History Comes Out at Dickinson

Members of the Pennsylvania Rural Gay Caucus with their hand-made banner at the Philadelphia gay pride parade circa 1976. Photo by Bari Lee Weaver.

Members of the Pennsylvania Rural Gay Caucus with their hand-made banner at the Philadelphia gay pride parade circa 1976. Photo by Bari Lee Weaver.

Selections from the LGBT Center of Central PA History Project

Dickinson will host an opening reception to celebrate “History Comes Out,” an exhibition of artifacts and archival documents from the LGBT Center of Central PA History Project, on Sunday, Oct. 29, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., on the Waidner-Spahr Library’s main level, 333 W. High St. A portion of the exhibition will include items from the recently closed Atland’s Ranch, a popular gay bar in Spring Grove, Pa. The event is free and open to the public.

This year’s reception will include behind-the-scenes tours of the archives, a hands-on display and screenings of oral history interviews. Interested attendees will have the opportunity to sign up to contribute their story through an oral history. Project staff will also be available to receive donations of documents, images or artifacts during the event.

The LGBT Center of Central PA in Harrisburg and the Dickinson Archives & Special Collections have collaborated since 2012 to collect original documents that depict stories of LGBT history in central Pennsylvania, as told by those who lived them. The documents include written accounts, video interviews, photographs and artifacts that illustrate and support those stories.

The center recently announced it is honoring Dickinson with a 2017 FAB Award, which will be presented at the group’s Fall Achievement Benefit on Nov. 3. The center noted Dickinson has been an “essential partner on the LGBT History Project.”

The exhibition runs from Oct. 18 to Nov. 30. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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Published October 25, 2017