Q-Seattle Events: Tacky Tourist Clubs

The eagle-eyed among our readers -- if there are any -- might have noticed a line at the bottom of the admittedly rare recent posts here, "Post mirrored from seaQwa.com".

"Huh?" you might reasonably have said.

Well, here's what's been happening: This blog -- and only the blog -- is moving to a new home at a new website called seaQwa.com. There's more to the overall site and I encourage you to check it out, but the blog part of it is at seaqwa.com/blogs/Qblog, which is the new home for what you've read here for the past couple of years.

[If you read this post in a feed-reader (and if you don't know what that is, then don't worry about this) please subscribe to this feed of the blog's new home. If you'd also like to get regular updates on news items of LGBTQ insterest, subscribe to this news feed. If you prefer to get updates by email, you'll find a subscription form on all seaQwa pages that have a feed.]

The seaQwa site is still in what I'm calling "preview" mode -- meaning that there's still a bunch of work that has to be completed on the thing. The pages are occasionally inexcusably slow. For that, I apologize. I'm working on a solution.

But you can, nonetheless, see much of what it will become from its current state. In addition to the continuation of this blog in a new setting, the site includes many of the things that I (or, to maintain this blog's persona) that we, your webwrangler, have been doing for the past couple of years on those Squidoo.com pages listed just under the promo box to the right of this column. A big part of what I've been doing there is the news digest. That frequently-updated digest will continue on Squidoo, but it now has its new homebase on the home page of seaQwa.com and, in blog format, on Qnews.

On the home page, you'll also find a "Qticker" of recent blog post headlines from a myriad of bloggers.

I thank everyone who has stopped by here at blog.ttca.org over the years we've been on these green pages and I hope you'll come visit us at our new, blue, and Q-filled home. Oh, and please don't be as shy as you've been on these pages. Add a comment to anything that strikes your fancy (anonymous is OK). You could even add your own posts to the Qyou blog.

What does that mean for this site?

Everything else about this site is staying right here at ttca.org, where it's been for over twelve years now. (And that, is a long, long time in web years.)

Your webwrangler will continue to update this site at his accustomed leisurely pace. Sunny Bruce will continue to greet you on these pages (have you ever noticed that he says something a bit different up in the rose-colored bar on almost every page?) and he will still bring you the latest Cruise alerts in the summer on the mailing list. We might even browse through our extensive galleries and throw up a picture every now and then to this blog.

Please drop by for a visit. Oh, and tell your friends. Thanks.

Labels: blog-on-blog, gay news, Gay Seattle, link bites, Seattle, state:WA

Still not sure where to show off that fabulous costume you're preparing on the long weekend/week of Halloween. Well, be sure to add another destination -- or even your main destination down in Belltown at Jai Thai [get directions], 2132 First Ave. at Blanchard.

That's where Seattle Black Pride will present this year's Halloween Carnivale from 9:30 pm until 2 am on Saturday, October 27.

SBP urges you to "Be Creative, Be Sexy, Be Scary. Just Be There." And, of course, there will be prizes for the most creative costumes with cash prizes of $150, $100, and $50 for the top three contestants.

But to really get an idea of what the party is likely to be like, check out SBP's great gallery of party pics from last year's Carnivale. We can't link to the gallery directly, but you can find it on the SBP home page at the bottom of the "Events" menu.

To further confuse yourself with the wealth of Halloween options, be sure to check out Bill W's typically comprehensive Halloween listing in the left column at GaySeattle.blogspot.com.

Note: This post is mirrored from seaQwa.com.

Labels: Gay events, gay party, Gay Seattle, org:SBP, photos, Seattle, shirtless hunk

We (your editorially plural but otherwise singular WebWrangler) were so embarrassed by the delay in getting pictures up from this year's Queen City Cruise, that we almost let this weekend's mass drop of photos go by without comment.

After all, Fall has come way early this year and it's difficult by now to even imagine the spirit of such an event. But there they are. Remember that? Ahh! Summertime. To make up for our insufferable delay and to account for the recent explosion of cameras, we've made this year's collection bigger than ever.

