FLOATING WITH THE CORAL

For 10 years running, the Springfi eld-based LGBT group Coalition of Rainbow Alliances (CORAL) has won an award in the Illinois State Fair Twilight Parade for their impressive fl oats. They’ve become local icons for their dedication and imagination, and they’re changing things up in hopes of winning once again. Usually, the group’s fl ag corps leads the fl oat, but they’re ditching the fl ags this year in favor of a comedy routine that involves performers wearing hats that look like tomatoes, corn, peppers and other produce. CORAL spokesman Bert Morton of Springfi eld says a self-deprecating joke used often during their planning session was, “We’re not just fruits anymore; now we’re vegetables, too.” In addition to the silly routine, CORAL’s fl oat will feature a farm scene and a menagerie of animals for their theme, “Growing Illinois.” Morton says transporting the fl oat from the build site to the fairgrounds will be a challenge because of its size, and he jokes that the giant rainbow on the fl oat will probably scrape the bottom of the underpass along the way. Why go to all the trouble? Morton says it’s a labor of love, and it brings Springfi eld’s gay community together. He adds that building the fl oat each year has also allowed the public to become accustomed to gay people: “As gay people, we were in the street and we didn’t scare anybody.” For more information on CORAL, visit www.coralfl oattandfl ag.org.