by Eric A. Crabtree
AUSTIN, TEXAS
Splash Day Held May 2
Splash Weekend is in two weeks and
all Gay and Lesbians are urged to head on over to Austin because it's party
time as we host our annual Splash Day on the sunny shores and rocks of Hippie
Hollow at Lake Travis Sun, May 2. Splash Weekend runs from Fri., Apr. 30 through
Sun., May 2 - Splash Day. Splash is Austin's first GLBT spring event sponsored
by the bars and clubs and businesses of the Austin Tavern Guild (ATG). Free
wristbands may be obtained Sat. night for free beer from kegs at the lake
on Sun., Splash Day. Host establishments sponsoring Splash Day Weekend are
members of the ATG who will check IDs and give out the free wrist bracelets.
Your hosts for Splash Day are: Ambush, 'Bout Time, Charlie's
Austin, Texas Triangle, The Forum, Midtowne Spa, Oilcan Harry's, Rainbow Cattle
Company, and Splash Video Bar. Coors of Austin is the corporate sponsor on
Splash Day Weekend.
As of press time, festivities for Splash Weekend include the Forum hosting
the First Splash Party on Sat., May 1 with their Dance One Party sponsored
by Genre magazine. This event will be videotaped and shown all over the US
as part of their Dance One Video Tape events. Patrons are asked to come early
for free T-shirts, music CDs, subscriptions to Genre Magazine and a balloon
drop with many prizes to be grabbed. Rainbow Cattle Company will host their
Splash Beach Party featuring the United Court of Austin on Sun. May 2 after
the lake at 9pm. Dick's Deja Disco invites all after the lake to their free
cookout on the patio from 5pm with jazz tunes starting at 8pm. On Mon., they
host Camp Lounge Night with DJ Warren starting at 9pm. Oilcan Harry's will
offer patrons Austin's Best Dance party with DJs Miss H, Dig'M and Licious.
After the lake on Sun., they host their Sun. Tea with Momma's Boyz Dancers.
On Mon., it's their Recovery Party with a free happy hour buffet. Austin Lesbian
and Gay Political Caucus (ALGPC) will be hosting their own party on Lake Travis
with Large Marge Party Barge. The boat will have food, alcoholic and soft
drinks, music and all sorts of frivolity. The boat leaves at 9am Splash Day
and reservations are only $20 by calling 512.474.5475.
MUT Pageant Slated
The 7th annual Miss Universal Thang
'99 Comedy Pageant (MUT) will be held with preliminaries on Apr. 24 and Finals
on May 8 at `Bout Time. Both pageants will start at 10:30pm. MUT is Freedumb
Productions in association with the Royal WE and `Bout Time's annual comedy
drag only event with nothing serious about the event except that it raises
much needed funding for this year's charity, Project Transitions of Austin.
Project Transitions is a nonprofit organization, which provides hospice, housing,
and support for people with AIDS. Project Transitions also offers support
groups for caregivers, and those suffering from the loss of a loved one.
Contestants will compete for the MUT Crown, as well as prizes, money, trophies
and their name engraved on a plaque honored up at 'Bout Time. $150 is first
place prize with $100 for second and $50 for third. The reigning ranks of
past MUT crown winners are Miss Mexico 1998 - Ima Caliente, Miss USA 1997
- Frita Lay, and Miss Egypt 1996 - Nefrabibi. Others include Miss Africa 1995,
Mewanna Bam Bam, Miss Germany 1994 - Helga Von Heineken and Miss MUT Emeritus,
Miss Holland 1993 - Lyka Vann Dyke. For more information or an application,
contestants are urged to contact Chaz Elliott at 512.339.4731 or 'Bout Time
at 9601 North IH -35, 512.832.5339.
Eeyore Turns 36
On Sat., Apr. 24 it's time to celebrate
our favorite donkey for Eeyore's 36th Annual Birthday Party to be held at
Pease Park located between West M.L.K. and West 15th on North Lamar. The celebration
lasts from 11am until dark. Live music will be featured from 12 noon to 6pm.
As anyone knows, music is a sound of celebration at Eeyore's Birthday Party
and all attendees are asked to bring non-amplified percussion instruments
to join in the tribal ritual. Selected live music will feature Lisa Tingle,
Schatzi, Quatropaw, and Snipe Hunt. Eeyore's Birthday Party is a fund-raiser
sponsored by the YMCA of the University of Texas and the University Area Partners
to benefit themselves and other nonprofit groups in Austin. These groups will
be selling hot and cold food (including vegetarian), soft drinks, juices and
spring water, domestic and imported beer. Look for commemorative Eeyore cups
and T-shirts.
Admission is free for the day's event. No parking will be available at the
park. Please take the bus, ride a bike, or walk! Free shuttle buses will run
from 10am to 8pm between Pease Park and the intersections of 18th & Congress,
and 17th & San Jacinto Streets. The party is for all ages with a Children's
Area from 11am until 6pm. Dogs are allowed on leashes. For more information
call 512.448.5160, E-mail eeyore@sexton.com or visit Eeyore on the Web @ www.sexton.com/eeyores.
