Blount County celebrates pride festival despite protest gathering

By Jacey Goetzinger \ Sept. 29, 2026

On Sept. 12, in pop up tents surrounded by an orange mesh fence, Blount County hosted its sixth annual Pride festival, this year at the Springbrook Park in Alcoa. 

While vendors and local businesses sold crafts and baked goods, and a marching band provided musical entertainment, a small group of protestors gathered on the baseball field beside the event. Alcoa police were also present at the event, stationed outside the fence where a number of protestors stood with signs and microphones, attempting to speak with those attending the festival.

Angie Ewing, a Maryville resident and the main organizer of the protest, explained her reasoning. 

“I moved here from up north, where this was in the school system — pride, and teaching children as young as Kindergarten about gender ideology and exposing them to it at a very young age,” Ewing said. 

“When I came here thinking it was a conservative Christian community, and I found out that these events were taking place and they were having drag for children, I was shocked, so I decided to get involved because I didn’t want that happening here. I came from that and I’ve seen what happens next and how detrimental this can be… That’s what really motivated me,” she added.

Ewing said that her goal was to prevent Alcoa from signing permits allowing the event to take place within city limits in the future. She referenced a previous successful protest in Maryville that she said led to the festival being held in Alcoa instead of its previous home in Maryville. 

“I don’t have anything against these people as adults,” Ewing added. 

“My only problem is incorporating children who don’t understand what a drag queen is. It’s confusing. I don’t think that when you’re five years old or under the age of 18 that you need to know about these things. That’s what I have against it; it’s the children. If they didn’t have children as part of it, if they didn’t have the drag storytime and the drag for children, I wouldn’t be here. Our sole focus is on children.”

Ken Peters, another protester present at the festival, had a similar view on Blount Pride.

“We’re not trying to be antagonistic, but we’re Christians, and our lord and savior Jesus said in the scripture that if you cause a child to sin that it’s better that a millstone be tied around your neck and you be cast into the sea. 

“We believe that what’s going on over here in a public park is that they’re causing children to sin. If they were leaving the kids out of it, I’d be home watching college football. I’d much rather be there than here, but we believe they’re causing children to get involved in their sin. We believe as the church of Jesus Christ that we are obligated to be a voice… We’re just here to be a voice and to say that the church does not approve of what’s going on publicly in Alcoa.”

Conversely, Jackie Manning (‘26), gave her reasoning as to why she decided to attend the festival.

“I’m here today in a very different light from the protesters — to make sure that people understand that God’s love is for every person and it’s extended to every being, and it’s not necessarily on the basis of one’s identity. Identity is not a baggage one has to lay down to experience God’s love. That’s why I’m here. To love on these people because they need it, and they need a place to reconcile their church hurt. That’s kind of what St. Andrew’s is as a community resource, but also as a congregation.”

Also present at Blount Pride was Michaela Barnett, who is running for Tennessee’s 2nd Congressional District against U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett. 

Barnett said, “I am here today because I don’t really know why I wouldn’t be. I mean, I have had folks say ‘do you really think you’ll gain more votes than you’ll lose?,’ which for me is a really cynical calculus.”

“I think that every Tennessean and every East Tennessean deserves to have the same rights and protections under the law, and I think being here and celebrating pride and showing some solidarity is just the role that I have as a leader in my community who wants equal rights and protections for every single person I’m seeking to represent,” Barnett added.

She also discussed the importance of Pride, especially in East Tennessee and Maryville. 

“We can see it here today with the protestors, who instead of using their precious time to go and serve the community — there are so many non-profits who could use some hours of volunteer work — they are here to antagonize a community who is showing up to celebrate who they are,” Barnett said. 

“I think when you are a queer East Tennessean, you may have heard messages throughout your whole life that you are supposed to be ashamed of who you are, and today is about showing that there is no need to be ashamed; we actually get to celebrate your uniqueness to celebrate who you are as a person and there’s no reason to live in fear and shame, because there’s a community of folks who love you and see you for who you are and support you,” she added.

Barnett said that the events like Blount Pride also take place on a larger scale and matter to many U.S. citizens. 

“I think that this is an issue that we have seen a huge movement in the American people’s perception on when it comes to support for same-sex marriage [and] acceptance of gay and queer rights. And that is because people looked around them and refused to silence themselves,” Barnett said. “[They] chose to do the thing even when it is and when it is scary, and I think that that is a legacy that every East Tennessean can learn from — to fight for more rights and a better future for themselves and the members of their community.”

Manning expressed why pride is important to Maryville College. 

“From an alum perspective, we’re a private liberal arts college. There are going to be queer people left and right, and in this community, there are so many queer people that just need a place to exist safely. Blount Pride only happens once a year but that’s what makes it special. It’s just a big community celebration of people of all sorts of different walks of life, for them to just be able to exist without any holdups.”