Cincinnati Drag Races

A mainstay of Cincinnati's Pride calendar returns -- the Cincinnati Drag Races! After the raucous success of last year's event, held in conjunction with the popular and ever growing Second Sunday on Main festival, the two parties teamed up and will be hosting this year's races on Main Street on July 12th from 2pm-5pm.

Thanks to Nigel from Below Zero, here's a bit about this year:

Second Sunday is Open 12 – 5 p.m. in historic Over-the-Rhine on Main Street between 13th and Liberty. The event is free and open to the public.

“Drag your Dog OUT” please drag you dog out in fun attire

Drag Races 3 – 5 PM Between 14th street and Orchard Street
Open registration for last minute teams opens at 2 PM
Festivities will start at 3 PM

This year we are planning a few different categories: Non Prophet Races, Arts Community Races, and Bars and Restaurants Races

Objective of Race: From the start line the first member from a team of 4 gets dressed in Dress, Wig, Handbag and Heels must be 2 inches high. Then runs one block to the exchange line, where they pass off the same items to the next team member who in return runs back down the course. The race is complete once all four team members have completed course.

Judges and special guests will include Penny Tration, Truly Scrumptious, Quasi, and Just Joan. Event-goers are invited to continue the revelry by heading over to On Broadway (817 Broadway) for a cookout, or to Below Zero Lounge (1122 Walnut Street) or Shooters (927 Race Street) for after party adult beverages.

Below Zero will also be hosting the races' "Pit Stop," starting at 1pm, where you can get quick service drinks before heading down the street to watch those bitches run.

Drag Shows and Other Sillinesses

I do not make a pretty woman. (But, really, who does?)

That said, I have a shit ton of fun. My motto, stolen from Succio Sanchez, is: If you aren't walking off stage sweating and out of breath, you haven't done your job. 

Unlike our darling co-contributer, Penny Tration, I do not make my name off my drag alter-ego. I am not famous for my persona as Kristy Kay Karolina; I have only ever been paid $25 to perform and that was years ago. Most days, I curse the day I decided to ever step into a dress. It's alternatively exhausting and exhilerating, and the ups and downs of performing are more stress than I need to add to my life.

But I do it on occasion, and it's always on my time, when I want to. I have to balance the "do I have time to shave" question with the "what am I doing the next morning" question with the "do I really want to stumble around in heels all night" question. All of them are equally important considerations. The last thing you need is to be out in 5 inch stilettos, half shaven and drunk, when you have to be up at 6am the next morning to do that annoying thing we refer to ask "work."

Additionally, there is the question of with whom you will be performing. Trust me, it's a big deal. Back room politics are neither fun nor conducive to a good show. If you can't perform with friends, then you're just performing for a handful of friends in the audience and it's hardly enough to make you feel like you're part of something. And I'm not pretty or gifted enough to stir a crowd to love me in a town saturated with drag and "booger queens." 

When the opportunity, then, came up to perform with three of my best drag friends, I had to jump at the chance.

See, there are drag queens I respect. Penny Tration is one of my favorite, and I consider myself lucky to consider her a friend. She has shown me how to be energetic and creative without losing your spice. Truly Scrumptious, my drag mother, and her constant companion, Roberta Bigg, have given me both my drag career and a sense of showmanship that I could have found no where else. The Black Mondays have spurred my imagination and made me see why I love to perform. These are the people I look up to; these are the people that I view as the replicable fashion leaders in the city. Sure, there are so many more, but, in my heart, these are the ones that, if given the opportunity, I would like to be on par with.

But I don't spend that much time on my look or on my act, nor do I have the natural talent to pull it off.

On Friday, May 29th, at Shooter's, at approximately 11pm, I will be performing with three queens that I love and hold dearer to my person than almost anyone in the world. Though none of us are truly huge names in the city, we have our own following and we have our own sense. Dixie Crystals, Vivica LaCroix, and Whitney Sierra-Devine have taught me how to not only be a better queen, but a better person, and I am honored to share the stage with them.

That Friday, I will be getting out of class and cursing each of their name as I rub Nair and a straight razor over my body in a vain attempt to pretend that there is some resemblance to a woman in my appearance. As I lace up the knee high boots, or get buckled into the corset (both stolen from Vivica), I will be hating on them with curse words not appropriate even for this blog. When Viv start the hour long or more process of painting my face, I will cuss and squeal and want to slap a bitch. 

When I walk into the backroom at Shooter's, and Dixie inevitably offers me a shot of whatever (her poison is -- gulp -- tequila, whilst I go for the girlier shots), I will throw my bag down in frustration, cuss some more at the sheer hatred of the art and sport of drag, take my drink, and say: "Okay, bitches, Mama's ready to go." And for the rest of the night, I will smile and make light of the situation and flirt and dance and drag stomp all over the bar in a fierce imitation of those I respect, in a fierce sisterhood of those that I love. 

I'm going to tell you that I hate every minute of it; but I'll say it with a smile and I'll probably do it again.

Join us -- Friday May 29th at 11:00pm-ish at Shooter's on the corner of Court and Race -- and I'll show you just how much I'm hating life that night. :-) 

All money, btw, goes to the charities of the Court. Bring your dollars!

If I'm great...

...it's because these people are in my life.

In my head, I imagine that all of you are wondering: well, Mr. Barry, if you're VD was so great, what made it so great? I'm glad you asked, because I'll be happy to tell you.

I woke up at 3am, because that's how I roll, to a phone call from a boy I met at the bar two weeks ago who proceeded to wonder, alloud, just how long ago we had met at Shooter's. Once he figured out who I was, and I figured out who he was, the conversation ended shortly with him saying, "Well, I'm going to bed," and a vague promise to respond if I texted him later with plans. Weird.

