Rehoboth Pride weekend is one of my favorite weekends of the year, and this year was no exception. It also confirmed something I’ve suspected for a while …
Children are the funniest people on Earth.
I kicked off my Saturday at Drag Queen Story Hour inside the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center. I walked in with giant hair, giant eyelashes and giant heels. The kids walked in with giant personalities.
Within minutes, I’d been waved at, high-fived, questioned, inspected and very respectfully stared at like I was the newest exhibit at the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science.
One little kid looked me up and down like they were judging Project Runway.
Another wanted to know how I got so tall.
Easy.
Years of practice … and Amazon Prime.
The stories were a hit, but I quickly realized the kids didn’t care what book I was reading. They wanted the voices. They wanted the dancing. They wanted the silly faces.
Honestly, same.
Meanwhile, the parents were doing what parents do best … trying to keep one child from wandering off while another suddenly needed a snack, a bathroom, a hug and a completely different pair of shoes, all at the same time. Parents deserve free therapy and a lifetime supply of iced coffee.
Then the rest of Rehoboth Pride came alive.
The Convention Center turned into organized chaos, and I mean that in the best possible way. Everywhere you looked, something was happening. Families browsed vendor booths. Friends stopped every three feet because they ran into someone they knew. People posed for photos in every corner. There were enough rainbow accessories to make me question whether I owned enough glitter.
Spoiler alert: I do.
What always amazes me is the mix of people. Longtime locals. First-time visitors. Grandparents. Teenagers. Families with little kids. People dressed head to toe in sequins standing next to someone wearing flip-flops and a beach cover-up.
Somehow it all works.
That’s the magic of Rehoboth.
For one day, nobody seemed to care what anyone else was wearing, where they came from or who they came with. Everyone was just … happy to be there.
As Kadet Kelly, I get to stand in the middle of all that joy, and that’s something I’ll never take for granted. I may have shown up in six-inch heels and enough hairspray to violate environmental regulations, but I left with a full heart, sore feet and a reminder that our little beach town knows how to throw one heck of a celebration.
Who knew the loudest applause I’d get all weekend would come from someone still learning to tie their shoes?
