| 1. NEW YORK ACTIVISTS PLAN ALTERNATIVE PRIDE MARCH: Reclaim Pride Coalition, a group of New York activists who believe the city’s annual gay pride march has turned too corporate, are planning an alternative event on the same day. Titled the “Queer Liberation March,” the event and the NYC Pride March both will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots on June 30. ABC News: “Organizers of the alternative event said Tuesday that they are negotiating with the city Parks Department for a rally on the Great Lawn of Central Park after their march. A Parks Department spokeswoman confirmed that the negotiations are taking place. … Cathy Renna, a spokeswoman for NYC Pride, sponsors of the main march and other events commemorating the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, said she hopes the alternative march is a success, adding, ‘We have over 50 events that we are working to make as safe and accessible and inclusive as we possibly can for the community, whether they be cultural events or political events or film festivals or family events or the march itself.’” 2. BALTIMORE OFFICIALS AND TRACK OWNERS CLASH OVER PREAKNESS VENUE RENOVATIONS: Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore will host the 144th Preakness on Saturday, as well as the race in 2020. But with the track in need of major repairs, the future of Pimlico afterward is uncertain. City officials and track owners and trainers disagree on whether it’s necessary to spend nearly a half-billion dollars in renovations, with some considering Laurel Park a new home for the Preakness. Associated Press: “Citing the ‘safety and security of all guests and employees,’ the Maryland Jockey Club closed off 6,670 seats in the Pimlico grandstand last month. Many of the barns are dilapidated, and no amount of paint can mask the decrepit facade. It’s not a good look for horse racing, which is reeling from horse deaths, an unprecedented Kentucky Derby disqualification, and no Derby winner in the Preakness for the first time in 23 years. … Meanwhile, the Stronach Group—which owns Pimlico and Laurel Park, as well as a training facility in Bowie, Maryland, and California tracks Santa Anita Park and Gulfstream—believes turning Laurel Park into a state-of-the-art facility worthy of hosting the Preakness is a better option. Located just 27 miles southwest of Pimlico, Laurel Park already gets the lion’s share of racing dates in Maryland—168 to 12 for Pimlico—and the owners believe it’s time for Maryland to choose one track or the other.” 3. ARE LUXURIOUS ELOPEMENTS THE NEXT BIG WEDDING TREND?: For many, elopements typically generate the idea of last-minute wedding ceremonies at Las Vegas chapels or local courthouses. But now, more couples are tapping event planners to turn elopements into lavish, Instagram-friendly events. The New York Times: “‘Years ago, couples who eloped would get married on a sandy beach or in Vegas, but that trend is changing,’ she Rebecca Grinnals, the founder of Engaging Concepts, which works with wedding planners, hotels, and event spaces and holds wedding industry conferences. Ms. Grinnals says her clients report an increase in lavish secret weddings that couples spend months in planning. ‘For a while, it was all about smaller weddings for a few dozen people,’ she said, ‘but now you see these over-the-top ones just for two that require the same amount of work or more than ones for 250.’ Jess Levin Conroy, the founder and chief executive of Carats & Cake, a wedding planning site, also reported a rise in extravagant elopements. She attributed the increase, in part, to the ubiquity of social media. ‘Instagram gives couples the ability to have a private wedding, yet put it in the limelight,’ she said. ‘With all the imagery and videos you can instantly share, friends and family can feel like they were part of the celebration.’” | 