Soon after Pauline Emerson-Froebe moved to rural Manitoba eight years ago, she realized her small town needed to host its very own Pride celebration where everyone could be authentic and feel accepted.

"My wife and I were determined," she said. "People … deserve to feel welcome, kids deserve to feel love, and we were going to do everything within our power to make that happen."

The event, a dream years in the making for Emerson-Froebe, became a reality on Saturday as hundreds splashed the streets of Carman in colour during the town's first Pride celebration.

The town, sitting about 75 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg, is the latest in a string of rural communities that in recent years have started to host Pride events and parades in June.

Emerson-Froebe, who is also president of Pemb

See Full Page