Greater Palm Springs Pride Parade

PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA - Larry Chew smiled as he walked several blocks with a musical instrument -- steel bells -- strapped to his chest.
Chew was part of a 150-member marching band Sunday morning that opened the Greater Palm Springs Pride Parade. The 18th annual event ended with an evening of vendors, food and music.
The excitement had been felt since Friday, when Chew and the rest of the band rehearsed for several hours to perfect the selections for the parade. Rehearsal paid off because on Sunday, spectators along South Palm Canyon Drive cheered and applauded as the band went by.
Chew, a member of the Desert Winds Freedom Band in Palm Springs, was joined by musicians from all over the United States and Canada, representing 26 bands.
Erin Frawley, a 43-year-old Boston resident, flew in last week to join the Lesbian and Gay Band Association conference held in Palm Springs this year. She marched in the parade, playing a snare drum, which she has played for 35 years.
"It is awesome. It's a grandest feeling every time," she said.
Trailing the band was this year's Community Grand Marshal Wayne Fleisher, chief operating officer for Working Wonders, an organization in Cathedral City that helps Latino and black families dealing with HIV or AIDS.
"It's quite an honor to have been picked," said Fleisher. "I've worked eight years in AIDS services and it's nice to have your peers recognize you."
Hundreds of men and women and their pets crowded the parade route. The event benefits the organizers and the city and its businesses as well.
Last year the event generated about $2.6 million in revenue for the community, said Craig Graves, director of finance and treasury for Palm Springs.
Palm Springs Pride will also share its earnings with local organizations for scholarships and AIDS assistance and education throughout the Coachella Valley.
Cars, floats and a camel were among the 144 entries in the parade, which went from Alejo Road down South Palm Canyon Road and ended at Ramon Road.
Spread along the sidewalks of South Palm Canyon Drive sat an audience that cheered, waved and blew kisses to those in the floats. Mixed in the crowd were a handful of protesters carrying banners with Bible passages.
from The Press-Enterprise