Boujee Cherry works the crowd during the Lylac and Friends show at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter)
Riverfront Park was filled with color Saturday as thousands gathered for Salem’s annual Pride in the Park.
Booths featuring local artists displayed crocheted stuffed animals, jewelry and prints, while several local churches painted faces with Pride flags and glitter.
Salem Capital Pride holds the celebration of the LGBTQ+ community in September, outside of June’s Pride Month, because performers and vendors are less busy.
“With our mission, it’s Pride all the time,” President Zachery Cardoso told Salem Reporter. “We’re queer all the time, so we should have Pride all the time. So we try to celebrate throughout the entire year.”
That pride was visible from the stage of the Gerry Frank Amphitheater, as drag queen Lylac, who grew up in Salem, spoke tearfully about the joy and support she’s received from the local LGBTQ+ community. She then delivered a crowd-favorite performance to “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan.
Lylac interviews one of the pet owners at the pet show at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/for Salem Reporter)Lylac judges one of the entries in the pet show at at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept.20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/for Salem Reporter)The winner of the 2025 Pride pet show, Cookie, a Welsh Pembroke Corgi, with her owner Tyrone Wallace, backstage at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/for Salem Reporter)Lylac performs “Pink Pony Club” during the Lylac and Friends show at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept.20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/for Salem Reporter)There were many booths to visit at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/for Salem Reporter)Customers browse the many booths at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/for Salem Reporter)Friends watch the Lylac and Friends show at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/for Salem Reporter)Representatives from the Oregon Department of Justice Civil Rights Unit booth handed out tote bags at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter)A sample of the many different goods for sale at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/for Salem Reporter)RiRi Caliente on stage at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter)Boujee Cherry during the Lylac and Friends show at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/for Salem Reporter)JayJay during the Lylac and Friends show at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter)Rian Gayle interprets in American Sign Language at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/for Salem Reporter)Gina Burrows and her mother Tina Whipple- Burrows, enjoy their day at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter)Jayla on stage during the Lylac and Friends show at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/for Salem Reporter)Jake Hampson holds a sensory slug and some of the art they create at their art studio in their booth at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter)Allison Mapps was ready to tell how much fun playing rugby was at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter)Sophia strikes a pose before taking the stage at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept.20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/for Salem Reporter)Jayla struts her stuff during the Lylac and Friends show at Pride in the Park held at Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/for Salem Reporter)
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Laura Tesler has lived in Salem, Oregon for 20 years and is originally from Flint, MI. Laura has been an underwater photographer for 15 years, and is an avid scuba diver. Topside, she has been taking photographs since age 12, and currently works on assignment for the Salem Reporter, and full time purchasing land for fish and wildlife habitat in the Willamette Valley. Laura attended Oregon State University, and has traveled extensively all over the world and the United States.