It's a great collection. We thank everyone who sent us images, and especially Antonio Gonzales (definitely not the xAG AG) who gave us a wonderful group to choose from this year. You'll also find images from Dan Lane, Jim Cash, Marcy Kraft, Tom Poppie, Scott Cammack, Emo, Jeff Thompson. "Neil" NLM sent us some great ones (which, to be fair, have been displayed since early September) including that great shot of Moms Finley. And -- yeah -- Robin Evans contributed, too.

And, yes, we probably missed a few of the great shots in the collections. We'll probably go through again and maybe add a fourth index, but we're not promising anything.

Labels: fundraisers, gay party, Gay Seattle, Seattle, shirtless hunk

Seattle's LGBT community band, Rainbow City Band, is going to the movies on Thursday. "So what?" you might respond. "The Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival is in full swing, so a lot of folks are going to the movies."

True, but this is something else entirely. The Band's fall concert on Thursday, October 18th at 7:30 pm is a tribute to the music that sets the mood of any film, good or bad. They've picked the best of the good. The one-night concert, called A Night at the Movies, is at Broadway Performance Hall [get directions]. Tickets are $16.36 for general admission or $11.24 for seniors, students, or children.

There's precious little information on the band's website about the concert, but band-member jarrow272 comes to the rescue with this informative post on LiveJournal:

Allow me to casually mention our program list *ahem*

• Star Wars
• Harry Potter
• Lord of the Rings
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Schindler's List
• The Simpsons
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
• and a medley of Danny Elfman pieces that's basically a snapshot of Tim Burton's career including:
  • Beetlejuice
  • Edward Scissorhands
  • The Nightmare Before Christmas
  • and the non-Burton Spiderman and Tales From the Crypt

He assures us that the concert will be "awesome" and a "fandom concert". So... pull yourselves away from the festival schedule for an evening to enjoy movie music without the movie.

Labels: Gay events, Gay Seattle, Seattle

A couple of significant Pride Week news bits have come along while your webwrangler was off doing other things.

SOAP fundraiser
SOAP, the producers of the downtown parade, will hold a Halloween-night fundraiser called Pajama Party at the W Hotel [get directions] on October 31 from 7pm until midnight. Suggested donation at the door is $15. Proceeds benefit SOAP and the BRA Show for Breast Cancer Awareness.

The party will include a no-host bar, complementary appetizers, music for dancing, and an informal fashion event for men and women that will include the W Hotel's own loungewear line as well as bra's from Seattle's own BRA Show, and bras designed by Seattle local designers including Le Mare, Jessica Lovelace, Zombie Hearts, Cintli, and Lisa Doran.

And there's likely to be fascinating fashion from the crowd because a prize will be awarded to the attendee sporting the most creative PJs.

SOAP seeks Pride Parade theme suggestions
The official theme of the 2007 SOAP parade was -- somewhat wistfully -- "Come Together". They're now seeking suggestions from folks in the community about what their parade theme should be for 2008. Deadline for suggestions is January 1. The person submitting the theme chosen by SOAP's board will win a one-night stay at Seattle's Hotel Monaco.

Email your suggestions to info[at]seattlepride.or snail-mail them to 1605 12th Ave, Suite 2, Seattle WA 98122, Attn: Theme 2008. Include name, mailing address, and phone number with your suggestion.

SOAP seeks board members
SOAP is looking for board members to help guide the organization. Send an email to the same address if you think you have what it takes to perform what's often a thankless job. And, hey, you might be able to help choose the theme that way. But this is not for the feint of heart. Applicants should be willing to work tirelessly on next year's downtown parade and be willing to suffer criticism from some among us who might not SOAP's mission an entirely admirable one.

New non-profit for Seattle Center Pride festival
Egan Orion of OneDegree Events last year pulled on one of the most remarkable feats of event production ever seen when he and his staff pulled together a major Pride Sunday festival at Seattle Center, after others had proved incapable of meeting that considerable challenge.

Although there are few details yet, Orion announced in an email to the OneDegree mailing list that a 501(c)3 [i.e. tax exempt] non-profit will be formed to oversee future iterations of the festival. He promises more details real soon now.

