HUNTINGTON, WVa: In honor of Pride month, Cicada Books & Coffee will host its second annual 14th St. W Loud & Proud event on Friday, June 23, from 5-9 p.m. Festivities will take place behind The Wild Ramp, located at 555 14th St. W. Admission is free.
“As a small business with mostly LGBTQ+ staff, we were delighted to host our first Pride festival, 14th St. W Loud & Proud, in June 2022,” said Cicada Books & Coffee co-owner, Katie Norman. “This was the first event of its kind to be held in our area of the city in decades.We had a fantastic turnout of over 200 people, and we can’t wait to do it all again here in a few weeks.”
This year’s event will have more than 20 artisan and informational vendors set up as well as food from Southside Sliders, The Viper Wood Fired Pizza, Frios and Suck It Up Boba. There will also be music and live entertainment.
Individuals that would like to support the event may do so by contributing to the event’s IndieGoGo campaign. There are four different levels of support: $10, $25, $50 and $100. Each has their own special perks associated with them, including free drink tickets, a special stick pack designed by local artists, a custom-designed t-shirt, handmade mug and a store discount. A portion of the proceeds from the crowdfunding campaign will be donated to Holler Health Justice, a BIPOC- & queer-led racial, economic & reproductive justice nonprofit in Appalachia. For more information, visit www.indiegogo.com/projects/cicada-books-presents-14th-st-west-loud-proud.
“We decided to do a crowdfunding campaign this year to help keep this event free for attendees and make it even better than before. Our plan is to make it an annual celebration,” Norman said. “Also, we pride ourselves on being a community-minded business, and we believe that the work that Holler Health Justice is doing is critical. That is why we decided to partner with them and donate 10% of the crowdfunding proceeds as well as funds from all drink sales at the event to the organization.”
14th St. W Loud & Proud is sponsored locally by Blue Falcon Board Gaming, Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington City Council District 4 Representative Sarah Walling and Lasso Games. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact Dawn Nolan via email at cicadabksmarketing@gmail.com to learn more on how your business or organization can support this event.
About Cicada Books & Coffee:
Cicada Books & Coffee, a woman-owned, independent bookstore and cafe, opened in Huntington’s Central City Antiques District in 2018. The store offers a vast selection of secondhand books as well as a smaller, staff-curated collection of new books. Cicada Books & Coffee’s espresso bar features a menu of specialty coffee and tea drinks as well as bagels and bagel sandwiches. The store hosts a number of community events, including monthly book clubs and weekly board game nights. For more information on Cicada Books & Coffee, visit cicadabooks.com, like @CicadaBooks on Facebook and follow @cicada_books on Instagram.