GLO Center

The event will feature a parade, performances, vendor booths and more.

A festival with vendors was planned as part of a "Heartland Pride" event scheduled for Saturday in Mansfield. After a Board of Aldermen decision to cancel permitted events on the square for June, organizers now plan a protest.

Founded in 1996, GLO in Springfield is Missouri’s oldest LGBTQIA+ resource center.

While the federal government has reopened and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits have been reinstated — for LGBTQ+ individuals, the ability to access food assistance remains difficult and uncertain.

After receiving threats this week, the nonprofit announced Tuesday they would go forward with Saturday’s event as planned.

The Springfield Police Department is investigating.

The GLO Center Market is held at 518 E. Commercial in Springfield.

The archives, with the acronym, “OLGA,” are maintained by Missouri State University and preserve records of local queer history going back to the 1950s.

Organizers expect 5,000 attendees during a day of events that starts with a parade through downtown Springfield.

The money comes from the Jewell Schweitzer Collective Impact Grant Program at Community Foundation of the Ozarks.