Labels: fundraisers, gay pride, Gay Seattle, org:SOAP, Seattle Pride

It goes without saying that tickets to Bump, Seattle's hottest and longest-running Halloween party are, well... hot. They're on sale now, so if you plan to be at EMP [get directions] on October 27 for the big party, get your tickets now.

Ticket prices range from $45 for general admission to $145 for a "Platinum Access" pass to the party and a private hosted bar. The night's mixes will be supplied by hunky Dallas-based DJ Blaine. You can find samples of his work at his homepage, or visit his MySpace page (which, remarkably, is free of auto-sounds).

The party starts at 9pm and runs until 2am at EMP. It will be followed, once again this year, by OneDegree's after-hours party Tribe, the street at Level 5. That party, running from 2am until 8am, features Vancouver's DJ Rob C. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased along with your Bump tickets.

But what's Halloween without costumes? You can expect many of them, from the incredibly elaborate to the amazingly skimpy at the Bump. And there will be prizes for the best of them. The first-place winner gets $1,000 in cold, hard cash. Second place winner gets round trip tickets on the Victoria Clipper to BC, with night's stay in The Oswego Hotel. The third-place costume winner will be awarded a gift certificate for dinner at El Gaucho and a night's stay at Seattle's Vintage Park Hotel.

All proceeds from BUMP go to support the services provided at Gay City Health Project, as well as the Travel Fund for the Seattle Men's Chorus / Seattle Women's Chorus.

This could, by the way, count as the 25th anniversary of the party since the first one -- then using the original full and wordy name Things That Go Bump In the Night -- was held October 30, 1982. It was at the Spacearium at Pacific Science Center.

Labels: gay party, Gay Seattle, Seattle

Tickets for the more than 165 movies and videos that will be shown during the 2007 Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival are now on sale. Buy them online (click the "Buy tickets" button on the schedule) or at Ticket/Ticket locations.

Pick up a paper version of the schedule at many locations including the LGBT Center, Changes in Wallingford, Bailey/Coy Books, Broadway Video, Kaladi Brothers Coffee, On 15th Video [most of which are on our map]. But the festival's website offers superb schedule tools that make a paper version almost superfluous.

The festive festival opens Friday October 12 with a gala premier showing of The Walker followed by a party in SLU (which is, of course, one of several names for the new neib in the South Lake Union area.) It's one of four movies+parties that are part of the festival. You can get privileged access to all of them with a $70 Party Pass.

Read more about the Festival. PlanetOut offers this summary.

And if you'd like to work for your tickets to festival shows, consider becoming a volunteer. An online form allows you to pick your shifts. Volunteers serve as ushers, setup and breakdown events, staff the will call and membership tables, greet guests at the hospitality center and festival receptions, and more.

Labels: Gay events, gay party, Gay Seattle, movie, Seattle

Seattle Men's Chorus and Seattle Women's Chorus are now selling season tickets to their 2007-2008 seasons that are kicked off with the traditional Holiday concerts by each group.

The much-traveled choruses celebrate their love of excursions to places and moods near and far with this season's concert series, collectively entitled Wanderlust.

Singer/songwriter Judy Collins and another so-far unnamed "special guest" will join the Men's Chorus at Benaroya Hall [get directions] for their first concert called Home for the Holidays. There will be six performances starting December 1 and concluding December 22.

PBS travel host Rick Steves is special guest of the Men's Chorus for its spring concert on March 29 and 30 as create A Foreign Affaire at McCaw Hall [get directions]. The concert will take its audience "across Europe with folk songs, classical music, and cultural postcards."

The men of Flying House promise to offer songs, skits, and surprises during their Pride Week shows on June 27 and 28, also at McCaw Hall. Called Comedy Tonight!, the concert will feature material from Shakespeare, Gilbert & Sullivan, Sondheim, Mel Brooks, and more. Leslie Jordon, who played Beverley Leslie on Will & Grace will join the chorus for the rollicking show.

Season tickets for the Men's Chorus concerts range in price from $179 for prime seats to $69 for "Seating Plan D".

