Second Annual Norwood Pride Picnic Will Take Place On June 4

NORWOOD, MA - The Town of Norwood, Progress Norwood, and the Morrill Memorial Library are co-sponsoring the second annual Norwood Pride Picnic on Saturday, June 4 from 2-4 p.m. at the Town Common.

“The Town of Norwood is excited to be co-sponsoring the Norwood Pride Picnic this year,” General Manager Tony Mazzucco said. “We want to make sure Norwood is a welcoming place for all residents. So grab some takeout from a local restaurant and join us at the Common.”

All residents are invited to attend, bring their own food, and join other LGBTQIA+ friendly residents for a community picnic to celebrate Pride. There is a rain date of June 10 from 5-7 p.m.

Library Director Clayton Cheever spoke about his pride in co-hosting this event.

“Libraries are one of the most obvious and grand examples of how life is improved when we come together and create spaces for everyone to be their best selves," he explained. "It is with great pride that the library joins the town and Progress Norwood in creating a welcoming place for all members of our community. We look forward to celebrating with Norwood’s LGBTQIA+ community at the annual picnic and invite everyone to join us at our virtual and in-person Pride programs.”

He added that the library is hosting an LGBT history discussion via Zoom on June 6. Joan Ilacqua, a historian and executive director of The History Project, will present the history of the Massachusetts LGBTQ+ community from the Puritans to the present.

On Tuesday, June 21, Cheever said the library will be holding an in-person program “Drag: Behind the Makeup” where participants will get to talk with drag performers and gain insights into the present-day Massachusetts drag performer community.

More library programs are still being planned, so he advised people to keep an eye on the library's online calendar: https://www.norwoodlibrary.org/morrillcalendar/. The library will also have a table with a family friendly activity and LGBTQIA+ books to check out at the Pride Picnic.

Nora Zaldivar, a Progress Norwood steering committee member, said she is looking forward to another inclusive event.

“Last year, we had over 100 residents attend, and it was great to see the support for our LGBTQIA+ family, friends and neighbors,” she said.“Residents came up to us and said they had never felt this welcome in their community, so I’m excited that the town and the Morrill Memorial Library are co-hosting with us this year.”

If anyone would like to get involved with organizing the event,please email progressnorwood@gmail.com. The event can be found on Facebook at this link.