Friday Tea with Tavis ✨

30 Hours Until Showtime 🪩

A little over thirty hours from now, the lights will dim, the music will start, and another chapter of Pendleton Pride will take its place in our little corner of Eastern Oregon.

But today, I keep thinking about resilience.

Two years ago, I sat in a room full of people waiting to welcome back a local icon. At the time, I compared the moment to Gloria Estefan’s return after her devastating 1990 bus accident. What I didn’t fully appreciate then was just how much courage it takes to step back into the spotlight when life has done everything possible to keep you in the dark.

In July 2023, Summer Seve’s life changed in an instant after being struck by an uninsured drunk driver. What followed was a journey measured not in days or weeks, but in hospitals, rehabilitation, setbacks, victories, and sheer determination.

When Summer appeared at the 2024 Pride show, she was only days removed from the hospital.

Days.

She arrived in full glam, because of course she did. But beneath the lashes, sequins, and sparkle was something even more powerful: proof that she was still here.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house, and ironically no onions were in my direct proximity

Now, fast forward to 2026.

Tomorrow night’s show isn’t about a comeback.

It’s about a triumph.

The queen who returned to the stage as an honored guest will now stand center stage as the evening’s emcee. Not simply participating in the celebration, but leading it.

There’s something profoundly beautiful about that.

As members of the LGBTQ+ community, many of us know what it means to rebuild. We know what it feels like to survive things that were never supposed to happen to us. We know what it means to find our way back to joy, sometimes one shaky step at a time.

Maybe that’s why stories like Summer’s resonate so deeply.

Because they’re really reminders.

Reminders that healing is possible.

Reminders that community matters.

Reminders that even after the darkest chapters, there can still be another act.

So here we are.

Thirty hours until showtime.

The lashes are being glued.

The wigs are being teased.

The volunteers are preparing.

The performers are rehearsing.

And somewhere, a dame who spent eighteen months fighting her way back is getting ready to take the microphone.

If that isn’t Pride, I don’t know what is.

See you at the show. 🌈🤍

— Tavis