For its holiday concert, Celestial Greetings, Seattle Women's Chorus welcomes glass-harmonica virtuoso Dennis James. With tongue firmly in cheek, the chorus warns that "resistance is futile" as they offer "carols from galaxies far, far away and carols from terra firma." The three shows at Meany Theater [get directions] will be staged December 14-16.

Vixen Fiction/Siren Song is the alluring double theme of the Women's Chorus's springtime concert held April 12 and 13 at Meany Theater. The women of the chorus will take a fond and hilarious look at the "spicy novels that captured the attention of the underground lesbian community in the 50s and 60s." Chris Williamson will join the Chorus for an exploration of the early women's music scene.

Season tickets for the Women's Chorus concerts range in price from $100 to $35.

Labels: Gay events, gay organization, Gay Seattle, music, Seattle

Seattle Black Pride (SBP) has been awarded a grant to provide HIV prevention and sexual-health programming focusing on black men who have sex with men (MSM). The $200,000 grant from Seattle/King County Public Health Dept. will allow the group to continue and expand its "Body and Soul" program that was implemented over the past year.

SBP explains in an email press release

These funds will allow us to continue and expand this program over the next two years so that we can reach more people in our community with important information about their sexual health in a way that appreciates and recognizes our culture as black gay men and MSM.

It is, as they say in their press release, a "significant milestone" for the group that was started in 2005. Since then, they've sponsored three major Black Pride events in the summer, and have built up an impressive calendar of community events.

Just a year ago, a group of local black leaders gathered to discuss ways to help slow the rate of HIV in the black community. At the time, King County Executive Ron Sims said

"Until we have a vaccine or a cure for HIV, prevention is our best plan of action," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "I commend our local leaders for owning the growing problem of HIV in the African American community and stepping up to work for a lasting solution. Ending this epidemic requires a community-wide response based on knowledge, action and compassion."

SBP responded to the challenge with their "Body & Soul" program. But the group says that it won't stop there.

We recognize that this is only the beginning of programming as the organization must be inclusive of all the diversity and issues we face in Seattle Black LGBT community. However, in our second year as an organization, this is absolutely an honor and a step in the right direction.

See also: Seattle Black Pride Reaches New Milestone on Jasmyne Cannick's blog.

Labels: gay organization, Gay Seattle, health, HIV, org:SBP, Seattle

The 21st Annual Seattle AIDS Walk will be held on Saturday, September 29. An opening ceremony hosted (as it has been since the first walk) by KING5 News anchor Jean Enersen will begin at 9 am. The AIDS Walk will begin and end at Volunteer Park [get directions], rain or shine. The one-mile walk will take a circular route from the park starting at 10 am, heading south on the wide and hill-free pavement of 12th Ave. to Thomas St. and then north on Broadway, returning to the park via the hill at Prospect St.

The Walk is both a way to remind folks of the still-daunting needs of people living with AIDS and HIV, and a major fundraiser for the area's primary AIDS service organization, Lifelong AIDS Alliance.

Whether you'll walk as an individual or as part of a team, pre-registration on the Walk website is encouraged. On-site registration for those who prefer standing in line opens at 8 am at the park.
On its impressive event website, Lifelong provides fundraising suggestions for walkers and creates a webpage and other virtual tool for pre-registered walkers to help them solicit donations. You can walk as an individual, join an existing team, or form your own team. A wide array of non-profit groups, and ad-hoc groups, along with companies large and small have formed teams (and, remember, many of the companies will match donations raised by an employee).

If you won't be in town or can't walk for other reasons but still want to raise funds, you can sign up as a virtual walker. You'll have access to all the same fundraising tools as physical walkers. Or consider making a donation directly to LLAA or sponsoring a walker or team.

Your donations and sponsorships will go directly to Lifelong AIDS Alliance. Lifelong is a comprehensive AIDS service organization (ASO) located in Seattle, offering a spectrum of care services, advocacy, and prevention education for people in Seattle/King County.

Care programs include information and referrals, case management, nutritional support including meals and groceries, housing, and medication adherence. Our insurance program is statewide, and helps people with HIV/AIDS pay their insurance premiums. The prevention education team works with some of the highest-risk populations in our area: men who have sex with men, transgendered women, and young people.

