Who’s ready to celebrate? June marks Pride Month and LGBTQ+ Iowans across the state will be celebrating their community’s history and culture with plenty of parades and events throughout the month.

Here’s where to find LGBTQ+ community events across Iowa in June.

(Events are organized in chronological order)

SUX Pride

Sioux City is celebrating Pride the first weekend of June, with a diversity march, main stage acts, vendor booths, food trucks, story times and more. Saturday night, all events are 21+.

When: 7 p.m. on June 5, 5 p.m. on June 6 and 11 a.m. on June 7

Where: Virginia and Fourth Street, Sioux City on June 5 and 6, Sioux City Convention Center on June 7

Quad Cities Pride Festival

The Quad Cities are bringing a weekend packed with entertainment. From a Pride Choir and dance party, to DJs and drag queens, or vendors and activities, they’ll have it all. Passes start at $10 for daily admission.

When: 4 p.m. on June 6, 12 p.m. on June 7

Where: Schwiebert Riverfront Park, Rock Island, Illinois

More: Capital City Pride loses sponsors as part of national pullback on DEI

Capital City PrideFest

Capital City Pride is celebrating it 46th PrideFest in Des Moines. The three-day event is hosted in the heart of the Historic East Village and will feature local drag queens, DJ performances, full festival activities like games and vendors and much more.

When: 5 p.m. on June 6, 9 a.m. on June 7, 10 a.m. on June 8

Where: East Village of Des Moines

More: Capital City PrideFest celebrates in the East Village. See the Des Moines pride schedule

Dubuque Pride Festival

Dubuque is celebrating the LGBTQ+ community with performances, local vendors, food trucks and plenty of family-friendly fun at their festival. The event is free, and welcomes all ages.

When: 12-5 p.m. on June 7

Where: Town Clock Plaza, downtown Dubuque

Annual Ottumwa Pride Block Party

Celebrating its fifth year, the Ottomwa Pride Block Party is switching things up for an afternoon of fun in the sun. Soak in the pool and positive energy and celebrate love and inclusivity.

• When: 4-10 p.m. on June 7
• Where: The Beach Ottumwa

Bi-State Unity Pride Parade

The annual Quad City Unity Pride Parade is back. The parade links Iowa and Illinois by crossing the Mississippi River using the Centennial Bridge.

• When: 11 a.m., June 14
• Where: Starts at Chill Ice Cream & Eats (421 River Drive, Davenport)

Let Love Fly

Kites will soar over North Liberty in honor of Pride. There will also be activities and giveaways from community groups. All ages are welcome.

• When: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. on June 14
• Where: Centennial Park, North Liberty

Des Moines People’s Pride

A community-based and centered event, Des Moines People’s Pride is back for its third year and will consist of local vendors, artists and performers. “The purpose of DSM People’s Pride is to be a safe, inclusive event for all people in our community, which means maintaining a cop-free space and requiring masking,” according to its website.

• When: Noon – 4 p.m., June 14
• Where: Water Works Park (2201 George Flagg Parkway, Des Moines)

Burlington Pride in the Park

With more than 60 vendors, Burlington Pride in the Park is back and bigger than ever. There’s entertainment scheduled, a parade and pet parade and of course plenty of drag shows.

• When: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on June 21
• Where: Crapo Park

Iowa City Pride and Parade

Iowa City’s Annual Pride Festival is back to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. Join for vendors, activities, drag shows, a parade and more.

• When: Noon-10 p.m. on June 21
• Where: Downtown Iowa City

Oskaloosa Pride in the Alley

Oskaloosa is hosting Pride in the Alley. Join for a photo booth, puppets, vendors and more.

• When: 1-6 p.m. on June 21
• Where: 109 South Market Street, Oskaloosa

Ankeny Pride

Ankeny is celebrating its fourth annual pride at the end of the month with a talent show, rainbow run, pet parade and plenty of vendors. Find out more at ankenypride.org.

• When: 4-9 p.m., June 21
• Where: Southview Middle School (1020 Southwest Cherry Street, Ankeny)

Burlington Pride on the Riverfront

Burlington is also hosting a day full of community and support at the end of June. There will be mindfulness yoga, a parade, main stage entertainment and more.

