the lightning did.
The June 28 Pride celebration was cut short after thunderstorms and torrential rain pummeled Granville and parts of Newark, dropping up to 3.5 inches of rain in less than an hour and soaking through umbrellas and tents trying to protect vendors.
This was Granville’s 4th annual pride event. It is a celebration of love that was born out of a fight against hate and anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric, according to Granville PRIDE board president Mark Carr.
“That very first year, we organized within two weeks and had over 1,000 people on our very first one,” Carr said.
Despite the downpour, Carr saw a bright spot as people kept showing up even as the rain increased in intensity.
“What I love to see is people are still here. They’re hanging out. Nobody’s leaving, and so, yeah, it’s good, awesome,” Carr said.
Vendors at the event represented local organizations and sponsors from Granville and Licking County such as the United Way of Licking County, the United Church of Granville, the League of Women Voters and the Licking County Young Democrats.
Festival goers gather on Denison University’s front lawn. 
The Granville PRIDE table was filled with wristbands, flags and stickers. 
Festival goers came prepared with umbrellas in hand. 
A rainbow drawn on the hand of a festival goer at the Columbus Health booth. 
Nancy Harris (left) and Maureen Clark represented the League of Women Voters. 
Heavy rain dampened the Granville Pride event on Saturday June 28, but it was lightning that ended it sooner than planned.
The celebration was set to feature four drag performers, including Miss Ohio All Star ‘24, Madam Woods.
Because of construction along Broadway in Granville, the Pride celebration didn’t plan to hold its usual march. Organizers had planned to stand along Broadway with signs that festival goers made at an event on Thursday. The festival was set to finish with an after-party at Seek-No-Further Cidery in Granville.
Maddie Luebkert writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.