As Lifelong is the only ASO in the Northwest with a full-time advocacy team, our national advocacy also includes work on behalf of Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska. The advocacy team works at the local, state, and national levels to ensure that legislators and policy makers consider the unique needs of people living with HIV/AIDS in their decisions.

Lifelong hopes to raise $800,000 with this year's event. According to the fund thermometor on the site, they're at 43% of the total now with pledges of over $340,000.

Labels: activism, fundraisers, Gay events, gay organization, Gay Seattle, Seattle

The weather in the past few days reminds us that we're moving again toward the indoor season when a nice warm dry movie house becomes a welcoming cacoon.

Each October, the creative folks at Three Dollar Bill Cinema fully satisfy that urge with the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. This year's fest runs October 12 through 21 featuring a schedule packed with filmic presentations from first- and only-run features, to shorts, to retro TV shows.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on September 25 online and at Ticket/Ticket locations, but you can jump to the front of the line by becoming a Three Dollar Bill member for at little as $33. Members can buy tickets to any showing right now.

The festival opens Friday, October 12 at The Cinerama on with the gala west coast premier of the Paul Schrader's new film, The Walker starring Woody Harrelson as the black sheep of a blue-blood American family and gay best friend to DC society matrons. The all-star ensemble cast of Schrader's political drama/noir thriller includes Lily Tomlin, Lauren Bacall and Kristin Scott Thomas as wealthy DC grande dames, along with Ned Beatty, Willem Dafoe, and Mary Beth Hurt.

Your $27 ticket to the premier also includes a spectacular party following the screening at the soon-to-be-repurposed Naval Reserve Building on Lake Union [get directions]. The party kicks off the festival in high style with beverages, delicious offerings from some of Seattle's finest restaurants and chefs, and dancing into the night to the DJ's beats. And you don't even need to drive. Round trips on a big bus between the Cinerama and the Naval Reserve Building will be provided.

The challenge, of course, is figuring out which of the films you want to see and are able to see. This is a Seattle-style festival, so you'll have to pick your faves since won't be able to see all of the 121 presentations on the busy schedule. Most of the films are split among four venues: the Cinerama downtown [get directions] and -- on Capitol Hill -- the Harvard Exit [get directions], Northwest Film Forum [get directions], and Broadway Performance Hall [get directions]. But the geographic challenge increases with other shows at SIFF Cinema at Seattle Center [get directions], Central Cinema on 21st Ave. [get directions], and the downtown library [get directions].

Films are scheduled from noon to night on weekends and from 5 pm into the night on weekdays.

Print out the schedule or pick one up at many places around town. The nifty festival website this year lets you not only buy tickets and see capsule summaries of the films, but also helps you make your decisions with a very nice personal calendar feature.

And there's more than just films to keep you busy. The schedule also includes parties, panel discussions, free workshops more to to choose from.

Labels: Gay events, gay organization, gay party, Gay Seattle, movie, Seattle

Q-Squared's annual retreat for gay, bisexual, and transgendered men, CAMP, is this weekend, Friday August 31 through Monday September 3, 2007. Registration is still open for the "Let Your Colors Shine" weekend. The $185 registration fee includes lodging, meals and personal growth for the weekend. For another $20, you can ride on a bus with other campers to the retreat site in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southwest Washington.

CAMP stands for "Come and Meet People" which is the goal of the weekend that's been an annual event since 1995. The weekend offers a variety of activities modeled on a classic summer camp that allow participants to "connect with each other during a drug and alcohol free event where participants are encouraged to take risks, shed attitudes and dissolve boundaries." Campers are encouraged to join together in campfire sing-a-longs, hiking trips, outdoor games, a dance, and a talent show.

And like the classic summer camp, you can choose from a number of workshops during the weekend. Past workshop topics allowed campers to investigate life drawing, nature photography, massage for gay men, the art of flirting, creative harmonizing, easy bake oven cake decorating, and drag 101.

