Next year, Pride in the Park in Atascadero is bound to be decked out in artwork from community members.
It’s all thanks to We Are Atascadero Pride, which, so far, has relied on designs created by founder Thom Waldman.
“The beautiful thing about being in a rural community like Atascadero and North County is that we have hidden gems that just need the right door to open for them to walk through and show us who they are and what they can do,” he said.
Waldman started We Are Atascadero Pride five years ago as an act of remembrance. During the pandemic, his husband, Dave, died of a heart attack five days after their 40th anniversary.
“I asked the people over at Street Side [Ale House and Eatery] if it was OK if I invited a few people in to raise a glass to his memory, and they said yes,” Waldman said. “We put up a couple of rainbow flags, and 300 people showed up.”
The following year, Waldman organized another memorial on Dave’s birthday, this time at Outlaws Card Parlor. Several participants suggested creating a larger organization.
Waldman soon reached out to Gala Pride and Diversity Center, which took We Are Atascadero Pride under its nonprofit umbrella.
We Are Atascadero Pride achieved nonprofit status this February. Its annual Pride celebration at Atascadero Lake Park now draws in 2,500 people from North County and beyond, Waldman said.
In 2027, Pride attendees can enjoy art made by fellow participants. Next month through January 2027, interested artists of all experience levels can submit original artwork that aligns with the theme, “Out of Many, One Pride.” There’s no entry fee.
A judging panel from We Are Atascadero Pride will review submissions before announcing the winner in February 2027. The artist will retain ownership of the artwork and must allow it to be used for Pride. The winner will receive $250 and bragging rights as the featured artist for Atascadero Pride 2027.
“Our national motto is ‘E pluribus unum,’ out of many, one,” Waldman said. “We’re doing a riff on that and saying it takes many different people to create a community, so that’s the thinking behind the theme for next year, and it’s up to the artist to figure out what that looks like on paper.”
Waldman himself is a graphic designer and owned a printing and graphics business for 12 years in Coronado.
“During that time, I went from working with a typesetter and literally cutting and pasting artwork by hand to using computer-based page layout programs,” he said. “I’ve seen firsthand how technology changes the tools we use without necessarily replacing the creativity behind the work.”
Waldman wants to keep the Pride momentum going. He’s already thinking about future celebrations.
In 2028, Waldman hopes the theme will be “Pride Grows Here” as an homage to the agricultural community of North County. The theme for Pride in 2029—the 90th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz film—will be “There’s No Place Like Home.”
Finding home fits with the organization’s mission statement of We Are Atascadero Pride: working to ensure that the LGBTQ-plus people and their allies don’t have to leave their communities to find belonging.
“For the last two years, I’ve been having coffee with the chief of police once a month. We’re all about building bridges and making the community safe for everyone,” Waldman said. “We want these kids that left and became wonderful people in the big city to come back home because we need them here.”
Artists can submit artwork for the 2027 event between November and January 2027. Eligible submissions include painting, drawing, digital illustration, mixed media, photographs, and other original visual work suitable for reproduction. The contest doesn’t allow the use of generative AI.
Submit artwork via Google Forms on sites.google.com/view/weareatascaderopride/2027-pride-art-contest?authuser=0.
Fast fact
• Cannabis brands Perfect Union and Wild Seed Wellness are welcoming the holiday season with a food drive. Through Nov. 15, their California store lobbies are drop-off points for nonperishable food. Every item will go to a local food bank in time for Thanksgiving. Central Coast residents 21 and up can donate food at Perfect Union Morro Bay at 1000 Quintana Road, suite A. ∆
Reach Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal at brajagopal@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Pets 2026.
