About OPA

Otsego Pride Alliance Logo. The letters O P A, with Otsego county cut out of the O. The are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, browna and black stripes.

The mission of Otsego Pride Alliance is to support, raise awareness, and create understanding of the LGBTQIA+ community and its needs in the Otsego County area. We work to foster open-mindedness and the creation of safe places for members of the community, allies, friends, and family to express themselves freely. By recognizing the full spectrum of sexual orientation and gender identity we seek to promote an environment in which all feel welcome. To these ends we engage in community outreach, activism, and other activities including an annual Pridefest.

What We Do

In addition to throwing an annual Pridefest celebration, we have a lot of other initiatives, including:

  • OPA Teen Night (Twice a month at the Oneonta Teen Center)
  • Annual Family Dance
  • Annual Holiday Bazaar
  • Karaoke Nights
  • Fundraising Events
  • Clothing Swaps (Twice a year)
  • Summer Meetups & Activities, including Pride Skate, Hiking, Baseball games, etc
  • Families of OPA Meetups
  • Kota Flood Memorial Scholarship
  • Community Meetings (Every other month)

We are looking to start even more initiatives to celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community in Otsego county and the surrounding areas.

If you have ideas or would like to help out, please contact us!

About Pridefest

Pridefest is an annual celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community and history. The first Pride marches were held on June 28th, 1970 in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, one year after the Stonewall Uprising. Thousands of people gathered to commemorate that historic event and speak out for equal rights.

A parade of people of all ages in the street with rainbow signs, flags and clothing celebrating Pridefest in Oneonta, NY

OPA brought Pride to Otsego County in March 2017 by beginning our first pridefest in Oneonta. We began as Oneonta Pride. We expected a couple hundred attendees, and more than 500 showed up! This spurred further interest, and that small group evolved into Otsego Pride Alliance.

Pridefest is a celebration of diversity. The festival coincides with LGBTQ+ Pride month, which is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, other people and their allies as a social group. Pridefest has become a day where people can feel safe and celebrate in a welcoming environment. It is a wonderful blend of local and distant attendants that look forward to the event every year. Our participants are able to enjoy themselves in an atmosphere where all are accepted.

Pridefest '23 Block Party. A Black girl holding up a boombox and a blue haired pale/white person wearing a rainbow cape smiling. Text that says Pridefest '23 Block Party around a rainbow colored boombox that has swirls and music notes coming out of the speaker.

Our Pridefest theme this year is "Block Party," which reflects the sense of community that we have with the heart of downtown Oneonta. We're so happy that you're a part of this special celebration with us.

OPA Officers & Pridefest Coordinators

OPA organizers standing together on stage in front of rainbow colored flowers
  • Elayne Mosher Campoli, President
  • Kirsten Eggers, Vice President
  • Mike Moore, Treasurer
  • Diana Foster, Secretary & Kids Activities Coordinator
  • Kasia Swift, Secretary
  • Ginny Terry, Merchandiser
  • Rebecca Bonker, Decoration Coordinator
  • Ellen Phillips, Media Coordinator
  • Kerri Chase, Entertainment & Volunteer Coordinator
  • Brian Moore, Planning
  • Jennifer Dibble, Planning
  • Kaye Richter, Planning
  • Jacey Chase, Design & Web Marketing
  • Morgan Sullivan, Families of OPA
  • Teresa Harrell, Planning
  • Emily Olson, Planning
...and many other volunteers that make Pride happen!

Thank you for celebrating with us!