|
Peacock
in the Park
Hot
dogs and Sno-cones--only a buck! More than 30 musical numbers!
More super-snug control-top pantyhose than Wal-Mart!
Washington
Park. Noon Sunday, June 25. Free.
Bigot
Busters
Voter
education is the order of the day for Bigot Busters. Learn
how to put Lon and his gang in their place with a training
session that will provide information on the OCA's newest
initiative.
Northwest
Neighborhood Cultural Center, Room 201, 1819 NW Everett
St., 228-3090. 11 am Saturday, June 24.
Gay
Pried
The
American Museum of Snapshots, or AMOS, currently exhibits
a show of queer life in its gallery windows. Featured clickers
include one of the truly fabulous men about town, Howie
Baggadonutz.
Everett
Street Stations, 625 NW Everett St., #102. Daily through
July 5. Free.
|
|
Feed QW: Send savory
bits of information to Byron Beck at bbeck@wweek.com
at least 10 days prior to publication.
Drag queens, like most snaggle-toothed creatures of the
night, have an aversion to sunlight.
It's not that these fun-loving "gals" don't want a little
sunshine in their life. It's just that the sun's nasty little
rays can really mess up the two cans of Max Factor (and
two hours of work) these beauty-minded queens must use to
cover up their gnarly man mugs.
So it takes something pretty goddamn important to get these
divas out of the dark and into the glaring light of a summer's
day without the inevitable shriek: "I'm melting!"
But, hey, there they are, each and every last Sunday in
June since 1987, in all their garbed-up glory, pumping their
high-heeled, size-12 Easy Spirits across the stage of Washington
Park's Rose Garden Amphitheater for the always colorful
annual Peacock in the Park.
This event, originally just a little shindig, now attracts
around 3,500 spectators and was the divine inspiration of
Elwood Johnson, known to everyone both as Woody and
as Lady Elaine Peacock. Lady Peacock cut an iconic figure
on the gay streets of Portland in the 1970s and '80s before
dying from AIDS in 1993. She wasn't only an incredible female
impersonator, according to all who crossed her rhinestone-strewn
path--Lady Peacock was also the nicest guy in town.
So it was no surprise this sweetie was also the fairy godmother
who drummed up the (sometimes) Gong Show-worthy PITP.
The event started small, as a royal bash in honor of Lady
Peacock's 1987 reign as Empress of the Imperial Sovereign
Rose Court. Rose Empress XXIX Lady Elaine Peacock transformed
the event in its second year into a charity fund-raiser
for the Audria M. Edwards Scholarship Fund to honor her
recently deceased mother. Since 1989 more than $50,000 has
been raised for gay students and their children.
Although the situation opens itself up to catfights of
epic proportions, the outdoor divas put it all in check,
according to mistress of ceremonies Kevin Cook, a.k.a. Poison
Waters.
"This is a big event," says Poison. "We don't have time
for pettiness and unprofessionalism."
The home-grown entertainment of PITP rarely disappoints,
but it also rarely surprises. Most everyone who performs,
from the utterly outrageous Patti O'Dora to high-style hag
Linda Lee, struts her stuff year in and year out, leaving
longtime show-goers stuck in the same old groove. And five
bucks says you'll get a peek at Darcelle chomping on a hot
dog, complaining about how small it is. It's a great way
to spend a day in the park, but here's a plea to Peacockites:
You're a creative bunch--please pull some surprises out
of your purses this year.
|
|
