Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00It's 105.1 The Bounce and we are so excited to talk to two lovely individuals today because we
00:06are kicking off Pride Month with a bang. Ferndale Pride is happening very soon and I'm so excited
00:12to have Julia and Michael with us today. Introduce yourselves. Hi, my name is Julia Music. I am the
00:18Executive Director of Ferndale Pride. And my name is Michael Christian and I am the co-owner of
00:25Motor City Drag Kings and we produce all the drag elements at Pride. Yes, well one, thank you for
00:31being here. And the first question that I feel like I have to ask is why is Ferndale Pride Festival
00:37so important and why should everyone come? Well, I think Ferndale Pride Festival is so important
00:43because we raise money for non-profits and in the last 14 years we've been able to raise over
00:50half a million dollars and donate that right back into our community. And that money actually helps
00:55people from all over the state of Michigan. It's, it's really kind of a cool thing that we get to
00:59do. It's also free to the public and we do that through sponsorship. So that's another fun part
01:04about our festival and that's why we think everyone should be there is because it's free. So no barrier
01:08to entry. Exactly. And that's what I love about it. Not only is it free and accessible to the public,
01:13but it's also the largest in Michigan. Is that correct? It's one of the largest there. We have six
01:19large Pride festivals in Michigan and then there are about 49 others. So there are a lot throughout the
01:24state. And what makes Ferndale's so special because this is my first year coming to Ferndale Pride.
01:30What about this community makes it so much better? Well, I think it's real grassy rootsy. I mean,
01:38the whole way that we started working together was Michael said, Hey, I have an idea. Can I come sit
01:43and talk on your porch? And we were neighbors at the time. I was like, sure, why not neighbor? And he said,
01:50I would love to work on the drag show very seriously. And that's how all of this came about.
01:56So, um, Michael, I guess you could probably share a little bit of what you did after that.
02:00Yeah. I think for no pride is so special because it ends up being, because it's so free and equitable,
02:04ends up being a lot of people's first and it's really accessible. Like other ones are super gated,
02:12long lines, all that. And not to say that we don't have security, but it's right on nine mile
02:16in the heart of downtown Ferndale. So it's super accessible. And Julie is willing to take
02:22any and all ideas. Like there was no, necessarily no problem with the drag show, but I was like,
02:29Hey, I have this idea. You want to get some Kings involved, um, trans men involved, um, give them a
02:35bigger platform. That would be awesome. Like obviously advocating for myself and our company, but, um,
02:41but we know all the Queens and we have really great relationships and we had experience producing
02:46shows. So to me, it was an easy fit to kind of like shoot for the stars, but not really like
02:54shoot for the moon. I wasn't trying to get to like this major, I wasn't trying to go to New York and
02:58be like, Hey, I'm little, like me. I was like one of the biggest in Michigan, but still within reach.
03:04Exactly. So what has been the best, most memorable part of planning 2025 version so far?
03:13Well, this year has definitely been very different. And I think, um, the most memorable,
03:17but memorable part for me so far has just been the community pitch in. It's been incredible. Um,
03:23we didn't get those giant sponsors that we usually get that are kind of our anchors. And then we fill in
03:28with some smaller sponsors and we're able to build, um, suit or fit the bill that way. That didn't
03:33happen this year. But what happened was people were going to their neighbors, their coworkers and
03:37saying, who do you know at what company, how can we find all these little companies? And then
03:41individuals came in with giant donations. And so like, it felt, it feels like we're doing this
03:47specifically to give back to the community that gave to us. Wow. That really is like the purpose
03:53of a pride festival, at least in my eyes is bringing the community together and having the
03:58community see itself. So for the mere fact that it was funded in a way by the community is incredible.
04:05It just makes it a lot more accessible and it feels like you were a part of the movement of it all.
04:11Yeah. And it, I honestly, for me, I'm just so thankful because it was a much more difficult
04:16sell this year where there were a lot more people to talk to, but, um, everybody working together
04:20really changed things. And what organizations or what people do you want to specifically shout out
04:26right now who helped with the process? There are a lot of people. It's like a list of about 97.