Equinox Austin CD Released
Circuit DJ Roland (RO) Belmares, resident
DJ at the Forum in association with Ben Parsley and Splash Productions have
once again released another great CD - Equinox Austin Circuit CD - Volume
1. The CD is great dance and listening music featuring popular hit
music from 10 different artists. Some of these selections include Dreaming
by M People to If I Was A River Mix by Tina Arena to SunMachine by Dario G.
Other selections include Everything Gonna Be Alright by Sweet Box to Flower
Duet '99 by Jonathan Peters Presents Luminaire to Everywhere by Indigo and
Snow on the Sahara by Anggun. CDs are available around Austin at selected
retails stores like N8, Lobo Bookstore and Outlines. CDs are also available
around the country at your favorite Gay retail establishment. As always, promoters
of the CD requests that if you enjoy the artists' selections from the CD that
you purchase their commercial releases.
Web Organization Provides Services
Austin now has another great Weblink
for the Austin Gay and Lesbian Community. The site is the Austin Gay & Lesbian
Community Services (AGLCS) run by former Cornerstone Board Member, Donnie
Young and can be accessed at www.austincenter.org.
AGLCS connects visitors to the Web site with Greater-Austin events, groups
and organizations, and Gay-owned and friendly businesses. Donnie commented
that when he was working at Cornerstone, his responsibility was communication
to the community. "By knowing how to create and gather information for Websites,
I found it easy," commented Donnie. "This is something I want go. The information
for the Gay and Lesbian community is still important," he added. More information
may be obtained via E-mail at Aglcs@email.com
and the community is urged to support and add events and updates.
SPAMARAMA May 1st
Join the fun that will be part of
SPAMARAMA '99 celebration on Sat., May 1 - May Day on Auditorium Shores from
12 noon until 9pm. That ham product made by Hormel Foods Corp. is in their
21st anniversary of the "potted pork party" in Austin. Festivities will feature
the classic SPAM Cook-Off, the Austin-only SPAMAlympics with the Foster's
Boomerang 2000 Team, non-stop music featuring a variety of local bands and
entertainers in the ultimate SPAMJam, a kid's area, arts & crafts vendor booths,
another classic T-shirt, and the commemorative Cook Book! The evening is capped
off with a first-ever SPAMBall, featuring headline entertainers. SPAMARAMA
benefits the United Cerebral Palsy Association of the Capitol Area, Inc. More
information on SPAMARAMA may be obtained by calling 512.834.1827, or from
the Website at www.SPAMARAMA.com.
The Lion Roars
(The following is a feature commentary on life written by Bob Hemby.
If you would like to contribute a feature, commentary, article or event, please
E-mail me at ozparade@aol.com)
I have a confession to make. I like
to read the personal ads. But if I see one more ad that has the phrase "straight
acting" in it I think I will just scream. I don't act, a fact to which anyone
who has seen me perform can attest. More to the point though, who would want
to. When seeking someone to be in our lives which would we rather have? A
person acting or a person who is 100% completely themselves. To act seems
to me to be just another closet and this closet we are creating for ourselves.
I have to admit I have a problem with the assimilationists. Those who say
that if we are more like them, whoever they are, then everything will be ok.
Society will then begin to accept us. This is completely ludicrous. Society
won't accept us, they simply won't see us. There will be no "us" to accept.
The key is for each person to be exactly who and what they are. To be real,
no acts, no false fronts. The diversity of our community is one of its greatest
strengths, not a weakness. As more and more people see us as we really are
then they hopefully will come to see us not as a mere stereotype but as actual,
real people. People who live, people who love and people who can be hurt.
We can change this and not be re-creating ourselves. Each of us has a tremendous
gift that gives us the ability to change the world. By using the power found
within our own voices we can alter perceptions and opinions. If each person
with which we come into contact sees us as we truly are they will take just
a little piece of something with them and this will spread. This purity and
honesty will sweep the world one person at a time, one voice at a time. Just
a thought.... Bob Hemby
Pro Arts Presents Wilson's Two Trains
Running
ProArts Collective of Austin will
present August Wilson's Two Trains Running Apr. 23 through May
9 at the Santa Cruz Center for Culture, located at 1805 East 7th St. Two
Trains Running, directed by Dr. Cassandra Knobloch, will be presented
Fri. and Sat. at 7:30pm and Sun. at 5pm. for 9 performances. This poignant
drama is the 1960's chapter of Pulitzer Prize winning playwright August Wilson's
decade-by-decade saga of the lives of ordinary African Americans in this turbulent
century. It takes place in 1969 in Memphis Lee's coffee shop which is located
in a Pittsburgh neighborhood that is poised on the brink of economic development,
probably at the expense of its current inhabitants. The production will reunite
several Austin actors of merit who are veterans of not only the Austin theatre
but also of the work of August Wilson. The cast of seven includes Billy Harden
(Fences, Piano Lesson, I'm not Rappaport), Carla Nickerson (Piano
Lesson, Spunk) and Clayton Murrell (Piano Lesson, A Soldier's
Play) For ticket information, call 512.454.TIXS
