Bringing people together
It was one year ago, today actually, now that I think of it, that 20 or so of us gathered at Aqua Shi to have some cocktails, chill with our friends, and dance. Back then, this fledgling idea called INTEGRATION, was held on Thursday nights in north Fresno. Bringing people together. That’s what we wanted to do. Gay or straight. South of Shaw or north of Shaw. Older, younger, dancing queen or bar fly. That’s what we set out to do back then and what a great ride it’s been through our first full year! After our original launch, we moved the event after two short months to the Tower District to Samba. The expanded dance floor and earlier start time seemed to draw a great mix of people who definitely appreciated having somewhere to go Tower proper. In April, we moved the event to a new time slot, a new day (Wednesday), and a bran new venue. Enter Starline, stage right.
In the last few months we’ve seen our crowd expand to consistently drawing well over 200 people and we’ve seen super busy nights where we passed the 260 and 300 mark. As I looked across the crowd last night I realized something. After 12 months of overseeing this event, after three venue changes, and several promotional partners who have helped us at varying times to varying degrees, one thing has remained constant at INTEGRATION. We’re still bringing people together. 18+ or 21+, gay or lesbian, straight, bi, it doesn’t really matter. There has been more than one person over the year who has commented about how friendly and nice the people are that attend Wednesdays at Starline. It truly is one of the few places you can go and have someone bump you by mistake and they’ll actually stop, look you in the eye, and apologize. I’ve seen groups of friends, relationships, and community ties form right in front of my eyes. On the dance floor, at the bar, or on the patio next door.
It’s been an absolutely amazing run. There’s enough in our community that separates us. I’m glad to be a part of something that actually brings people together…and not just for a day, or a week, but all year-long. Happy Birthday INTEGRATION and kudos to all the fine people who helped us decorate last night: David, Bianca, Michael, Ron, Enrique, Roy, and Nate! You all rock!
It has been such a great experience to be involved with this organization and with Wednesday nights at INTEGRATION. I think Wednesday is the new Friday!!! All in all, it’s a great reminder to me what QF is all about:
“We are dedicated to the education, awareness, and visibility of the gay and lesbian community. As an organization we value equality, pride, and leadership and believe in the principles of social justice and building community.”
Though for reasons not needed to be mentioned I am no longer a part of this weekly event. I still pat myself on the back and give propers to Mike and all the others who have been around for the party. We created something spectacular. Im glad to see it has gone its first full year. Congrats, Keep it up!