Named after the popular hangout spot on Beverly Hills 90210, Peach Pit exclusively celebrates the pop music of the 1990s, and the party has been a monthly entity for a full decade of its own. Patrons are encouraged to arrive as close as possible to the 10:30 p.m. start time this Saturday, Dec. 21, if they don’t want to wait in a long line once the intimate DC9 is filled to capacity — thereby risking the chance they’ll miss their favorite jock jam. Admission is $5 before midnight, $8 after. 21 and above. The next day, Sunday, Dec. 22, at the same venue comes the newest decade-spanning monthly venture from Peach Pit’s promoter, DJ Matt Bailer, this one geared to those who wanna dance with somebody who loves them while reminiscing about a time when doves cried and people were hungry like the wolf. Named after the retirement village where the gay-popular TV series The Golden Girls took place, Shady Pines focuses on the ’80s, when pop music was wild and formulaic, eclectic and overproduced. The party is from 3 to 7 p.m and takes place on DC9’s enclosed, heated rooftop. Admission is free. DC9 is at 1940 9th St. NW. Call 202-483-5000 or visit www.dcnine.com.
GAYBORHOOD NIGHT PIANO BAR WITH JOHN FLYNN
John Flynn is a regular presence in Rehoboth Beach, where most nights, you’ll find him tickling the ivories at establishments throughout the beach town. But on the last Sunday of most months, the gay pianist ventures inland to incite to chorus the colorful patrons at a venue that outbeaches ’em all. This “Gayborhood” event at the “straight-friendly” Freddie’s is meant to foster greater community among LGBTQ patrons and allies: “Enjoy happy hour specials and meet your neighbors.” Sunday, Dec. 29, starting at 5 p.m. Freddie’s Beach Bar is at 555 South 23rd St., Arlington. Call 703-685-0555 or visit www.freddiesbeachbar.com.
NEW YEAR’S EVE 2019: HIGHLIGHTS
New Year’s Eve comes on a Tuesday this year, so get ready for some mid-week revelry! Ziegfeld’s/Secrets (202-863-0607, www.ziegfelds.com) features dancing to the music of DJ Steve Henderson, along with a special show, party favors, champagne countdown and a balloon drop with prizes. Shaw’s Tavern (202-518-4092, www.shawstavern.com) starts early, at 11 a.m. on New Year’s Eve with a Bottomless Mimosas Brunch until 3 p.m. The venue kicks things into high gear at 9 p.m. with a party that includes open bar on select alcohol, an hors d’ouevres buffet, champagne at midnight, a breakfast buffet at 12:30 a.m., plus music by a DJ and party favors ($75 per person). You could start your New Year’s Eve at Nellie’s (202-332-6355, www.nelliessportsbar.com) with a round of Drag Bingo at 7 p.m., followed at 9 p.m. by karaoke until close.
In Adams Morgan, both Pitcher’s and A League Of Her Own (202-733-2568, www.pitchersdc.com.) will ring in the new starting at 9 p.m., with a massive party on all floors and no cover. The evening’s fun at Green Lantern (202-347-4533, www.greenlanterndc.com) features music by DJ Darryl Strickland, party favors, a midnight champagne toast, and drink specials. The venue also opens at 4 p.m. with a five-hour-long Happy Hour special. Tthe DC Eagle (202-347-6025, www.dceagle.com) hosts the second annual Leather & Lace New Year’s Eve Ball complete with dinner at 9 p.m., music from DJs Ultra and Popperz, and a full performance lineup of drag queens, porn stars, and go-go boys at $10 per person.
Finally, across the river, Freddie’s Beach Bar (703-685-0555, www.freddiesbeachbar.com) presents a New Year’s Eve Party with a drag show at 10 p.m. followed by karaoke, plus a champagne toast and party favors ($25 cover). Freddie’s re-opens the next day for a rare Wednesday champagne brunch, starting at 10 a.m. and costing $24.99 per person, inclusive of a few rounds of mimosas. For more New Year’s offerings and details, see our Dec. 31 listings on page 50.
On July 21, Wilmer Chavarria, superintendent of Vermont's Winooski School District, was detained for hours by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport after returning from a family visit to Nicaragua with his husband, Essex High School teacher Cyrus Dudgeon.
Officers seized Chavarria's phone and computer, separated him from Dudgeon, and interrogated him for at least five hours about his marriage and his job, according to Vermont's alternative weekly Seven Days.
During the interrogation, agents questioned whether Chavarria and Dudgeon were really married and repeatedly asked if Chavarria was actually a school superintendent. In an email to school board members, Chavarria described the experience as "abusive interrogation" and said he was "treated in a manner that is deeply disturbing and unacceptable."
Owners of several D.C. LGBTQ bars and nightclubs say the federal takeover of the city’s police force -- and the surge of federal agents stationed on 14th Street NW and along the U Street corridor -- cost them thousands of dollars in lost business this past weekend.
Mark Rutstein, co-owner of Crush Dance Bar at 14th and U Streets NW, told CBS affiliate WUSA that August 15 was the worst Friday the bar has seen since opening last year. He estimated losses to be approximately $15,000 for the night.
Rutstein told The Advocate that Crush sat near a multi-agency checkpoint, including agents from the Department of Homeland Security, set up on Wednesday evening. Authorities reportedly made 45 arrests, 29 of them immigration-related.
Precinct DTLA, one of L.A.’s most prominent queer bars, says it’s in danger of closing due to slow business and a lawsuit from a former employee.
In an Instagram post, Precinct DTLA warned it is "in crisis."
"We're a couple of slow weekends away from having to close our doors," the statement read. "Like many small businesses, we've taken hit after hit -- from COVID shutdowns and ICE raids to citywide curfews and the ongoing decline of nightlife. But what we're facing now is even more devastating."
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