Labels: Gay events, gay organization, Gay Seattle

Next year at this time, the town's clubs, restaurants, hotels, and ball fields will be teeming with gay softball players. Emerald City Softball Assn. (ECSA) will host the 2008 Gay Softball World Series here from August 22 to August 30, 2008. ECSA is expecting more than 200 teams and about 3500 people to visit Seattle for the annual competition.

In addition to a busy tournament schedule of games, the Series will include splashy opening and closing ceremonies at locations to be announced.

Hosting something like this requires both a lot of time to organize things (which is provided by ECSA volunteers) and a lot of money. And it's that second item where you come in. ECSA is now offering "Gem Club" tickets for those who want to help with that vital second item. Buy your tickets now online to help ECSA prepare to showcase Seattle for visitors from around the country. With the top two tiers, you'll even get guaranteed entry to the opening and closing ceremonies. Other advantages are outlined in this pdf document.

Gem Club Level	One-Time Payment	4 Monthly Installments	10 Monthly Installments
Diamond Level	$ 500	$ 125	$ 50
Emerald Level	$ 300	$ 75	$ 30
Ruby Level	$ 150	$ 38	$ 15

Labels: fundraisers, gay organization, Gay Seattle, Seattle, sports

OneDegree and Level5 will help you forget how cool this summer has been with a hot Labor Day party featuring DJ Chris Cox [his MySpace; his real web site]. And that's a big deal as his Wikipedia entry indicates:

Chris Cox is a dance music producer, remixer, and DJ and has worked on over 400 records. He has had a total of 40 Billboard dance chart number ones as part of the hitmaking remix team Thunderpuss, and others with Pusaka and as a solo artist. He was nominated for a Grammy in 2004 for his production work with Cher.

Epic Sunday takes over Level 5, 325 5th Ave N, [get directions] on September 2 starting at 6 pm and continuing into the wee hours at 4 am. DJ Rob C from Vancouver will open the party with a four-hour set.

What starts out as a t-dance will turn into an all night dance party. Cover is $10 before 8 pm and $15 after 8. You can enjoy $3 wells if you arrive before 8. All night, you can sip on $2 domestic drafts or $6 red bull/vodkas.

This is the first of what OneDegree promises will become a series of holiday weekend parties at Level 5.

Labels: gay party, Gay Seattle

Miss Candy, this year's Washington State Ms. Leather, presents a fundraiser this afternoon for the Center for LGBT Health. Called the Big Gay Bootcamp, the fundraiser kicks off at 2 pm at Cal Anderson Park near the fountain [get directions]. There's a $10 suggested donation, but you can cut that down to $5 if you wear "hot pants".

For those who want to sweat under direction, Miss Candy will offer a 45-minute boot-camp style exercise class. (Wear comfortable clothes if you plan to participate.) There will also be a push up contest open to everyone with a fabulous grand prize for the winner. A less taxing way to possibly win a fabulous prize will be available with raffle contests held throughout the afternoon.

Labels: fundraisers, gay organization, Gay Seattle

So if you passed up all the opportunities to see it with a crowd of your best friends, you can now see the filmed-in-Seattle written-by-a-Seattleite movie, Boy Culture in the comfort of your home with whoever you might want to invite over.

It's now available on DVD. Sticking with the Seattle theme, we will of course, direct you to Amazon to buy it.

More about it on this blog here, here, and here.

YouTube link

Oh, and a trivial side note: Poetic local blogger (via LiveJournal) Ajax in the City is in the movie somewhere as an extra. Hey, at least it proves the movie's localness, eh, since they could always cut in a shot or two of the Space Needle, but couldn't quite replicate Seattle extras if it were filmed in Vancouver like most supposedly-in-Seattle shows.

Labels: celebrities, Gay Seattle, movie, Seattle

Local blogger "Ted" has a great video from Saturday's Blue Ball "Drag Bus" fundraiser. And it really does look like a fun time was had by all, proving that both boats and buses can successfully raise funds on the same day.

After seeing their splashy float in the downtown pride parade, we looked for a link to post something last month about the event, but didn't find it in time. We're delighted to now (even though we're way late) to find the link to event sponsor rosmariesbaby.com and to learn the history of the Drag Bus party and other parties sponsored by Philip:

John Gardner, of Aria Floral, started "Birthdays Are A Drag" years ago in New Orleans.

