October 5 • 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Join this celebration during LGBTQ+ History Month featuring free site-wide admission, music, vendors, expert-led presentations, drag shows—featuring Heidi N Closet, a RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant, at 1 p.m. & 4 p.m.–, activities, photos opportunities with the Virginia PRIDE LOVEworks, and more! Food/drinks (beer, wine, hard cider) will be available for purchase.
Presentations:
10:30 a.m.: Historian Sergei Troubetzkoy presents an illustrated program about William Haines, the famed film actor and interior designer from the Shenandoah Valley who was one of Hollywood’s openly gay stars in the 1920s and 1930s. (Reception Hall)
11 a.m.: Story Time for kids & families featuring children’s picture books from the ARE LGBTQ Center Library (Glen Burnie House Drawing Room)
Noon: Journalist & author Elyssa Maxx Goodman discusses her 2023 book Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City (copies will be available for purchase in the Museum Store & a book signing will follow the program (Main Stage)
1 p.m.: Drag Show starring the fabulous Heidi N Closet, along with Miss Winchester Pride & a dazzling lineup of other performers (Main Stage)
1 p.m.: Story Time for kids & families featuring children’s picture books from the ARE LGBTQ Center Library (Glen Burnie House Drawing Room)
2 p.m.: Out in the Valley: a writing workshop focused on storytelling and identity led by a contributor to Out in the Valley, a publication of personal narratives by LGBTQ+ people about their experiences in the Shenandoah Valley (Reception Hall)
3 p.m.: Glass artist Craig Mitchell Smith shares the inspiring story of “bringing a glass sculpture out of the closet” and his journey as an artist. Be among the first in 17 years to see the sculpture on display in the galleries building lobby, then explore the Museum gardens showcasing 30 of his stunning, larger-than-life floral sculptures in Gardens of Glass. (Main Stage)
4 p.m.: Drag Show starring the fabulous Heidi N Closet, along with Miss Winchester Pride & a dazzling lineup of other performers (Main Stage)
All Day (10 a.m.–5 p.m.):
- Free Admission to the galleries building & gardens (includes all exhibitions & Glen Burnie House)
- Make Your Own Pride Flag craft/coloring activity for all ages (gardens/Carraige House Classroom)
- Chalk-it-Up-For-Pride sidewalk chalk activity (front of galleries building)
- Vendors, Food Trucks
Event, and admission to the galleries & gardens—including the Gardens of Glass exhibition—is free to all. No outside food/drink. Bring a chair/blanket. Rain/shine. Presented in partnership with Winchester Pride and sponsored by Procter & Gamble.
Click to see MSV policies on refunds, photography, and COVID-19 updates.
Click here to apply to be a vendor.
William Hanes, famed film actor and interior designer from the Shenandoah Valley, who was one of Hollywood's openly gay stars in the 1920s and 1930s.
Journalist & author Elyssa Maxx Goodman.
Journalist & author Elyssa Maxx Goodman's book 2023 book "Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City."
Heidi N Closet
Glass artist Craig Mitchell Smith with his new sculpture "Apple Blossom." Created in 2024 especially for specifically for the MSV display of "Gardens of Glass," the piece celebrates the Valley's rich apple heritage and Winchester's famed annual Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival.
Sponsors
