My 7
2000 »
D a r e e lle X V Productions» p r e s e n ts
Peacocks and dragons
d u s t Out
the 19 th annual
L a femme ‘M agnifique In te rn a tio n a l
‘P ortland t
Pageant
r e v ie w s som e r e c e n t
q u e e r e v e n ts in P o r tla n d
a pageant to choose
the most g[amorous
femaCe impersonator in ‘P ortion!, Oregon
Sunday, July 16, 2000 • pageant 8 pm • $8
Darcene XV • EST 1967 • 208 NW Third Ave
Portland, Oregon 97209 • Fax (503) 248-6771
licket info:
(503) 222-5338
www.darcellexv.city8earch.com
When an ordinary
Realtor simply won’t do...
They ain’t got
nothing but the blues
Peacock in the Park
V«Y*
rganizers practically guaranteed there
wouldn’t be rain at the 14th annual Pea
cock in the Park, because it hadn’t rained
during the event since the early ’90s. But they
were wrong.
It was a downpour. Just as the popular song
suggests, it was raining men. Now, many of
those men were in heels and skirts, but Wash
ington Park’s amphitheater was tilled with skin,
skin and more skin.
The June 25 Portland event drew a capacity
crowd— an estimated 3,500 people who
brought coolers, umbrellas, sunscreen and their
favorite eats and cool beverages. Some even
brought along their family pet.
Co-hosts Maria and Poison Waters, joined
by Patti O ’Dora and Tiara Desmond, dazzled
the crowd with a choreographed opening num
ber singing “A in’t G ot Nothing But the Blues.”
Shawn Deven-Lynn, Butch Lad Chad, Derek
Dever, the Butch Kid Syd and the Butch Bitch
Mitch followed, clad in ’50s street punk attire,
performing “At the Hop” with five pink-skirted
divas who joined them onstage.
Patty Branch came with her sister, her sis
ter’s partner and a friend to enjoy the show.
The three women also brought their five chil
dren, who held court in the first row beneath
the large stage. Branch’s son, Joshua, 5, rarely
looked away from the characters dancing and
singing before him— there was a lot to see
onstage and off for anyone from 5 to 105.
Despite his age, though, Joshua knew what was
going on. Maybe it was the daylight that
destroyed the illusion.
"Boys!” he said when quizzed about the gen
der of the performers. But it may have been the
beards and hairy chests on the five drag queens
from Seattle that tipped him off! Their rendi
tion of “Respect,” featuring Maria, brought
down the house and lifted the energy of the
crowd. From that moment forward, the party
was underway.
At the end of the first set, the music
stopped and Maria took a few minutes to catch
her breath and chat up the audience, remind
ing those in attendance that the event is a
fund-raiser.
“I’m still trying to fill my bucket,” she said.
“Do you want to help?”
T hat’s all that needed to be said. Children
Rachelle, 4, was the first one to help out. Wolf
gang, 2, escorted by his dad, wasn’t far behind,
plopping a $5 hill into the clear bucket at cen
ter stage.
And every dollar counted. Kimberlee Van
Patten, co-director of the popular event, says
more than $33,000 was collected from the
audience and corporate sponsors. Net proceeds
will go to the Audria M. Edwards Scholarship
Fund.
Peacock in the Park organizers have award
ed more than $73,000 in scholarships since
1988. Scholarships totaling $13,500 were pre
sented to sexual minority college students (or
the student children of sexual minority par
ents) prior to the aftermxm drag show. Receiv
ing scholarships were: Kelly Hoeppner, Nancy
Slocum, Rebecca Clark, Michael Aucoin Jr.,
Joel Campos-Alvis, Cynthia Hubble, Jazmyn
Hutchinson, Heather Kimberly, Dori Hinamon
and Jessica Brunelle.
—Jonathan Kipp
nas
www.climbatree.com
933 SE 31st Ave.
Fort land, OR 9 7 2 1 4
office: 503-238-7617 RtAlTOR*
LÜ
W INNER! (4) 1998 Tony Aw ards including Best M u sical Revival
Amazon Dragons
n increasingly popular event at the Port
land Rose Festival is the Portland-
Kaohsiung Dragon Boat Races, organized
in 1989 by the Portland-Kaohsiung Sister City
Association. This year, dozens of international
and local teams raced June 10 and 11 on the
Willamette River.
Among those competing was a mostly les
bian team, the Amazon Dragons. The 25-
member, all-female team was started a decade
ago by the Lesbian Community Project. This
year the Dragons made it to the semifinals; in
1998 they placed fourth.
Christina Borgens is the team captain, and
she takes care of all the administrative issues.
Unfortunately, she was unable to compete this
yety due to a knee injury, hut she can vouch for
the physical demands of the sport.
“Sometimes you can’t even walk after you
get off the boat, because you brace with your
legs,” she explains.
Wendy Murray is the Dragons’ coach and
caller, the person who sets the pace and keeps
all the rowers in line.
Ten people are needed in order to take a
boat out for a spin, and this year the team
hopes to keep practicing all summer. They are
recruiting new members for next year’s team, so
contact Borgens at (360) 573-1353 if you have
a strong back and the heart of a dragon.
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KELLER AUDITORIUM (formerly C ivic Auditorium)
(5031241-1802 £ £ . or (503)790-ARTS
Tickets available at all t i c k e t n M a t ^ r outlets PCPA & Portland Opera
VmCbmitsJ
Groups of 20 or more SA VE' (503) 321-5251
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