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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 2008)
iustout 25 DECEMBER 5, 2008 HaUdLcuj/ Guide, 2008 | Classy ish S Tar RETRO • FURNITURE • CIFTS LOCAL ARTISTS • FAIR TRADE CONSIGNMENT • INCENSE 49/2. SE DtVIilON-PoRTLAN^OR I ^Sometimes wr close at 5 m! We're here! We're near! GET USED TO IT! * ^0 Homestyle Lifestyle Yourstyle II .1 -- O O * W I Tues Sat: 11 6, Sun: 10 2 4823 SE Division (503) 206 49/2 time. It celebrates Christmas with songs like you wouldn’t hear anywhere else." The music might he the draw, but there’s also a silent auction for holiday shopping and food. “There’s a great prime rib dinner, bar, dancing. It’s a party, but not a churchy kind of party,” says Hess. “I’m extremely proud of this event. I didn’t realize we’d go this long. Two years is amazing, let alone 10.” The event will be held Dec. 10 at Chelsea Ball room, 1510 S.E. Ninth Ave. For tickets visit call 503-319-1333 or www.sonnyhess.com/tickets.html. —Kristin Steele A Verru, MerriL ChriAXmaA- Would you be surprised to learn that San ta’s better half-enjoys the company of drag queens? Or that she may not be all that meets the eye herself? Time with Santa is a nonprofit registered in Washington whose goal is to provide an al ternative to the way children normally experi ence their time with Santa. Its founder, Phil lip Verry, is a self-described “high-end Santa” who has been in the business for 18 years. Two years ago he founded Time with Santa as a charitable organization, aiming to allevi ate typical Christmas-in-the-mall frustrations such as long lines, expensive photo packages and “the commercial cattle drive of children,” which he sees as contrary to the true spirit of the holiday. “Short, impersonal visits teach children to think of themselves only, which is the opposite of what Santa teaches,” says Verry, 38. His list of cli ents includes Fred Meyer, Disney and the Make- A-Wish Foundation. For the 2008 season, Verry and a team of volunteers constructed a 5,000-square-foot theme attraction called “Santa’s Enchanted Castle,” with the centerpiece designed by Henry Miller of Scream at the Beach. A total of 87 events are scheduled this holiday season at 1210 Jantzen Beach Center. The organi zation raises money through ticket sales and donations in order to provide relief to local families in crisis during the holidays. "We will feed 600 people, give away over 1,600 toys and provide quality family fun to about 2,500 guests,” Verry projects. But kids aren’t the only ones who get to have fun this year. Verry says the idea of a Drag Tea Party with Mrs. Claus came about as a result of his adult volunteers wanting to partake of the fun within the castle. He convinced his stra ght male assistant to appear in drag as Mrs. Claus for the tea party, made up by Verry himself, who moonlights as a professional special-effects makeup artist and body painter. Verry created the tea party as a dis crete way to let his gay friends and family in on the fun. “They never get to let their hair down; they’re always pinning it up," he says. “This gives them something besides a bar to visit during Christmas time.” The party runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 14. Tickets are $30 from www.timewithsanta.com/ dragteaparty.html. —Tony LeTigre This old House Ims seen a lot in over 150 years...but it'll always be a welcoming place for Family. Congratulations to Just Out from our home to yours! Ainsworth House — we’re family too! AINSWORTH HOUSE GARDENS • Celebrations • Conferences • Retreats 503-656-1894 19130 Lot Whitcomb Dr. Oregon City. OR 97045 www.AinsworthHouse.net