04:32Um, BASF came on as a big new sponsor, the lofts and, um, the lofts over in, in Ferndale,
04:42which is a whole area. And then they have, we have a whole second area from the lofts. I have to look
04:49at their name one more time. Um, so they came on and bought a whole stage for us and they're a local,
04:55they're local. So that was incredible for us. And they can find probably the rest of the people
05:00who helped on the website, correct? FerndalePride.com. Um, and then if you look at our sponsors,
05:04you'll see lists and lists of everyone who helped out. And I heard the announcement that was dropped
05:09that one of the stage lineup was given. Can you share a little tidbit of who is going to be at Pride
05:16Fair festival this year? Yes. So we have three headliners and then we also have an incredible
05:22drag lineup. So I'm going to just share the three headliners because I think you're hinting at that.
05:27Over on our dance stage, um, we'll have remarkable and Stacy hot wax howl. So very excited for those
05:34two DJs. They were excited to work, um, back to back. They both have a lot of admiration for each
05:40other and they're both headline worth worthy DJ. So very excited about that. Over on our main stage
05:45down at plan Yvonne, Batty Brooks is going to be headlining this year. And I just adore Batty.
05:51She's also the reigning Miss Trans Michigan. So she will be serving in both roles. And then Michael,
05:57you can talk more about our giant drag lineup. Yeah. This year is awesome for us because, um,
06:02last year I, I really got sassy and they gave me a microphone and a stage and I actually went out and
06:09I was like, Hey, the drag shows only an hour. Let's make some noise if we want Julia to make it too.
06:16And put her on the spot and, uh, we got our way. So it's a bigger job this year. Um,
06:22Teddy and I are working really hard on it, but, um, we have all the title holders in the Michigan,
06:28Metro Detroit area. Um, it's Gigi's, Mr. Gigi's, um, Miss Amateur, um, Miss Gigi's classic,
06:36Vicki Gordon, who's actually going to be our oldest drag queen that hits the stage this year.
06:41Um, in the past, she's been the mascot as Gordon. Um, so that's awesome. Um,
06:47Bentley James will be hosting Dante Gabbana, uh, Courtney Charles. I'm just gonna shout their names
06:53out. Go ahead. Cool. Uh, Elvis DeVille, Jaja, she Blanca, Sapphire, Lindsay Kay Taylor, Diamond
06:59Diné, Jewel Jubilee, Lex Hunter, Jayden Black, D'Angela show Shannon. We have production numbers.
07:06DDL is producing a number for us. Chanel Hunter, Saban, Monica Devereaux, Valentina Rose,
07:12Deja Van Cartier, Victoria Sanchez, and of course, Teddy, my, my brother, that's the co-producer of the
07:19show. He'll be in the show. So, um, we packed it. She said you could have two hours and we wanted to
07:26not give a limited cast, multiple numbers, but really give a lot of people their time to shine.
07:32So super excited about it. This is a full production that you are creating. It will be.
07:37I know a lot of the girls are working together and they're doing production numbers. We have a male
07:42group doing production numbers. There's people like mixes coming in that are interwoven where
07:48someone's on the stage and someone else is on the stage and the first person's back on the stage.
07:51It's going to be a great show. I feel like at this point, I need to just figure out what I'm
07:56getting myself into because like besides DC pride festival, which is a huge thing on its own.
08:02Like this will again will be my first time. So for any other first timers who are hearing all of
08:07these big names and hearing all of the work that you guys are putting into, they might feel a little
08:12intimidated, even though we've already established that it's free and accessible to people. But what's
08:17some advice for someone who's coming to Ferndale pride for the first time? Well, one of my biggest
08:22pieces of advice is if you can park and ride or, um, take even the, um, fast bus in, that will actually
08:30be a lot easier on you. So that's going to save my life. Yes. We have limited parking in Ferndale. So
08:35we have some, um, drop off stations at Incubazo over at the high school and over at Kulik Center.
08:41And then we're working in partnership with, with smart bus and those drivers will bring people in
08:46and out of the city all day. That will alleviate some of your stress. Look for where, look where you
08:51park because you don't want to park under a no parking sign in Ferndale. You will definitely get a
08:54ticket that day. Um, and then if you, if you do know someone in Ferndale park at their house and walk
09:01in, um, hydrate, bring water. That is another big thing. You want to make sure that you're drinking
09:08water all day long. We'll have a free water station. BASF helped helped us out with that. Um, it's over
09:13by our rainbow crosswalk. Um, make sure you get from one end to the other. It goes all the way from
09:18Livernois to Woodward, which is a very large festival. Wow. There are nine food trucks and three other food
09:24stations. So there's some treats to pick up along the way. Our bars and restaurants are open. Um,
09:29Orchid will be open until 4 AM. Sheesh. So if you are working a later shift and still want to come
09:34out and party, we will be in Ferndale all night. Um, it's a really, really incredible day. I love it.
