Fox Valley Pride wants to hold festival downtown; Neenah says they're welcome — in Riverside Park
Reader question: Why did Neenah suddenly change its mind and no longer welcome Fox Valley Pride into its downtown?
Answer: Dana Johnson, CEO of Fox Valley Pride LLC, said he secured a conditional special-event permit from the city to hold the June 22 street festival in the 100 and 200 blocks of West Wisconsin Avenue, only to be informed last Friday that city officials determined closing the downtown blocks to traffic from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. would be bad for business.
Instead, the city encouraged him to move Fox Valley Pride to Riverside Park, which is located several blocks to the east.
"While a beautiful park, it will be off the beaten path from downtown businesses, not allow us to utilize the new Neenah TDORA (Temporary Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area) for carryout beverages and food from local establishments and is ultimately shortsighted on the revenue-generating opportunity 3,000-plus people will bring to downtown businesses," Johnson said.
Fox Valley Pride, formerly Appleton Pride, is a free festival that provides hope, healing and support to members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. It features a drag show, family activities, poetry, musical performances by Betsy Ade & the Well-Known Strangers and Traveling Suitcase, and more than 70 vendors offering goods and resources. Johnson said Santé Wine Bar & Bistro, Laylas Place, Broken Tree Pizza and Greene's Pour House were among the downtown Neenah businesses in support of the event.
Johnson said he will continue to talk with Neenah officials to bring Fox Valley Pride to the city, but in light of the development, he has reached out to Menasha, Oshkosh and Lawrence University in Appleton to assess their ability to accommodate the festival.
Though Neenah already has been advertised as the site of this year's event, Johnson said it's not too late to change direction.
"We'd like to announce this as soon as possible, but until my posters are printed, I'm OK with taking our time and choosing the best inclusive community that's going to support us," Johnson told me.
Watchdog Q&A: Duke Behnke answers your local government questions
I called Neenah Mayor Jane Lang and City Clerk Char Nagel to learn the city's side of the story. The city responded with a statement acknowledging that conditional approval was granted to stage the event in the 100 and 200 blocks of West Wisconsin.
"Prior to the event being given full approval, the event was marketed and advertised as being approved to take place," the city said.
Neenah hasn't closed the downtown blocks to traffic for a full day since the Neenah StreetBall tournament ended several years ago. StreetBall, the city said, caused issues for downtown business owners who were faced with closing their doors on the busiest day of the week due to traffic and parking disruptions.
"The city of Neenah enjoys welcoming all groups for celebration and looks forward to working with Fox Valley Pride to hold the event at Riverside Park," the city's statement said. "The city has no further comments on this matter at this time."
Johnson said Neenah closes Wisconsin Avenue for other events, including the Summer Kickoff Concert from 6 to 8 p.m. June 12, though that's for a shorter period and on a weekday.
"The LGBTQIA2S+ community just faces a lot of discrimination and hurdles," Johnson said. "I think if we have to move the event, people might boycott some of the downtown businesses because of that. It's just a bad image."
Post-Crescent reporter Duke Behnke answers your questions about local government. Send questions to dbehnke@gannett.com or call him at 920-993-7176.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Neenah directs Fox Valley Pride to Riverside Park instead of downtown
