We held a Pride festival in our small, conservative NC town
Last year around this time, I spent many hours alongside my colleagues unfurling enormous tissue paper flowers and stapling them to the front siding of Grey Hawk Bar & Gardens, our restaurant and event space in Lake Lure..
We were preparing for our Pride Festival, the first-ever large-scale LGBTQ+ Pride event in Rutherford County. And to be honest, we weren’t sure what the reaction would be. Lake Lure is a small town in a very conservative North Carolina county – more than 70% of voters chose Trump in each of the past three presidential elections. A week before the festival our promotional flyer was defaced, with information about Pride scratched out.
When I first opened the business in 2023, I wanted to be sure we weren’t rocking any boats when it came to things that might be viewed as political. We were a new business trying to find ourselves and our place in a tourist town that was steeped in tradition and history and a love for 80s Dirty Dancing nostalgia. We wanted to serve delicious over-the-top hand-crafted cocktails, provide fresh and fun food, and create a peaceful oasis for all kinds of people to enjoy, and I worried about being pigeonholed as a gay-owned business.
We had a successful first year, embraced by the community, even as we got daily questions about “what exactly are you?” and “do you serve real food?” (Salads and charcuterie were apparently a foreign concept for some).
Just after our first anniversary, and seven days after my partner Adam and I closed on the purchase of the property, Hurricane Helene swept through Western NC, emptying a deluge of debris and treasured belongings right into Lake Lure. It was a devastating time. Heartbroken people had to be cared for, the lake had to be drained and cleaned, and tourism halted to a trickle. Our property was mercifully undamaged, but our area was one of the hardest hit, and the prospect of our little restaurant thriving looked bleak.
That winter, we knew that it would take a different approach to convince people to brave long detours and return to the area, especially without the natural draws of the lake and Chimney Rock State Park. We decided to host a brand-new festival series, leaning into creativity to give people an occasion to come back. We dreamed up a legend about a magical hawk who cares for the town throughout the summer, then sets herself on fire to mark the start of fall; we would build the giant hawk in real life and write an accompanying children’s book. While we were brainstorming, I got a big smile on my face and turned to Adam: “And – I want to do a Pride Festival.”
To our delight and gratitude, the festival that June was a huge success. Hundreds of people flocked to the property, decked out in rainbows and LGBTQ-affirming messages. Members of the community shared powerful remarks, including the parent of an adult trans person, a therapist who hosted her wedding to her wife at Grey Hawk, and a trans man with years of heroic public service to the area. Nonprofit leaders from the Campaign for Southern Equality and PFLAG Asheville shared resources. More than a dozen vendors sold artisan crafts and goods. And the finale was a hilarious family-friendly drag show and bellydance performance. It marked a milestone for us – the most people we had ever hosted in one day at Grey Hawk.
For weeks, attendees told us how special the Pride Festival was, that they had never felt so affirmed, seen, and celebrated in their hometown. That just being in community with so many LGBTQ+ people and allies all at once – even in rural Rutherford County, and especially after so many months of post-hurricane malaise and pessimism – made a huge difference for their spirits and sense of belonging.
We learned the power of showing up as our full selves, even in our business. We saw that if we projected authenticity, we could attract an even broader community than we thought imaginable – people who craved inclusivity, affirmation, and the freedom to be themselves. And if we lost a few potential folks in the area who weren’t on board, that would be OK (honestly, our floral garden theme probably wasn’t fooling anyone to begin with).
Now, we’re gearing up for the second annual Pride Festival with even more confidence and certainty – and with a deep sense of pride that Lake Lure is a place where everyone can feel welcomed, included, and celebrated.
The 2026 Pride Festival at Grey Hawk is Saturday, June 13 from 11-9pm at 111 Resort Lane in Lake Lure.