09:40Well, thank you for the tip about the parking. Cause I am not about to get caught up. Yeah, for sure.
09:47And what is the easiest way that people can get involved to help you guys facilitate all the
09:52incredible events that you guys do throughout the year, including the pride festival?
09:56So we need a lot of volunteers. We are still short about, I would say about 50 volunteers for the
10:01day of pride. Um, if you go to ferndalepride.com and click on get involved, you will see multiple
10:07ways to get involved. We have things going on before the festival, helping us load the truck.
10:11We have the day of the festival and a lot of that stuff happens before the festival even starts. So if
10:16you want to help out, go home, take a nap. We don't even start the main stage till 1230. So you have a lot
10:22of time and then, um, we have stuff the day after, and then we also have a golf scramble later in the
10:27year and we need lots of volunteers. We need players, we need whole sponsors. So we have all sorts of fun
10:32things going on all the way through June. I love that. And I feel like I was remiss to not bring up this
10:37reading with royalty as a reader myself. I'm obsessed with it. I saw my lovely sister diamond on the lineup.
10:45So can you explain about reading with royalty, please? Um, yeah, for sure. I will. Um,
10:51it's, it's a take on, um, the drag queens in the library, but, um, we are super inclusive. So we have
10:59all the royalty, like royalty in Michigan, Mr. Trans Michigan's reading, um, Teddy's reading.
11:04So you have drag kings, trans men presenting as themselves. Like you said, your sister diamond
11:10Danae, um, uh, Lindsay Kaye Taylor's reading. So she is headed to an international competition for the
11:18trans community. Um, Blanca Sapphire is kicking us off. She's reading. She was, uh, mixed Michigan,
11:24Miss Trans Michigan last year. And she was actually the advocate of the year for the national pageantry
11:30system for all the work she did with Ferndale pride. So we've got a little bit of everybody. Some,
11:36um, oh yeah, Austin King will be coming over from the grand rapid side. Um, he's actually a teacher.
11:41So we do have like all kinds of people on every sort of spectrum and waves and the kids, um,
11:48will come sit. They each have two books, but they also planned games and planned some giveaways and
11:54cute stuff because a lot of them are parents and uncles too. So, um, and it's in the children's area.
12:00They're going to be signing autographs. I know they're doing some themed costumes that the kids are
12:04going to be pumped about. Um, so I, I really love adding that and the kids loved it last year and
12:12they were waiting and some of the readers were so fast. And I was like, this year you should plan
12:17because the kids want to stay to the next one. So, you know, trick their parents into staying by
12:22closing the gap. There's no, don't leave that air on stage. Exactly. But I love that you guys are so
12:27intentional on making this festival accessible for all generations, not just thinking about the people who
12:34are affected, but also the kids also need to know how beautiful it is to be themselves as well,
12:39because you never know who you can change their lives for. Yeah. Yeah. And that whole area is also
12:44sign interpreted. So deaf and hard, hard of healing, hearing people, please make sure you check out our
12:49events there. There is a symbol on our website to make sure that, you know, that things are sign
12:54interpreted. That's incredible. Yeah. And also I should just say in that area, there's a place for kids
12:59to make, um, anyone to make bracelets, friendship bracelets for yourself and to pass out in the crowd that
13:04day. There's also aerial acrobatics going on. There's a place, um, for breastfeeding and chest
13:10feeding and lactation consulting, a place to feed your young babies as well. And then also a popsicle
13:16booth. So I'll be there. And a 3d rock climbing wall with different ability levels. So it's a very
13:25packed festival with lots to do. Yeah. What the heck? A rock climbing wall. I'm gonna be at the popsicle
13:31stand with you. That's where we'll be signing autographs. If you see us, please approach.
