Hendersonville's first Pride Day goes off without a hitch

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — After a contentious week, a mountain city's first official Pride Day goes off without a hitch.

People in Hendersonville joined a nationwide movement Saturday, marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City.

There was controversy around the proclamation -- but you wouldn't have known that if you attended.

Dozens came out to the park -- enjoying food, music, and celebrating the LGBTQ community.

Mayor Barbara Volk declared June 15 as Pride Day last week, saying it's meant to recognize a group of people on a special day. She got some blow-back from other town leaders.

During a city council meeting earlier this week, all four Hendersonville city council members said they did not support it. Some accuse the mayor of making the decision without any input from the rest of the council.

Others see it as a step towards acceptance -– like Yvonne Cooke-Riley who lives in Asheville. Cook-Riley is part of the LGBTQ community and says for decades, her peers have been shunned in parts of Western North Carolina known for its conservatism.

“It shows growth of the community and growth of North Carolina to accept the diversity that we see in our every lives,” Cook-Riley said.

Those who live here say Hendersonville is a conservative community, but one that's becoming more accepting.

"It is growing, and it has growing pains as you could imagine in any area," said Clay Eddleman of LGBTQ Democrats of NC. "We have come a long way to have the mayor proclaim today Hendersonville Pride Day."