AVALON SATURDAYS + CHORUS.DC: OFFICIAL PRE-CHERRY EVENT
The well-designed, boutique-sized downtown nightclub Soundcheck plays host to a Cherry-affiliated party this Saturday, March 23, starting at 10 p.m., with music by Steve Sidewalk and Shane Marcus, two New York DJs part of this year’s main Cherry Weekend lineup. Dougie Meyers and Avalon Saturdays co-present the Official Pre-Cherry Weekend Kick-Off event with Chorus.DC, a fledgling party production outfit heretofore affiliated with Cobalt. Doors open at 10 p.m., with open bar on Tito’s Vodka and Jameson Whiskey from 11 p.m. to midnight. Soundcheck is at 1420 K St. NW. Tickets are $15 online or $20 at the door; $25 for VIP with Express Entry and Private Lounge with dedicated bartender. Call 202-789-5429 or visit www.dougiemeyerpresents.com.
NELLIE’S DRAG BINGO & RAFFLE BENEFITING CASA RUBY
“The Stunt Queens” of Stonewall Kickball will be calling the numbers during bingo this Tuesday, March 26, at Nellie’s Sports Bar. In addition to playing the numbers for gift cards and prizes, guests can purchase 50/50 Raffle tickets — priced at $1 for 1, $3 for 5, $10 for your arm’s length, and $15 for your inseam — with half of all ticket sales going to support Casa Ruby, the only bilingual, multicultural LGBTQ organization in D.C. The charity will also reap $1 from every Tito’s Vodka drink and soda beverage sold, so definitely come thirsty. The game, hosted by Guy Barnes, starts at 6:30 p.m. Nellie’s is at 900 U St. NW. Call 202-332-6355 or visit www.nelliessportsbar.com.
OTTERMATIC/OTTEROTICA
This Friday, March 22, ushers in the third round of a new dance party at the Green Lantern named after a particular type of hirsute gay men. Conceived by Bryan Smith and Matt Strother, Ottermatic is “open to all people and self-identified animals,” especially those willing to be “vibrant and expressive” in how they dress and engage. The theme for the March iteration is set 13 years “in a dystopian future where all gay bars have all closed down.” The only thing remaining is a secret bar hidden in a back alley downtown “run by homosexual half-human, half-animal hybrids, a result of genetic experimentation.” High-quality local house DJ Dean Sullivan serves as “the post-apocalyptic pied piper” rallying “a romp of playful otter half-breeds” to move and groove on the dance floor in frisky but friendly fashion — governed by “the concept of consent and inclusion.” Grant Collins serves as party host, and the otter pinup will be aided in the cause by able bartenders Strother and Scott M. Douglass, as well as The Barber Streisand (Smith). Starting at 10 p.m. The Green Lantern is at 1335 Green Ct. NW. Cover is $5 for entry upstairs. Call 202-347-4533 or visit www.greenlanterndc.com.
RED BEAR BREWING: GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION
The fully gay-owned nanobrewery from two redheads, Simon Bee and Bryan Van Den Oever, along with Cameron Raspet, officially opens Saturday, March 23, with a party starting at 5 p.m. (The brewery actually opens at 11 a.m.) The band Cravin’ Dogs will perform and drag queen Kitti Chanel Fairfield will welcome neighbors and guests into the large, 7,000 square-foot space, located immediately next to the REI Store in the refurbished, historic Uline Arena building in NoMa. The celebration includes samples and pours of all the new Red Bear beers on draft. Red Bear is at 209 M St. NE. No cover. Call 202-849-6130 or visit www.redbear.beer.
A Christian high school in California went out of its way to recruit a talented baseball player, and then rejected him because he has two gay dads.
Caleb Degala-Burnett, a recently graduated eighth grader from Union City, was invited to a high-level scouting event for the Class of 2029–2030, where 20 top prospects participated in a pro-style workout and game. According to statistical analysis, he had the fastest outfield throw in his class. The website Perfect Game rates him a "college prospect" and a potential pro draft pick "with development."
In one of the stranger crime sprees of Pride Month, a masked man on an electric unicycle is reportedly stealing Pride flags across Longmont, Colorado.
Since Memorial Day weekend -- just ahead of Pride Month -- the man has vandalized homes by bending flagpoles and tearing down flags.
Sheryl Colaur, one of the victims, told the Longmont Daily Times-Call that at least 10 -- and possibly as many as 15 -- of her neighbors in Longmont's Harvest Junction Village neighborhood have had their Pride flags stolen, allegedly by the same man.
Colton Ford, a gay former adult film star and musical artist, has died at age 62, according to social media posts from close friends.
According to the WeHo Times, Ford -- whose real name was Glenn Soukesian -- died on Monday, May 19. Details are scarce, but some reports claim he was involved in a "hiking accident" over the weekend.
"With a very heavy heart I share this tragic news," his friend Tim Wood wrote in a Facebook post. "While we don't have all the details, I never would have dreamed that the photo below of Glenn Soukesian (Colton Ford) and I from 3 weeks ago would be our last.
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