‘Who are they, and what are they doing?’ These are the hard-hitting questions we ask here at the "Gaily Planet". Ken Fierheller, Program Manager at Banff’s Bow Valley Care Centre, is not intimidated by our cigar-chomping publisher’s lust for headlines:

"The Bow Valley Care Centre," he explains calmly, "is a division of AIDS Calgary. We’re run through them, and don’t actually have our own website. It’s on AIDS Calgary’s website. The best page to go to right now (for information) is our Facebook page, the OUTHere Banff (or OUTHere Bow Valley) group...

"We decided that we wanted to hold a Pride event (and) this is our very first year."

Exciting times for the community in Banff! They may not have a web-slinging superhero, but Wild Bill’s Pub & Bar, on Banff’s main street, will be hosting the first official Banff Pride on Saturday, September 21st, from 9pm until the wee hours.

"The Bow Valley Cares Centre is running it in partnership with The Banff Drag Academy, who are putting on the performances; it’s a Pride/fundraiser for our organization...

"At 10:00 and 12:00 we have the drag show going on, with backup dancers and The Derby Girls on rollerblades," Ken laughs. If you’re imagining a drag show, additional dancers, and folks on rollerblades creating chaos in your neighbourhood pub, it’s a little bit different than that.

"We picked Wild Bill’s because it’s the biggest venue to hold something like this: they have a big stage, and a big dance floor as well, right on Banff Avenue.

"Wild Bill’s has agreed to partner with us for the night, and give us the (proceeds from) the door. So it’s a $5.00 cover charge, and all those proceeds go to Bow Valley Care Centre. And we also have sponsors like Big Rock who have donated beer to us, (so) those proceeds go to the Care Centre as well.

"In June 2012 we started the OUTHere group, and we’ve been running monthly events and activities. As (the group) progressed, more and more of the people coming out were wanting to sink their teeth a little deeper in to (community involvement). The conversation came up that there had never been a Pride event in Banff, and we put together a small task force and started working on it.

"(OUTHere) decided that, even if it’s just a small event, it’s something we want to work on... annually."

Ken notes that The Drag Academy is working on one of their sets being Serena Ryder-based to resonate with her concert that night. Maybe she’ll stop in for a drink or a dance! Well, maybe. Ken mentions that people are coming to the Pride event in Banff from Jasper, Invermere, Radium, BC, and of course Calgary and Edmonton. It sounds like Banff Pride has arrived.

So don’t be antagonized by the Gaily Planet’s head tough guy: take in the Banff Pride and be part of the start of something Wild.