In order to ride the Birthday Bus, party goers were required to wear drag. The bus would take the participants on a bar tour of the city, terrorizing unsuspecting folks along the way.

In 1998, John moved to Seattle. Along with him came the party. There were 18 participants that first year. Each year thereafter, the party grew immensely - constantly changing the surprise locations, until the last party in 2005 tallied over 100 people. "Birthdays Are A Drag" was named the "Most Coveted Party Invitation" by OUT magazine in 2001. A documentary crew followed the 2002 event.

John passed on the torch to Philip Heier in 2006. The "Drag Bus" was then re-created into a charity event where drag is not required (though encouraged), the color theme mandatory, and the locations of the tour are no longer a secret.

Labels: drag show, fundraisers, gay party, Gay Seattle

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Abbey of St. Joan hold a pet-friendly party this Sunday, August 19, at the Volunteer Park amphitheater [get directions] starting at 3 pm. It's called WoofStock. Pets, and their friends are welcome. The event is a benefit for the Pet Project, a volunteer service of the Seattle/King County Humane Society that helps people with AIDS keep and care for their pets.

Pets and their parents will be entertained "by the Sisters and local queens" on the stage and with activities on the grass that are sure to provide a diverting afternoon even for those of us without an animal companion. And hey, start stitching now because there will also be a pet costume contest and a photo booth for pet portraits. (Would that be a "petrait", perhaps? Dunno.)

The Humane Society and other groups will be on hand with information about caring for a pet, adopting animals and about the programs and services offered by the Humane Society. There will also be a tent set up where you can get an identification microchip embedded in your pet.

Brenda Barnette, CEO of the Seattle Humane Society, told us that the group recommends that all dogs and cats should be identified with the microchip. "It is a safe and relatively easy way to inject a tiny numbered chip under the skin for permanent identification. Within this last year, we were able to reunite a person with her dog who had been missing for 2 years. There are many stories of cats who have been returned home because of the microchip information," she said.

The event is free for both pets and their companions, but the Sisters will collect donations for Pet Project, and there will be other donating opportunities at the various tents for the pet portraits, microchipping, and so on.

There will be more surprises that the Sisters are, for now, keeping close to the vest (or -- more appropriately -- close to the scapular).

The Pet Project helps those disabled by AIDS to keep and maintain their pets.

Because studies show that the companionship of a pet can greatly improve the quality of life, we responded by initiating Pet Project, a program that services people disabled by AIDS.

In addition to providing economic relief, the program supports the unique power and healing that comes from the connection between people and pets, especially since clients may be housebound and have limited social contact or energy for daily tasks.

Pet Project matches volunteers one-on-one with clients, handling most of their pet care needs on a monthly basis, and enables clients to keep their pets while spending their limited resources on food and other living expenses for themselves. All services and supplies are donated or purchased with donated funds.

Note: Post updated at 11:55 with more information.

Labels: Gay events, gay organization, Gay Seattle, Seattle

One of the more unique drag shows you're ever likely to see happens tomorrow morning at Pier 55 on the downtown waterfront [get directions]. And that, right there, should tell you what's unique about it. It's in the morning, and when you consider how much time it takes these boys to put the "face" on, you'll recognize why an 11 am start time for a show is a rare thing. And there's more... It's free and its outside in the center of our town's tourist neighborhood.

This thing has happened every year for the past decade. It's the pre-boarding show for the Queen City Cruise, but you don't need tickets to the Cruise to enjoy the show. Just head down there and take in the show, and the reaction of the tourists -- a show in itself.
The Cruise this year is packed with entertainment, even beyond the highlights that the party's passengers will create. The event's mix-master bucket has been slaving over his computer mixing board for weeks to prepare the sounds to get keep you moving and shaking -- and occasionally laughing -- on the upper-deck dance floor. Carlo Cochran returns to play the mixes for the dance floor and for the entertainers.

Marina Dennis returns -- direct from Miami Beach -- to mark her tenth year as co-host of The Cruise and of the pre-boarding show.

