Volunteers took Pride in their work as they painted three crosswalks on the 600 block of Patrica Street in downtown Jasper.
OUT Jasper and the Jasper Pride Festival Society put the primer on last week on Wednesday before painting the crosswalks the following day.
Mychol Ormandy, executive director of OUT Jasper, explained that they paint crosswalks in June not only for Pride Month but also to get it done ahead of the busy tourist season.
“It really does brighten up the town too, and tourists love it. And I just think that I'm so glad that we're lucky that the town being so inclusive and diverse that we're able to add colour to it all.”
The three crosswalks were each adorned with a symbol of LGBTQ2+ pride: the traditional Rainbow Pride Flag, the Transgender Pride Flag and the Progressive Pride Flag.
Ormandy noted how the rainbow crosswalk would be in front of TD Bank, which is one of their major sponsors.
The goal is ultimately to celebrate diversity and foster inclusivity in the community.
The Municipality of Jasper assisted volunteers by controlling traffic.
Christopher Read, director of Community Development, explained that the painting was done in the evening to minimize the traffic disruption.
He noted that primer was added prior to the painting so that the crosswalks will hopefully last longer, which is already a challenge as the paint is environmentally friendly and thus more easily wears away.
“I congratulate the volunteers for creating the desire to do this and then [fulfilling] the manpower needs,” Read said.
“The town couldn’t run without all the volunteer efforts that happen.”
Organizers are also hoping to get rainbow-coloured flowers for the large planter between Lucia’s Gifts and Baxters Gifts for summer 2025.