• When: 8 a.m. on June 28, 9 a.m. on June 29
• Where: Burlington’s Great River Bridge riverfront

Valley Junction Pride

Valley Junction is hosting its second-ever Pride celebration this year, which will include a pet parade by Bone-A-Patreat, drag story time, a maker’s market, entertainment and plenty more.

• When: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., June 29
• Where: 137 Fifth Street, West Des Moines

Know of an event we missed? Email iowaconnect@gannett.com for consideration.

Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at vreynarodriguez@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @VictoriaReynaR.

The Iowa high school boys tennis season wrapped up with the crowning of two team state champions.

Waukee Northwest claimed its second-straight Class 2A title while Cedar Rapids Xavier kept its stellar spring rolling with a Class 1A team championship.

The Wolves were right at home in Class 2A, with the tournament taking place quite literally on the program’s home courts at Waukee Northwest. They made quick work of Dowling Catholic in the first round, claiming a 5-0 win. In the semifinals, Northwest took down Iowa City West by the same score. That set up a state title matchup against Cedar Rapids Prairie, which took down Linn-Mar and Pleasant Valley en route to the title match.

In the state finals, Northwest finished off the tournament, winning 5-1 to win another state crown.

More: Anthony Schulte, Charlie LeGrand take home Iowa high school tennis state titles

Over in Iowa City, where the Class 1A tournament was taking place, Xavier continued its dominance. The Saints took down Boone, 5-0, in the quarterfinals and then cruised past Decorah, 5-0, to reach the title match. There, Xavier faced its toughest challenge, a battle with Dubuque Whalert.

The Saints put the finishing touches on a special boys season by claiming a 5-3 win. Xavier also won the boys singles and doubles titles on May 28. The win on June 4 marks the fifth team state championship in the last six tries for the Saints. Xavier also won titles in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. The IHSAA did not hold a tournament in 2020.

EXIRA, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) – Some western Iowa towns are under boil water advisories. Residents haven’t been able to drink straight from the tap for about two weeks now. Democratic candidate for Governor Rob Sand stopped in to talk to residents of one town.

Tuesday morning, residents in Exira got notice that it’s okay to drink water from the tap again, ending weeks of having to boil water. The Regional Water Rural Water Association says the root of the issue is loss of pressure from high demand.

City Clerk Meg Anderson says they’re exploring alternative water supplies, but they’re beholden to a contract with the utility.

“We hope that we can constructively work together and negotiate something moving forward, but if we can’t, we will pursue those legal options if we need to,” she said.

She says people in town have been resilient, but the outages have had an impact.

“We had restaurants who had to amend their hours or change their menus because they couldn’t use their ice or soda fountains or accrue additional costs. Or businesses who may have had loss of revenue because, you know, they can’t shampoo every customer who comes in the door to get a haircut,” she said.

Rob Sand, Democratic candidate for Governor, stopped in to talk to residents Tuesday.

“State government needs to do more to pay attention to issues like this that maybe don’t affect people that state government this necessarily are important but they should be listening to them because they affect Iowans,” he said.

Sand says there’s likely no silver bullet to solve the town’s water issues and he didn’t offer any solutions of his own, but says lawmakers should’ve worked together this session to address it.

“Hey, we have people over here in this region that don’t have water right now. Here are the statutes that are standing in their way and here are the exceptions we’re going to build into them for situations like this, right. Did that happen? No,” he said.

Mayor Mike Huegerich says demand for water goes up in the summer months, and he’s concerned boil water advisories could come back.

“We’re not out of the woods by no means for this, I mean. They keep saying we need the rain, well it’s raining today, but we need a lot of rain to make up the difference,” he said.

A new connection with a water source in Council Bluffs should relieve their issues but town leaders are skeptical it’s a permanent fix.

Residents in Exira, Earling, and Brayton no longer have to boil their water but people who live in Panama, and Portsmouth still do.

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Conner Hendricks covers state government and politics for Gray Media-owned stations in Iowa. Email him at conner.hendricks@gray.tv; and follow him on Facebook at Conner Hendricks TV on X/Twitter @ConnerReports, and on TikTok @ConnerReports.

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