.r e : b
AUGUST 21. 2009
WWWJUSTOUT.COM
NORTHWEST NEWS
Gay Bor Passages:
Dirt/ Duck Ducks Out, the Eagle and Casey's "Imagine" Something New
M id-August has proven a tough time
for gay bars in Portland, especially if they’ve
served the leather, bears, fetish or less main
stream parts of the community. After a steady
decline, the Eagle Underground shuttered
on Sunday, August 14, and in a shock to
many, the Dirty Duck Tavern, which had
experienced a recent upswing in business and
clientele, announced it would be closing as of
Sunday, August 23.
Those active in the leather and bear com
munities were not surprised with the news
from the Eagle Underground; even prior
to the closure of the original Eagle PDX
space on 13th and West Burnside in early
2008, business had been steadily waning. On
websites and in private conversations, many
community leaders and former customers
blamed Eagle owner Karl W ilgus, and what
they viewed as his negative attitude as cause
for cancelling events there and migrating to
other establishments.
In an August 5 email sent to patrons on
his mailing list, Karl Wilgus wrote, “times
change and it is now time to face reality and
admit that The Eagle’s time has passed, for
whatever reason, there is not support and we
have decided to close the bar and sell off its
assets.” According to his website, whose ac
count has now been suspended, Wilgus will
not donate any items to local historical orga
nizations, but plans to sell them on eBay; as
o f press time, none of the seven eBay items
for sale by seller “karlwilgus”had bids. Online
blogs and an official website confirm that the
Eagle and upstairs bar Casey’s will reopen
later this month as “Imagine,” a nightclub for
queer folk 25 and under.
In stark contrast, the Dirty Duck Tav
ern—which celebrated its 25th anniversary
in mid-M arch, making it the oldest single
location gay bar in Portland— had been win
ning community support in recent months, as
more groups and organizations booked events
there. The schedule ranged from leather and
bear events to regular live music and Broad-
way-themed nights, with lesbian group Bad
Girls, men’s wellness group Manifest, the
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and others
benefiting from the bar’s open-door policy.
The Portland Development Commission,
which owns the land on which the Duck is
located, informed owner Gail Kennedy of
its plans to force the bar to close earlier this
month, but she attempted negotiation. Instead
the PD C exercised its option to end the lease,
and will be exchanging the space with Blanchet
House (according to Blanchet’s website) for an
Dirty Duck owner Gail Kennedy is seen
with husband Don during the bar's 25th
anniversary celebration in March
The Portland Development Commission,
which owns the land on which the Duck is
located, informed Kennedy of its plans to
force the bar to close earlier this month
expansion project; Blanchet will eventually
redevelop the east side o f the block into a new
homeless facility. The Portland Historic Land
marks Commission was scheduled to review
the plans and advise on Monday, August 24.
Gail Kennedy, a third-generation gay bar
owner whose grandmother and mother both
owned gay bars in town from the 1950s for
ward, says, “It breaks my heart to close the
Duck but I have no choice. I t’s been 26 years
since my mother found it and wanted me to
buy it. She wanted a little place on a corner
for her boys. All these years later her spirit
lives on at the Duck and it has always been
what makes the D uck special. The hardest
part will be keeping track of all my friends
without our meeting place. I hope to find us a
new home soon, I am looking.”
Those wishing to have one last round at the
Dirty Duck have an opportunity the weekend
o f August 21. Friday evening features a “Bik
ers Sc Boots Party.” Saturday night sees the
final charity fundraiser at the bar, “Jockstrap
Twister”— a game night of flesh and fantasy.
And Sunday, August 23, the bar will sell off
some o f its items, while reserving other his
toric memorabilia for the Oregon Leather
History Project. Live music begins around 6
p.m., including the Green Machine Jazz E n
semble and Sneakin’Out.
And with that, the doors will close on a a
historical part of Portland’s past and present.
-A n d y Mangels
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