In 2022, we took a trip to Babylon Pride—and we were blown away,. Every storefront window was decked out in rainbows. We looked at each other and said, “Patchogue needs this.”
And just like that… PATCHOGUE PRIDE WAS BORN.
Now here we are, three years later. We’ve been blown away by the support from so many local businesses—but we’re ready to go even bigger. We want Main Street and South Ocean to explode with Pride energy this year.
So we took a little inspiration from the Patchogue Lionesses, who award a replica of the iconic A Christmas Story leg lamp each holiday season to the best-decorated storefront. And we thought—why not do the same for Pride?
That’s how the idea for the Friend of Dorothy Major Award was born. Our board got crafty and created not one, but two fabulous, one-of-a-kind, Pride-inspired leg lamps—complete with thrifted heels, glitter, and a whole lot of queer joy.
✨ Introducing: The Friend of Dorothy Major Award ✨
Named in honor of a classic piece of queer history—because if you didn’t know, “a friend of Dorothy” was a coded phrase LGBTQ+ folks used in the mid-20th century to safely identify each other when being out wasn’t always safe. And of course, it’s a wink to our beloved Wizard of Oz icon, Miss Judy Garland herself.
Here’s how to win:
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🌈 Your storefront must be decorated by the Friday before the parade
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🏳️⚧️ Decorations should remain up through the Friday after the parade
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👀 Our board at Long Island Equality will sashay through town and vote
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🏆 The winner keeps the lamp (and bragging rights) until May 1st of the following year
But wait, there’s more…
🖤 The Major Award of the East 🖤
When we were crafting Dorothy lamp, we realized that we had two ruby shoes. So naturally, we made a second leg lamp, inspired by none other than the Wicked Witch of the East herself. Think ruby slippers, a flying house, and campy queer chaos.
And this one could be yours.
We’re raffling off this one-of-a-kind witchy wonder, and tickets are just $20 each. The winner will be announced on June 8th at our Fierce & Fabulous show at the Patchogue Theatre. You do not need to be present to win, but you do need to love campy pride goodness.
So whether you're in it for the glitter, the glory, or the gayest lamp you’ve ever seen—get involved, get decorating, and let’s make this village SHINE.