Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013, April 20, 2007, Page 36, Image 36

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APRIL 20 2007
catingo ut
$5 off
eatingout
eatîngout
eatingout
The Games We Play
your food purchase
with this ad
Q Center celebrates with bingo
love games. All kinds. Charades, crossword
puzzles, Twister. So I was delighted to receive
an invitation to Q Center’s first anniversary
celebration, which coincided with its
monthly hingo game. Pinch-hitting for
Poison Waters, who was out of town, were the
stars of 105.1 FM’s Afternoon Buzz, Daria O’Neill
(in honorary bold) and Mitch Elliott, so comfort­
able with his newly out status that he announced
he was ready to touch some balls.
During the pregame show, Bob Speltz served
slices of sumptuous cake, lovingly made by Q Center
interim coordinator and master baker Tim Heaiea.
Between bites 1 chatted with Veronica Ledoux, who
was recruited from Chicago to do post-doctoral work
Mitch and Daria kept us laughing;’similarly,
studying how pesticides on produce affect our
when another radio personality, Janeane
nervous systems. I also chatted with John Hicks,
Garofalo, brought her partisan humor to town, we
who was excited by a recent visit to the Classical
laughed ’til we cried. The tart-tongued comedian
Chinese Garden with his gay gardening group, and
made fun of everything from politicians to the
1 kxiked at the exquisite exhibit of photographs by
pope to Portland’s own In Other Words book­
Antimo Cimino that juxtapose Baroque architec­ store. Guffawing in the gay section with me were
ture with the human form.
Just Out Arts and Culture Editor Jim Radosta,
Kevin
Easton, Todd
Pozycki and Ron Pitt.
Marc and 1 also had
a really good time at former
Just Out writer Aaron
Scott’s birthday/going-away
party. (Aaron is off to
journalism school in New
York City.) There we met
up with George Winbom,
an advertising copywriter
whose expertise on urban
chicken
rearing
was
featured in The New York
Times. Buxom burlesque
performer Ezmerelda was
also there, chatting with
Miss Conception, who
“strolled the streets of High
Queer photographer Serena Davidson celebrated her 30th birthday
Wycombe in full drag”
during Andaz, a monthly dance night at Fez Ballroom.
during her recent visit to
Finally, it was time to settle in and play ball.
the United Kingdom. She admitted that perhaps she
I seated myself across from Shelly Heesacker and
was “a bit much for the locals” in the town of 70,000,
“bingo virgin" Wendy Vannoy, looking like
which is 29 miles from London.
seasoned pros with their own bingo daubers that
Another birthday celebrant, Serena Davidson,
resembled squeeze tubes of lube. But they work like
invited friends to fete her 30th during Andaz at
lucky charms, because Wendy won the very first
the Fez. This monthly gathering features Bhangra
game.
(a hybrid of Indian music combining traditional
Along the way the usual bingo jokes were
Punjabi vocals with modern hip-hop and dance
swung: B-4 (“and after,” the crowd yelled back).
beats) and Bollywood sounds. Hips swung during
Of course, Ohhhh-69 always got a laugh. But my
this hip mix of gays and straights, which included
personal favorite was when Mitch called, “1-18,”
Richard Gagnon, a massage therapist and nursing
and Dana responded, “U-Wish.”
student who’s training for his second marathon,
Q Center likes to keep bingo interesting. So, in
and Stephanie Routh, who recently appeared in
addition to creative variations on the up-and-down
a production of Noel Coward’s Private Lives in
and straight-across patterns (including a Q-shaped
which she played both female characters. Jenn
one), participants stand when they're just one
Dolan told me she hitchhiked to South Dakota,
number away from victory. 1 guess Kelsey Tyler
where her car was stranded because the friend
and 1 could have used those lucky daubers, because
who was supposed to bring it to Oregon didn’t
we remained stubbornly in our seats all night long.
know how to drive a stick. And Megan Manley
My partner, Marc Acito, came close and jumped
told me she loves to dance so much, she recently
up with such excitement that Oralio Torres said,
commissioned private tango classes for 15 of her
“Ooh, what’s he sitting on?"
closest friends.
A new addition to the roster at Q Center is
Apparently, it takes more than two to tango.
Now
that’s what I call Out Going. ©.
Gayme Night, which organizers promise will
include board, card, party and trivia games that
are easy to learn and fun to play. Keep score of all
FLOYD S klaver wants to know about your event.
Q Center events at www.pdxqcenter.org.
E-mail kirn at floydsklaver@comcast.net.
I
A horoscope themed restaurant
Tues - Sun 9am - 1 1 pm 500 NW 21 st Ave.
Fri - Sat open til late
503-517-8855
www.virgoandpisces.com
Soups, Salads, Postries,
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Espresso t Wally Biscotti, voted the best Biscotti in the U.S.
Gift Baskets & Certificates available
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SIO SE Morrison St.
Portland, OR 97214
Mon-Fri 7:30 om to 6 pm
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«J
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