"I can't believe it's been this long already since you first trusted me with this huge responsibility and opportunity," Marina said. "I have been so grateful to be a part of Tacky Tourist tradition, so if I haven't said it lately -- 'THANK YOU!' And I really want to thank all the passengers who have helped make this a wonderful 10 years."

Tony Buff did an outstanding job last year in his virgin outing as Marina's co-host and will be back again this year to see if he can manage more costume changes than the drag queens.

The entertainment starts at 11 am at Pier 55. Enjoy performances in the dock's amphitheater by Marina Dennis, Aleksa Manila, Chablis, Portland stars Marcy Kraft and Poison Waters, and -- of course -- by the incomparable LVHS
Cheerleaders. (See The Poodleer.)
Marcy Kraft [MySpace] and the Cheerleaders were all-stars of Lavender Valley High with several memorable performances during The Prom...You Never Went To! Marcy -- aka Jayson Malone -- went on from the Prom to perform for 11 years in the Las Vegas revue, An Evening at La Cage at the Riviera. At the Prom and in other Seattle appearances Jayson he worked with his uncanny resemblance to the incomparable Bette Midler to hone an act that is the next best thing -- and sometimes even better -- than seeing the Divine Miss M herself. During a nine-week run on London's West End, Jayson also wowed audiences with his impersonations of Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand, and Dolly Parton.

Poison Waters also returns to The Cruise show from her home in Portland. Poison is not just a personality, Poison Waters is an experience. Hundreds of thousands have enjoyed the one of a kind entertainment and dynamic presence that only Poison Waters can provide.

Chablis brings her irreverent spirit into the daylight with another Cruise appearance. Chablis also entertains fans each week during her popular Sunday night show at R-Place, Lashes.
Aleksa Manila has held many titles since first appearing as "Alexis" in 1998 at a Halloween party among friends. Elected to posts including "Miss Gay Philipino", "40th Miss Gay Seattle", and -- last year -- Imperial Court Empress "Olympia XXXIII", Aleksa Manila is known in Seattle and beyond as a stellar drag artist, consummate host, and community activist. When not in face, 'he' educates the community about the harms of crystal methamphetamine with Project
NEON, a program of Seattle Counseling Service; tests for and counsels about HIV & STD with Public Health - Seattle and King County; and serves as Honorable Commissioner with the Seattle Commission for Sexual Minorities with the City of Seattle - Office of Civil Rights. Aleksa Manila will host ICON 4 this September.

And hey, if you want to try to get on the boat to watch a continuation of the party, you can get to the standby ticket page through that back-door link. A few more of the tickets have become available.

Labels: drag show, gay party, Gay Seattle

What has become one of the major drag shows of the year returns September 8 when Seattle Counseling Service presents its major annual fundraiser, ICON 4, A Celebration of Drag, Art & Life. The event will be held this year at Town Hall on First Hill [get directions], beginning at 6:30pm.

It's worth mentioning this now because the $50 tickets to ICON generally sell out long before the night of the show. Make your reservations by calling SCS at (206) 323-1768 or emailing info[at]seattlecounseling.org.

The lovely Aleksa Manila [MySpace page] once again hosts the evening with an all-star lineup. Arnaldo! Drag Chanteuse makes a "special appearance" along with "Las Vegas sensation" Miss Toni James. Sara & The Rhythm Knights will offer what is billed as a "surprise performance".

But there's far more, including performances by local stars Sylvia O?Stayformore [MySpace], The Queen Bees [MySpace], Nina Maxwell, Rosita, Miss Gay Latina Chica Boom [MySpace], Miss Gay Seattle Regina King. Kristina Kash and Empress Jaylene travel from Vancouver to join in the evening's festivities.

And that really is an all-star-drag lineup.

It's notable, too, that the name of the even, Icon, now gains greater significance in the event's fourth year because SCS will lit its iconic signs yesterday.

[Gawd, how we hate the need to post those MySpace links, but that barely-working non-web News Corp/Fox site has the numbers. There may be more, but we can take only so many "Server busy" messages.]

Labels: drag show, fundraisers, Gay events, gay organization, Gay Seattle