Hey guys. Some of you may be wondering why we’ve continued to feature Pride on the cover as we enter August. The biggest reason is although many of the big Pride events take place in June, this year, one has relocated to August, and it’s one that hits close to home.

The New Haven Block Party, shepherded by Gotham Citi for years now, has chosen the first Saturday in August as its location after the Hartford Pride contingent kept scheduling their event on the same day as New Haven’s.  Robb Bart, owner of Gotham, made the decision to move it so people wouldn’t feel rushed going from one event to the next.  So now, we have another reason to celebrate at a different time of year.

Adam Rapczynski shares his first-hand account of being a part of Gotham’s presence at the New York City Pride event.  We’ve got exclusive pictures of Gotham’s float being constructed, which carried the theme of the 40th anniversary of Stonewall. And we’ve got a look ahead at the block party. For those who haven’t attended it before, do yourself a favor and attend this year’s event.

Elsewhere, we have our very own Critics on the Aisle, Don Church and Tony Schillaci, doing some good research and reporting on the upcoming Cabaret event at the Eugene O’Neill Theater in Waterford. Those who are more familiar with the O’Neill Theater already know about the fantastic Cabaret event, but for those of you who haven’t checked it out before, Don and Tony offer you a detailed preview of what to expect.  It’s something worth checking out as summer slowly winds down.

We’ve also got our regular cast of characters doing a bang-up job on our columns: Uncle Blabby shining the light on the right thing to do, Wayne Besen on politics, Terri Schlichenmeyer on the book beat, Josh O’Connell on music, Mette Bach offering her take on society and Mistress Manners covering proper etiquette.

Before I wrap this up, I also want to send out a couple of thank yous.  Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re aware that the economy has been less than stellar the past 18 months or more.  As such, I’d like to extend a thank you to our advertisers, who help ensure that Metroline’s 36 years continue with as much potency as can be expected in a challenging environment.  As a free publication, they pay the bills, and if it weren’t for them you wouldn’t have this magazine in your hands right now.  When you patronize them, please give them a big thank you for supporting Metroline.

And on that note, I encourage all of you to get out there and have some fun before summer slips away.  I know I sure will.  And I will see you Out & About.