MORGANTOWN — Rainbow flags lined the riverfront, music echoed through the Ruby Amphitheater and community members gathered under sunny skies Saturday afternoon as the annual Morgantown Pride Block Party returned to celebrate Pride Month.
Families, friends and visitors spent the afternoon exploring local vendor booths, enjoying live performances from regional artists, sampling food and drinks and connecting with organizations supporting the LGBTQ+ community throughout north-central West Virginia.
The event, organized by Morgantown Pride, transformed the riverfront into a space centered on visibility, inclusion and community engagement.
For Morgantown Pride Board President Jeffrey Shears, the annual block party has become one of the organization’s most anticipated events.
“The block party is always a hit,” Shears said. “People look forward to it. They reach out to us in advance and want details before we even start planning. There’s a lot that goes on in Morgantown, but people really do enjoy coming to the Pride Block Party.”
Shears said one of the organization’s goals is creating an environment where people feel welcomed and accepted.
“We love doing it because we give back to the community,” he said. “It’s our way of letting people know there’s a space for them — a place where they can come, be who they want to be and know they’re accepted and loved.”
According to Morgantown Pride, the nonprofit organization focuses on sponsoring and participating in events that enrich the community while providing social and educational resources that affirm the value and visibility of LGBTQ+ people and allies throughout Monongalia County.
While the block party remains the group’s signature event, organizers say they hope to expand their presence throughout the year.
Shears said the volunteer-led board — made up of six members — has been working to increase community outreach and build new partnerships.
“Our goal is to really start getting out in the community more and doing more events — not just the Pride Block Party,” Shears said. “We want to partner with businesses that want to partner with us and continue giving back. Every dime we take in through donations and sponsorships goes back into community events.”
Morgantown Pride Treasurer Lane Blasingim said the organization is already looking ahead to additional gatherings and collaborative opportunities.
“We’re wanting later in the summer to try to do a picnic for the community and continue doing more community events,” Blasingim said. “We’ve partnered on get-togethers and tried different events like bingo, and we held a bar crawl this weekend that brought out people we don’t normally see.”
Blasingim said another priority moving forward is strengthening relationships with neighboring Pride organizations.
“We want to partner with other local Pride organizations, like Fairmont Pride, and collaborate on events,” Blasingim said. “Really building bridges between Morgantown and Fairmont, but also staying active in the community and showing people — especially kids — that there are people out there like them.”
Throughout the afternoon, attendees browsed booths from local organizations, cooled off with lemonade and gathered in shaded areas while music and conversation carried through the space.
As Pride Month continues, organizers said the event serves as both a celebration and an opportunity to continue building connections across the region.
For more information on Morgantown Pride, visit https://morgantownwvpride.org/
