Ever since his disappearance two years ago, Frank Gruben has become a household name across the NWT. Gruben was living in Fort Smith when he went missing, having been last seen on May 6th of 2023, and to help keep his name in the minds of northerners, the Fort Smith Pride Society is once again holding the Frank Gruben Pride Festival.
This will be only the second year of the Festival, which was started in 2024 by Ryker Lonehardt, a local transgender man, and the President of the Fort Smith Pride society. Lonehardt shared what people can expect from this year’s Festival.
Some attendees at a previous Frank Gruben Pride event. (Photo courtesy the organizers)
“We’re going to have an opening night on Friday at the Northern Lakes Museum and Cultural Centre. We’re going to have a parade on Saturday, followed by vendors and drag performances. We’re going to have bingo and a 50/50, so we’re going to have lots of activities for all ages.
“We’re going to have the nail polish station and a jewelry station, because those are both things that Frank really likes to do, so I’ve been working with Laura Kalinek [Gruben’s mother] this year to really try to include more things that Frank would have liked to see at Pride.”
As Frank himself is a two-spirit gay man, Lonehardt believes that it is incredibly important to keep his name in people’s minds as a way to communicate that Fort Smith has not forgotten him or his story.
Steven Gruben and mom Laura Kalinek hold what is now a cherished portrait of Frank, who remains missing. (Photo courtesy of Gruben family.)
“It’s to show that we still care. There’s a fair amount of queer people in Fort Smith, and when he first went missing, as a trans guy, I was kind of terrified.”
Lonehardt reminds all that any possible information on Gruben’s whereabouts can be submitted to the RCMP, and that anonymous options are available.
“People out there know stuff, and it’s sad to see people not coming forward, so if you have any information, please come forward. Come out to the Festival. Really, the more people that come out for this sort of thing, the more it’s getting noticed by other people, and the more people show up, the more that people show that they care.”
