Spooky season kicks off with IC pride event in Washington

WASHINGTON — A sold-out crowd, a scary movie, a “sound bath” and a ghost hunt made for an eventful evening at the State Theater in Washington Saturday night, where Riverside, Iowa Paranormal (RIP) and Iowa City Pride held a fundraiser for the latter.

The show was a first in many ways. It’s item one on a list of paranormal-themed events to feature the oldest continuously operating movie theater in the world this month, as well as IC Pride’s first time hosting its own Halloween-adjacent event.

“We’re trying to reach out to see groups that, maybe we don’t always see,” Iowa City Pride President Joe Reilly said. “There’s a lot of new faces, which is what this is all about. It’s just trying to identify another way for us all to hang out with the queer community.”

Saturday night represented a branching out of sorts for the group. The group’s most well-known events favor bar venues, and usually stay close to Iowa City Pride’s titular town.

While he acknowledged Washington’s more conservative slant than Iowa City, Reilly said that didn’t deter the fun.

“For this kind of activity, you just go where the spookiness is,” he said. “As long as we’re together with each other, I think that kind of eases peoples’ worries and fears. It’s just about finding community, and there’s still definitely a queer community in Washington, Iowa.”

IC Pride Board Member Nate Kelley agreed.

He said he hoped the variety would help accomplish the group’s mission statement of increasing visibility for the LGBTQ community.

“We’re just happy to be able to get as many people and do as many varieties of events as we can, to get as many people involved as we can,” he said. “I know we have ‘Iowa City Pride’ in the title, but we’re really like southeast-side Iowa pride, in a way.”

Initial plans for the evening featured guest paranormal investigator Stormy Daniels, but changed when the adult actress and feminist activist’s flight was canceled. Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, stars in a reality TV show as a paranormal investigator, and met RIP leaders at Paracon, an annual convention for subject matter enthusiasts in Pennsylvania.

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Ms. Iowa City Diva 2021 Chanelle Rosé stepped into the limelight in Daniels’ place. While not as well-versed in ghostly affairs, she said she was happy to be involved and excited for the paranormal potential.

“At first I was super excited, and then as time went on, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, it’s kind of scary,’” she said. “But I feel like I just opened myself up and accepted whatever comes my way.”

Drag queens Lil’ Kimmy Black and Roxie Mess, (stage names,) were other guests of honor.

While a ghost hunt at the State Theater in Washington is hardly their typical venue either, both said the night presented a chance to get their names out and pursue their craft in a community that might not otherwise accept it.

“October, especially, you can get away with a little bit more,” Mess said. “It’s Halloween. November hits, we’re weirdos.”

Iowa City Pride wasn’t the only organizer new to Washington. Despite having headquarters right up the road, RIP hasn’t held many events in the city before either.

Member Jake Lanagan said the group was looking to change that this year, stepping up its collaborations in the area in a bid to reach new people.

“I’m really excited, as a member of Riverside, Iowa Paranormal, to get more of this area’s community involved,” he said. “Not just with LGBTQ, but with the paranormal in general. Headquarters is in Riverside, that’s a hop, skip and a jump away from Washington, so it’ll be really nice to get that connection.”

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Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com