By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper.
Sandoval County held its first-ever Pride festival June 6 at Haynes Park in Rio Rancho, drawing an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people to a free, family-friendly event that organizers said exceeded every expectation.
Tiffany Gravelle, CEO of THE BLOCK — the festival’s presenting sponsor — said partnering with Sandoval County Pride was a natural fit for the two-year-old venue. “Our job at THE BLOCK is to create a space that’s clean, welcoming and safe for everybody,” Gravelle said. “Sandoval County Pride Festival was the best way for us to do that.”
How it came together
The festival traces its roots to a May 2025 Sandoval Signpost report that found New Mexico’s third-largest city had no Pride events, proclamations or celebrations of any kind. Organizer and Rio Rancho City Councilor Deb Dapson said the story broke through her hesitation. “Rio Rancho deserves something like that,” Dapson said. “When that article came out, I went, I can’t mull anymore. This has to happen.” While Dapson is a sitting city councilor, this was not a City of Rio Rancho-sponsored event.
Organizing director Ericka Van Eckhoutte had co-founded the Rio Rancho Pride Facebook group in 2022 after moving to the area and finding no visible LGBTQIA+ community presence. She assembled a core team — donation coordinators Brian Rasmussen and Alexandria Piland, entertainment chair Madigan Ray and communications coordinator Jack Slosar — who coordinated over Discord, tracked logistics on shared spreadsheets and spent months canvassing businesses for support. Some declined, but Van Eckhoutte said the response from others surpassed what the group anticipated. “There’s a lot of excitement out here in the community,” she said. “And that’s just a very small fraction of what’s really here.”
THE BLOCK became the festival’s presenting sponsor after protesters organized a boycott of the venue over its support for two Drag Bingo fundraisers in April and May. The fundraisers drew large crowds and raised more than $6,900 combined. Entertainment chair Madigan Ray credited the opposition with galvanizing support. “Shout out to the protesters who showed up at the last Drag Bingo and made THE BLOCK so mad that they gave us more money than anyone else,” Ray said.
Who showed up
The festival drew a notable Democratic political presence. Deb Haaland — former U.S. representative, former U.S. Interior Secretary and the Democratic nominee for governor following her June 2 primary win — attended, as did state House candidates Luke Jungmann (District 60) and Chriselle Martinez (District 57). State Rep. Kathleen Cates had a booth at the event and was among the festival’s sponsors. Haaland will face former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, the Republican nominee, in the general election.
In the crowd
For families like Robin and Jason Mauck, who attended with their pansexual son, the turnout carried real weight. Robin Mauck said Sandoval County’s political reputation made the success especially meaningful. “Sandoval in particular tends to be a little more on the conservative side,” she said. “Seeing this be successful here really was important to us.” Jason Mauck said the couple had long supported Pride events but now prioritize making sure their son knows an active LGBTQ+ community exists close to home. “To see that there is a community — make sure that he knows it’s active, not just in the areas that we go, but here in Rio Rancho as well,” he said.
More details
- Ryan Wooley called the turnout unsurprising. “This is what New Mexico is all about,” Wooley said. “We are the greatest melting pot of all people, all traditions, all cultures.” He plans to return every year.
- The event featured food trucks, live entertainment, a Rainbow Roadrunner car show, drag performances, appearances by the New Mexico Women’s Chorus, New Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus and Encantada, and family activities including face painting and a bouncy house. One food truck owner said this was the most money they’ve made at an event in Rio Rancho.
- Organizers plan to make the festival an annual event, with Drag Bingo fundraisers at THE BLOCK continuing throughout the year.
Follow Sandoval County Pride for updates on future events: facebook.com/groups/prideinriorancho