Rainbow Run Celebrates Acceptance, Diversity

Registration is underway for the Ferndale Area Chamber of Commerce 5K race that will be held June 1 during Ferndale Pride / Market Days.

Save the Date: Ferndale Pride 2013

Annual festival to be held Saturday, June 1.

Ferndale Pride 2013 will be held Saturday, June 1, 2013, organizer Craig Covey said this week. The GLBT and allies event will be held in downtown Ferndale. Meeting dates, plans, sponsorship information and more will be announced soon. Multiple events will be held during the week of the festival however the majority of events will be held on June 1, according to Covey. This includes the Rainbow Run, which is meant for people of all ages who support diversity and acceptance. Registration is now open for the run - find full details here. Volunteers are needed to assist with the festival. For more information, visit www.ferndalepride.org. [See photos from the 2012 Ferndale Pride festival here.]

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PHOTOS: Community Celebrates Ferndale Pride 2012

View photos from the weekend of gay pride events and add your pictures to our gallery.

Need to Know: Ferndale Pride Schedule of Events

Sunday's events for the second annual Ferndale Pride weekend include the Rainbow Run and a seven-hour street festival.

Know Before You Go: Ferndale Pride Schedule of Events

Events on Saturday include the third annual Dyke March at 2 p.m. and the Bears in Speedos Car Wash at Level One Bank.

Photos: Ferndale Pride 'Light the Night Against Hate'

The second annual Ferndale Pride weekend opened with a walking tour through downtown Ferndale to show support for victims of bullying, hateful speech, violence and hate crimes.

As part of the second annual Ferndale Pride weekend, residents toured downtown Ferndale on Friday evening for "Light the Night Against Hate." The walking tour, which began at Schiffer Park, was set up to show support for victims of bullying, hateful speech, violence and hate crimes. Along the route walkers heard from community advocates about their experiences and commitment to end hate. Ferndale Pride continues through Sunday with a variety of events. See the full schedule here or visit www.ferndalepride.com for more information. Did you attend Light the Night Against Hate? Add your photos to our gallery by clicking the "Upload Photos and Videos" link above.

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Ferndale Pride June 14-17: Schedule of Events

Here's what you need to know for the second annual weekend of events.

It's time for Ferndale Pride, a series of gay pride activities going on June 14-17 in Ferndale that are expected to draw thousands of people into the city for marches, rallies, a street festival and more. Ferndale Pride started last year after Motor City Pride, the state's largest gay pride festival, relocated to Detroit's Hart Plaza after holding the festival in Ferndale for 10 years. The event is "a recognition that Ferndale has a national reputation of standing up for diversity" and a celebration for the LGBT community, said Craig Covey, director of Ferndale Pride. "It's our time, it's our community's time to celebrate itself and get together and have fun," he said. Thursday, June 14 Friday, June 15 Saturday, June 16 Sunday, June 17 …

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Organizers Get Ready for Ferndale Pride June 14-17

Events will include Light the Night Against Hate on June 15, the Southeast Michigan Dyke March on June 16, and the Rainbow Run followed by a seven-hour festival June 17.

Plans are under way for the second annual Ferndale Pride weekend coming up June 14-17, and organizers say the event is expected to draw at least 5,000 people to the city for a variety of gay pride activities including marches, rallies and a street festival. Ferndale Pride started last year after Motor City Pride, the state's largest gay pride festival, relocated to Detroit's Hart Plaza after holding the festival in Ferndale for 10 years, said Craig Covey, director of Ferndale Pride. Covey and a group of volunteers were disappointed to see the festival leave but quickly started working to fill the void. The event has about 40 volunteers organizing the festival. "Last year, everyone was very pleased," said Covey, an Oakland County …

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Inclusiveness, Friendship, Community in the Southeast Michigan Dyke March

“Part of living in Ferndale is being who you are and not being judged for it. That’s really what makes our community so special," said Julia Music, volunteer of the Southeast Michigan Dyke March.

Community, inclusion and support were all recurring themes along Nine Mile Road as the Southeast Michigan Dyke March made its way through Ferndale for a second year on Saturday. Pride was certainly important, as evidenced by the colorful display of flags, beads, shirts and wristbands in rainbow colors. But, as Philip Smith, 21, of Ann Arbor said, this event is about much more. “It’s nice to see a team of people that are interested in creating a sense of community and actively building it, as opposed to just resting on pride like we’ve had before,” he said. “I think it’s important to try to create an event that starts, from the beginning, as something that’s trying to be inclusive of people who get left out of the mix sometimes, even in a …

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