June is Pride Month and once again, to uplift love and equity across our community, the Town of Rye is proud to host multiple events, including two flag raisings and several colorful pride celebrations. Working in unity with pRYEde Community Group ("pRYEde"), a local 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to LGBTQ+ education, advocacy and celebration, and the Rye Town Park Commission, we invite neighbors to stand together in celebration to create a sense of belonging for LGBTQ+ and all members of our shared community.
The celebrations will begin on Friday, June 2nd at 6pm in Crawford Park, where the spectacular "Rainbow Crossing" will be unveiled followed by the Crawford Mansion pride flag raising. The "Rainbow Crossing" will be a community painted rainbow crosswalk, designed and painted by local students under the guidance of local artist and art teacher, Mr. Paul Rively. Directly following the reveal, Town of Rye Supervisor Gary Zuckerman will host the Crawford Park Pride Flag Raising with Council Member Pamela Jaffee and Amanda Timchak co-founder of pRYEde.
The celebrations continue the following week, on Saturday June 10th, at beautiful Rye Town Park. The day will begin with the Rye Town Park Pride Flag raising at 9:30am, hosted again by Supervisor Gary Zuckerman, along with Jaffee, Timchak, as well as many community leaders, local students, activists and community members.
Following the flag raising ceremony, organizers will lead participants and audience members on the a joyous and musical parade, along the Playland Boardwalk, which will culminate in the unveiling of the Third Annual Student Led Community Pride Mural. An original piece designed and painted by Middle and High School students from across NY and CT under the guidance of pRYEde and local mural artist and art teacher Donna Wundeler, this mural celebrates LGBTQ+ identities and shares a positive message of inclusion meant to inspire the community.
The festivities will continue with a Pride Fair at the Pavilions, including entertaining performances by musicians, artist and poets along with stations led by local organizations celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. Current participating organizations include: The LOFT, PrideWorks, GLSEN Hudson Valley, Rye Arts Center, Rye Youth Council, RyeACT, POW’R Against Tobacco, The Rye Free Reading Room, and local GSA groups. Community organizations who are interested in hosting a table at the Pride Fair can find more information and register at www.pryede.com/our-projects.
***pRYEde.org is currently seeking volunteers for all events: We need students and community members to help make these wonderful events run smoothly. The organization is especially calling for middle and high school students to help collaborate in either of the two mural projects. Artistic skills are not necessary, there are a variety of needs to be filled. Details and registration forms can be found at pryede.com/our-projects.
• Time: 3:00 p.m. – Rye High School
• Time: 4:00 p.m. – City Halln
• Time: 4:30 p.m. - Rye Recreation
• Date: Friday June 2, 2023
• Time: 6:00 p.m. – Rainbow Crossing Reveal - Crawford Mansion
• Time: 6:30 p.m. - Pride Flag Raising - Crawford Mansion
Events will start at the Pavilions and continue around the park, including a parade along the Playland Boardwalk.
• Date: Saturday June 10, 2023
• Time: 9:00 a.m. - Pride Gathering Begins - Rye Town Park Flagpole
• Time: 9:30 a.m. - Brief Opening Comments and Raising of the Pride Flag - Rye Town Park Flagpole
• Time: 9:45 a.m. - Pride Parade - throughout the park and along the Playland Boardwalk
• Time: 10:15 a.m. - Student Led Community Pride Mural unveiling - Rye Town Park Pedestrian Walkway, along the fence
• Time: 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.- Pride Festival - The Pavilions at Rye Town Park
We need students and community members to help make these wonderful events run smoothly.
Middle School & High School students - come be a part of our Pride mural projects.
Visit pryede.com/our-projects for details and to register.
5/28 Sunday: 4:30 - 6:30 pm painting/volunteer event
5/29 Monday: 10 am - 1 pm painting/volunteer event
5/31 Wednesday: 6:30 pm - 8 pm painting/volunteer event
6/1 Thursday: 6:30 - 8 pm final touch ups; cover the crosswalk for Friday "reveal" event
6/2 Friday 6:00 pm: All volunteers invited to Flag Raising and Rainbow Crossing reveal event
To Sign Up: https://forms.gle/hmgVt8d62gqkMZsJ9
pRYEde, Town of Rye, Rye Town Park, The LOFT, PrideWorks, GLSEN Hudson Valley, local GSA groups, Rye Arts Center, Rye Youth Council, RyeACT, POW’R (Putnam, Orange, Westchester, Rockland) Against Tobacco and The Rye Free Reading Room
Our town nestles in a valley in the background of which lie the picturesque hills and dales of Westchester County. Our Town of Rye borders on Long Island Sound bordering on Connecticut at the gateway of New England within convenient commuting distance from New York and in the metropolitan area. While we started with the Boston Post Road running close to the sound and constituting our main highway, a toll road along which passed the horse-drawn stages, modern parkways and paved highways over which pass speedy motor vehicles now link our Town to all the cities, towns and villages of this great country of ours.
We started as a small settlement on Manursing Island, then developed Poningo Neck, which now is the business section of the City of Rye, and the Saw Pit, which now is Port Chester on the Byram River, with paths leading to various parts of the town. The Post Road, King Street, and the Grace Church Street were among some of our earliest carriage paths. Water transportation and stagecoach were the sole links the early settlers had with the outside world. The young settlement known as Saw Pit, so named from the saw pits then in use, continued as such until it outgrew this homespun name and became Port Chester by incorporating as a village in 1868 signifying a sea port which remains to this day.
Early life in the settlement was strenuous. Attacks by Indians and severe winters were a deterrent to these early settlers. Farming, fishing, logging, and trading were the principal occupations. At Saw Pit, logs were cut for use in shipbuilding operations. Our town had no improvements in those days and homes were simple and crude. The seed sown by these early settlers was nurtured and grew to the present day when we enjoy the modern conveniences of our times.
For more information about the Town of Rye and early settlement, see Chronicles of a Border Town by Charles Washington Baird.
Rye Town Office
222 Grace Church Street, 3rd Floor
Port Chester, NY 10573