13:36I love this. So obviously it's going down May 31st. Yes. What are you doing to prepare yourselves
13:43for this momentous day? Um, I am walking 10,000 steps a day right now because we do over 18,000 on
13:49the day of, even though we use golf carts from the majority of the day. Wow. That is my prep that and just,
13:55you know, focusing on the event. I love this event. Like, what are you doing? Um, I do. I have found
14:01myself walking a lot around work a lot more instead of standing still. Um, I'm trying to get in the habit
14:07of being hydrated because I, I know this is bad. I don't like the taste of water, so I will just move
14:13on and forget. And then the show's at 6 PM and they're like, um, what is wrong with you? Cause I
14:19get there at 6 AM, go home, shower, come back by 11 30 and then I'm there all day working. And they're
14:25like, what is wrong with you? You have to go on stage. I was like, I might not. So I'm trying to
14:30drink more water, be more intentional about that. And then for the drag aspect, I'm working with
14:35everybody on their mixes and you know, what music is appropriate. What's going to get the city a fine.
14:41Right. Please don't. Um, uh, you know, sewing things, rhinestoning things. Um,
14:49Teddy and I are talking almost daily about it. Is this person's music in on that time? Did they
14:54send their promos? Did they do this? So. So you got a fit, I'm sorry. So you got a clothes that you're
14:59going to wear like a couple outfits that you're going to change into? I have multiple that day. Yes.
15:04No, that's right. Most of our, I, I only wear work clothes cause I am not an entertainer,
15:10but, um, most of our Queens and Kings, um, either can make their own costumes, can sew,
15:15or they work with people in our community who can. Um, but I've seen whole parties where an outfit's
15:20out and everyone from the community gathers around with rhinestones and everyone's just going to town,
15:25getting rhinestones on. That's how you get those looks. So it's really kind of a cool thing to see
15:29the talent in this community. There's a lot, there's a lot of parties. And, um, earlier when we were
15:34asking, um, about being a pro like something about being approachable. Um, the Kings and Queens and
15:40entertainers, they change their costumes multiple times a day, their stage costumes, but then we do
15:44have walk arounds. They're called, um, if you see us walking around, please approach. Don't be scared.
15:50Um, even if we're eating, like we're there for you, we purposely put this on and walked around to take
15:56photos and meet people. Right. So just make sure you do approach and don't be like,
16:00like, oh my God, it's Michael. Cause I, I, I'm going to hear you and come over.
16:05Don't you just love when you know that someone is legitimately like talking about you and like
16:11wanting to come up to you and you're just like, you can like, it's okay friend. Like come through.
16:16Yeah. Especially everyone. That's why we came outside. Everyone should have their sash on. So
16:20it'll be really easy to identify those, those folks holding those titles too. So please go up and
16:25take pictures and post them on your social media. Wow. You guys are doing so much work for this
16:30pride festival. One. Thank you. Because all of the work that you guys are putting into it means a
16:35lot. It means a lot to me, the city and everyone who's a part of it. So thank you for all of your
16:40work. I know it's tireless, but if there's any last words that you want to share that will recommend
16:45people to come, if there's any words that you want to share about the festival, please go ahead and do so.
16:52Um, I'm going to recommend that you come at the beginning of the day, uh, take a break and then go
16:57see what you want, make sure you stay hydrated, but make sure you're at the opening ceremonies.
17:01Julie always has special speakers plan and awesome things and you'll meet the title holders.
17:05But immediately following that is that, um, third drag piece we added the newcomer show.
17:10And these entertainers are pumped and excited because they've, we've worked really hard to
17:15make sure they've never performed at a pride before at any. So some of them are new, new title holders,
17:21but they've never been at pride and they've never had that big stage and big crowds. So we want to be
17:25there at the beginning of the day to make it the biggest that it could be. It is hosted by
17:30Ariana Love Hunter, who hosts Wednesday nights at Gigi's. And then we have Virgil CL, Luscious Minge,
17:36Sir Guy, Natty Apple, Belladonna Mars and Luna Banks. So I just want to try to get everybody out there
17:42at 12 and stay till one.
17:4312.30.
17:4412.30.
17:45Well, 12 for the opening ceremonies.
17:4712.30.
17:47Oh, 12.30.
17:49Your call time is 12.
17:50Oh my gosh.
17:51You have to be there at 12.
17:5212.
17:53Well, I was going to be early because I was there at 11.30. So there we go.
17:58Thank you, Michael. We're excited about the newcomer's show being at the beginning too. We
18:02really wanted to make drag a really big theme this year. And for me, just please check out our website,
18:08www.ferndalepride.com. I'm a pretty old lady for learning the back end of a website. So please
18:13look at all those things that we've posted there. Join us for our events. Join us for pride. And thank you
18:20so much for sharing this with the community.
18:22Always. Always. Thank you, Julia and Michael, for being here.
18:25Thank you so much.