Photo by Samantha Davis Jessica Kesteloot (right) welcomes a young Marshall Pride Festival attendee to pet and take photos with Rainbow the Unicorn from Jessica’s Family Farm on Sunday at the Lyon County Fairgrounds.

MARSHALL — Marshall Pride filled the Lyon County Fairgrounds for its fifth annual festival on Sunday, and brought in a plethora of activities, live music, performances and vendors.

“It’s been really good. The joy has been really, really powerful, which has been so much fun,” Pride planning committee member Julie Walker said. “As we are trying to figure stuff out, it’s hard in some cases, but at the same token, you look around and this is just really beautiful.”

With the help of a handful of sponsorships and donations from local businesses, this year’s Pride festival welcomed activities like a kids corner with arts and crafts, laser tag and face painting.

“We had so many individuals that wanted to donate this year,” Walker said. “(Saying), ‘We want to make sure that folks in Marshall know that this is a safe space to be,’ which is incredible.”

There also was live music throughout the day from Leo Baker and Kids, Nautical Moth, Witch Syndicate and Dray Potts, and performances from groups like the Southwest Nkauj Hmoob Dancers and the Marshall Area Stage Company.

“We’ve had a steady (number) of folks coming in. We’ve had so much joy, so much happiness,” Walker said. “(There are) more vendors than we’ve ever had before, which has been great. So many people are interested in being here. We’ve been able to expand the kids sections this year … There’s something for everybody.”

Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes was also in attendance and welcomed community members to the event on stage during a welcoming segment of the festival.

“This really is a celebration of all that is good in all of our community, and that is all of the people,” Byrnes said. “Our tagline and our branding in the city of Marshall is, ‘Cultivating the best in all of us,’ and we truly mean that. It’s really an honor to have a welcoming event like this.”

Rainbow the Unicorn also made another appearance at this year’s Pride, a miniature horse from Jessica’s Family Farm, a mobile miniature breed petting zoo hosted by Jessica Kestloot.

“Who would have thought that in 2021, we would go from having a potluck pride with 150 people in Independence Park to where we are here,” Walker said, also during a welcome speech. “The fact that we’ve done (this) for five years here is a testament to the strength of our community, and the focus for equality for every member of the Marshall community here.”

Adding to the growth of the festival, Pride committee members also were able to bring in American Sign Language interpreters for the first time.

“We want to make sure that Pride is a place where everyone can find themselves and feel at home,” Walker said.

Among the several exhibitors and vendors at the festival showcasing products or activities, SammyJo Miller had a station near the main stage welcoming a collaborative community art project.

Festival goers stopped by Miller’s station to paint an addition to one of four canvases filled with flowers, along with writing down a quote or words of encouragement on post-it notes.

“It’s a rainbow flower garden. They’re going to be on display at the New Horizons Center … When we’re all done, I come in and put illustration lines on them and polish them up, and then adding one of the quotes to each (canvas) from the day,” Miller said. “It’s unique and new to people, because I do lots of different types of community engagement projects. This one is one of my favorites to do.”

Miller has a mobile arts studio, SJMiller Arts, where she travels across the region showcasing art and involves the community while doing so. This was her first time at Marshall Pride.

Although seeing a period of rain later in the afternoon, local community members spent the day making their way around the fairgrounds checking out all there was to offer, and Walker mentioned earlier in the day that it was another successful year of the event.

“Marshall Pride is an important place, because Pride in rural spaces means that you get to be here in the place where you live in the fullness of your identity, and there’s something really special about that,” Walker added. “When you go to Marshall Pride or our other regional Prides, you look around and you see your neighbors. You see the person who pours your coffee. You see the person who’s got the side hustle of the bakery out of their patio area. You see vendors that you see at our everyday places.”