Emily Crabtree wears many hats in the small coastal town of Yachats—she owns Perpetua Records, works at WildCraft Cider & Pantry and has served on the board of Yachats Pride since 2017. She sat down with us to talk about this year’s event—the food, the fun and why Travel Oregon’s sponsorship of Yachats Pride and 20 other Pride gatherings across the state is so important and impactful.
What can you tell us about Yachats Pride?
Yachats Pride is a three-day event that’s free, accessible and unique. It’s truly created by the community and for the community. We weave together food, education, fun and most importantly, Queer joy. There’s a thought that Queer joy isn’t always present in rural communities and it’s just not true. It’s always here, but we center and celebrate it at Yachats Pride.
Each year we choose a theme because living rurally we don’t have many reasons to dress up and have fun. This year’s theme was ‘Gays in Space,’ and people got so much joy and silliness out of dressing up in space-themed costumes. What we’re doing is serious, but we also want to have fun.
Can you give us a run-down of the weekend?
In rural communities, food is love. People love to eat, but food isn’t always widely available to everyone who lives here. So, we hosted a big community meal on Saturday. And on Sunday, the Presbyterian Church hosted a meal as a way to pay reparations for the systemic harm organized religion has caused to the rights and safety of Queer people.
There was dancing on Friday night to a David Bowie cover band. We had a Queer market that centered allies and Queer folk who make cute stuff. Think rural craft fair with Queer flair! And of course, it wouldn’t be Pride without a parade. But instead of a normal parade, we did a puppy parade instead. It was the cutest, most chaotic situation with 30+ dogs. As another way to infuse education into things, every dog wins a trophy named for an important person in Queer history.
What was the highlight for you?
On Saturday, I moderated a Trans High-Tea Party panel centered on the Queer culture most at risk. Every year it’s gotten more beautiful. This year the discussion was focused on family of choice and found family. I moderated the panel and took questions from the audience. I was impressed by how much of the straight cis-gender community and retirement community came out to the event. They showed up and were deeply engaged. It was a powerful thing to be a part of. The catharsis of being in a big room and having an experience like that doesn’t happen that often anymore.
Can you tell us how Travel Oregon’s sponsorship helped with this event?
When we heard Travel Oregon was sponsoring, volunteer energy and morale got a major boost. It felt so good to be noticed and honored by another organization focused on building community. The younger volunteers, especially, were blown away to feel the power of community service and to realize that our little festival could have a more resounding effect. We were able to pay every performer and put every performer up for the weekend at a hotel or a beach house. We fed 300+ people for three days and were able to keep it all free. And now we have the time and energy to discuss how we can have a bigger effect outside of Yachats. As part of our mission as a nonprofit, we want to create a template, or a playbook, for rural communities to share how we did it, so Yachats Pride can serve as a model.
As Oregonians, we also want to be a part of representing our state. We had people come from Oakland and Seattle and Eugene because they heard Yachats Pride was a more grassroots Queer event and that Yachats is an inclusive place to visit.
Why is celebrating Pride important in rural communities?
As the world has evolved, feelings of disconnection and loneliness are rampant, and we want folks who belong to marginalized communities to know that’s not the norm—that they are included and that they belong. The after-effect of Yachats Pride has been that people are connecting on a multi-generational level and understanding that they can be agents of change and support. And people are experiencing real joy during a very difficult time in the world.
It’s also been great to see the deep and authentic allyship happening. More allies are stepping up to volunteer, asking uncomfortable questions and realizing that the energy of Queer joy is good for everyone. One of our security guards this year was the stepfather of one of our long-time volunteers. He’s just the most smiley, classic country guy. He came in his Wrangler jeans and boots, and we got him a bright pastel neon pink security shirt that he wore all weekend. On Sunday he said, “I haven’t had this much fun in 20 years.”
These events are also important for the parents of Queer kids, who connect with other parents and peers to talk to about their fears and questions. It also helps people journey in their understanding—and learn that they can heal and apologize.
What’s next?
We want to consider having additional events, like small mixers, throughout the year because people have said they want to gather more often. And we already have the theme for next year. Drumroll, please: Rhinestone Rodeo! We’re going to get line dancing callers, queer country bands, hay bales and a petting zoo. We hope to see you there!
Learn more about Yachats Pride here.
And look here for a list of 2025 Pride events in Oregon.