...to be followed by someone saying they were attracted to me online. Also weird. (I am also attracted to them, but I wonder if it will go anywhere, but there are other issues, no doubt.)

Blah. Made it through the day going stir crazy in my house, when study buddy Michelle picks me up for lunch and, well, studying. We had a ball, I learned everything possible about diabetes, and we moved on with our life. She put up with my insanity for a little while, and that's a great kindness on her part because I think I was mild cabin fevered.

I was all too itchy to leave again once I got home, got on the way early bus to head up to the reopening of Take the Cake, which I had promised @geekjames I would make an appearance at, and where I would be meeting darling @jddalton (I swear, stop changing your twitter name). Take the Cake was fabulous, and the party was hopping. Lots of great Northside folks, lots of amazing food laid out, lots of tasty treats for everyone. After I made a complete ass out of myself and introduced myself to @geekjames' partner (the actual baker), whom I thought was my twitter buddy, I settled in which some fabulous chocolates and deserts. I also learned that I'm not a big fan of dates. That's neither here nor there.

Definitely worth stopping in -- apparently they'll be changing their menu on a daily basis. Very chic. And it's a bakery! C'mon!

Note: This is why I don't do restaurant reviews.

Then we went onto New Stage Collective...

Maybe I wasn't smart enough to get Dead City, but it says something when I start dozing off midway through. It is the play you expect to see at an avant garde theatre -- brilliantly acted and completely unreadable. Not a big fan of esoteric art, really, as I think there should be something there to be understood for everyone. Despite the amazing work of the actors and actually really amazing blocking -- and a few times when it was funny -- it was theatre for the few, not theatre for the masses.

I don't know, maybe it's more in your taste than mine. Tom told me You'll get it later. Well, I could also get an STD later, but that doesn't mean I'm going to spend the time. 

Wow, that was a "bad review." I feel really guilty.

Then @jddalton and I headed down to Below Zero for some cocktails, where our crew grew from him, me, and Queen City Survey, to just him and me, then to himmeandAndrew, then himmeAndrewandAmyandhusband, then himmeAndrewAmyhusbandandVivica (you know how it goes). We had a blast. I even invited the boy who had called me at 3am to join us, but then sat off by himself on the pretense that "I don't want to intrude." Whatever. Off the list of interesting people, on the list of creepy people. We even tried to convince Julie and Katy out, but they were tucked in for their Valentine's Day.

So by the time we reached Shooter's, we were all quite tipsy (BZ was clearing out).

Me and Jeffery!

Blogger photo -- god I'm a nerd

...at Shooter's I met a cute boy who loves Jesus -- we all have our faults :-) j/k -- who had informed me that darling Joe Penno has left even the Pride Committee (what happened to him?). 

I got home somehow, but not after a quick rendez-vous with the cute boy from Shooter's.

And I tucked into bed, where I woke up the next morning in the same clothes I went out the night before.

Overall, the best Valentine's Day to date.

Thanks :-). You guys made it awesome.

CINCY GAY SCENE: Jeff & Jen in the morning... in DRAG!

This just came across the email...

ATTENTION ALL COURTIERS AND FRIENDS!!!!

We have just been given a great honor and chance to make our Turnabout show Friday 6/20 11:30 at Shooter's something of a legend. Thanks to a suggestion from Miss Maxie Malone I entered the "Whatever it Takes" contest at Q102. Now I have just confirmed that Jeff and Jen from the Q102 morning show will not only be at the Turnabout show, but will be performing as well.

We need to pull some stuff together for them. Jeff mainly will need clothes Xl to
XXL and size 11 or 12 shoes. We will all need help painting and getting both ready. Please be there around 8 or 9, Jeff and Jen will be getting there at 10. Also this will be on the radio at some point so please come out and support the show. More details to follow

For those who don't know, this is an ISQCCBE show, which is a charity drag troupe that has raised over $700,000 for local organizations in the last 17 years. It is also a troupe I am a member of. (Link to Q102's website, and link to the contest front page)

That's right, kids, Jeff & Jen... in DRAG!!!!

A little bit of a personal note. I get off work at 6am, and, when I had a car, I would listen to Jeff & Jenn. I think they are funny and charming and wonderful, and Jenn's obsession with Nick Lachey... well, I'm going to say that I would want to nuzzle a little on him too (and I was dying to host a pants party with Mike Delfino's pants that she got... YUM!). The only problem -- and maybe, maybe, they will read this and hear how annoyed I am by the ongoing commentary: Jeff would constantly refer to the The Advocate "one of these magazines that outs people." I love you Jeff, I believe you are okay with the gay, but pick one up... yea, it does out people occasionally (it also allows a space for some people to out themselves). But, for the most part, it just reports on gay politics and news throughout the country.

CINCY GAY SCENE: This coming weekend...

There are three huge things going on this weekend, so I thought I'd give the heads up:

1) Vivica LaCroix comes to Cincinnati (from Oxford)! She'll be performing at Shooter's at 11:30pm with my own drag mother, Truly Scrumptious.



2) Dayton Pride is Saturday, which should be an interesting new experience! However, I have never heard anything about Dayton Pride, so how big it is and what goes on... well, I guess we'll see! Although they Margaret Cho last year, which was a huge coup.

3) Cincinnati Drag Races are this Sunday. I have usually been disappointed with this particular event in Prides in the past, but I'm going to keep my mind open for this one because it looks like there's been some time put into, at least, the website. However, I've not heard much buzz, so we'll see how it all turns out, yes? The website also lists off some really fun parties going on!

Anyways, that's where you can catch me this weekend!