Every year Pensacola and Pensacola Beach play host to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) visitors for a truly unique Memorial Day Weekend bash. For some the weekend is one big circuit party, full of beaching and dancing. For others it's more like a reunion and a chance to catch up with old friends. For everyone it's a celebration of freedom. The IN decided to get in on the action this year. Our first ever Memorial Day Weekend guide has a calendar of events complete with a helpful map, the low-down on how locals do it and coffee talk with a local drag legend. We also decided to do some digging and uncover the historical roots of the weekend and explore some of the urban legends we've heard over the years—like the infamous "gay money stamp." Speaking of gay money—we got into the numbers and explored the economic impact this weekend has for our local economy. We thought that was important—especially this summer since everybody is freaking out over losing the annual Blue Angel Air Show on the beach. You might be surprised by the numbers and how closely the Memorial Day festivities rival that event, even though it's less documented and touted by local officials. So whether you're from out of town and looking for the best way to get from point A to point B or a local looking for a better understanding and appreciation of this economic boom we get every May, this issue has something for you. Enjoy!
May 23, 2013
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Queer and Here
The Long History of Gay Tourists on Pensacola Beach by Jessica Forbes
On Memorial Day weekend, a remote stretch of Pensacola Beach is widely known as a destination for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) visitors for the first three-day beach holiday of the year. When speaking with members of the local LGBT community, one quickly learns that Memorial Day is not a Pride event—rather it is a gathering of vacationers, who happen to be LGBT, that follows a tradition that began when broad, mainstream acceptance of the gay community was nearly nonexistent. Though most locals are aware of the LGBT parties on the beach, some people may be surprised that incarnations of holiday weekend parties on the beach date back to at least the 1960s. From the
“The Emma Jones Society was originally set up in order to receive homosexual publications through the mail and to connect with national publications and discourses.” Jay Watkins mid-1960s through the mid-1970s, Fourth of July weekend, not Memorial Day, was a time that gay men began congregating in Pensacola for a community vacation.
WHO IS EMMA JONES?
Outside of 1970 Emma Jones flyer / photo courtesy of Gay Grassroots LGBT History Project 010 1
Emma Jones, though not a real person, played a significant role in the history of gay rights in Pensacola. A benevolent invention of Ray and Henry Hillyer, Emma was devised to help curb harassment of the city’s gay citizens and eventually became the host of the first Pensacola LGBT beach parties. Ray and Henry moved from their native Texas to Pensacola in the early 1950s, after graduating from college. Ray had been stationed at Hurlburt Field while serving in the U.S. Air Force and decided to settle in Pensacola permanently. inweekly.net
zations or even gay bars where the community could connect in Pensacola. EJS was the Hillyers’ solution for bringing the gay community together. “The only way they knew any other gay people was that—I mean, sadly— gay men would meet for sex in the park, and through those connections they became friends,” as Jones remembers the Hillyers describing life before groups like EJS. “Obviously nobody wants that dark history, but the reality is that’s how it was in those days. Unfortunately that’s still how it is today for men who are in the closet.” After a couple of years of developing connections through EJS, the society members decided to organize further, and throw a Fourth of July party.
“They sent out invitations to 50 people and they said 100 people showed up.” Joshua Jones
Founded in 1950 in Los Angeles, the society began publishing a magazine titled, “ONE,” in 1953. The magazine and the society soon after became the subject of an FBI investigation from 1953 to 1956. The Hillyers told Jones that they heard that the local Post Office was keeping a list of men receiving the publications and sharing the list with the police, who in turn would target and harass those on EJS beach parties began in the 1960s. the list. “Even they couldn’t remember if the first In response, the couple Fourth of July party was ‘64 or ‘65,” said established a post office Inside of 1970 Emma Jones flyer / photo courtesy of Gay Jones of the Hillyers’ recollections of the box under the fictitious, Grassroots LGBT History Project early events. nondescript name of Emma “They sent out invitations to 50 people The couple thrived professionally in the Jones. The P.O. Box became a gateway for and they said 100 people showed up,” said city. A trained ballet dancer, Ray worked as communications from the national gay com- Jones. The gathering started as a very small an artist for St. Regis Paper Company for munity into Pensacola. beach party, but “It kept growing and growover 30 years. Henry, a graphic designer, “In Northwest Florida there was an uning and growing until they turned it into a worked in the Display and Design Departderground network of men that would have weekend long event that they held at the ment of Gayfers Department Store. house parties all across the Gulf Coast,” San Carlos.” Both men were heavily involved with the said Jones. The Emma Jones Society (EJS) Jay Watkins came across mentions of Pensacola Little Theater and Elvie Dedeveloped when, “Once a month, their lady the EJS throughout the Southeast. “Several Marco School of Ballet, designing costumes friend from New Orleans would come over men from Panama City who I interviewed and sets for those organizations as well as and check the box, and they would all meet discussed the society and the beach parties several of the city’s Fiesta of Five Flags and at the guys’ house and share the materials.” in the 1970s. Also, whilst conducting reMardi Gras krewes. In the early 1950s, the couple told search at the Atlanta History Center, I came “The Hillyers were very well connected Jones, there were no homosexual organiacross invitations to the parties as well.” and had friends throughout the South,” recounts Jay Watkins, a Ph.D. candidate at King’s College in London. Currently preparing to defend his dissertation titled, “Hot Times on the Gay Gulf Coast: Queer Networks and Cruising Through North Florida’s Spaces, 19451965,” Watkins began researching the history of his native Northwest Florida’s LGBT community while working on a Master’s Degree at Georgia State. “The Emma Jones Society was originally set up in order to receive homosexual publications through the mail and to connect with national publications and discourses. It was a book club of sorts,” said Jay Watkins. Joshua Jones, a local attorney, spoke with the Hillyers in 2008 as part of an LGBT history initiative through Gay Grassroots of Northwest Florida. Together for over 50 years, Ray died in 2010 and Henry followed less than a year later in 2011. “In the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, that’s when all the male physique magazines started coming out and the Mattachine Society was sending out publications,” said Jones. The Mattachine Society was the first major gay rights organization in the U.S. Hotel San Carlos / photo courtesy Pensacola Historical Society
EMMA JONES AND THE FOURTH OF JULY
May 23, 2013
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McCrary’s friends told him that the Pensacola Beach party had been going on for a couple of years when he first came over from New Orleans in 1988 or 1989, “and it was already huge,” he recalled. At that time, mom-and-pop hotels and the Holiday Inn were the primary lodging available on the beach. “We didn’t really have condos out on the beach in the ‘80s,” Liz Watkins said. “We came over here and rented a house for a week, partied all weekend, kind of relaxed Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and then went home,” said McCrary, “It was great.” Paul Dye, who has owned downtown’s Cabaret since 2009, first heard about the LGBT party on Memorial Day weekend in the late ‘80s-early ‘90s while living in Kentucky. “I heard about it at work from somebody who had a friend who came back.” “Everything was word-of-mouth, we didn’t have social media. The internet was just kicking off,” Dye recalls. “In the gay community especially, even before social media, things were word-ofmouth and they’d spread like wildfire,” said McCrary, “I doubt that there’s a gay person within 1,000 miles of Pensacola that doesn’t know this goes on.” “I knew that there was a big event, but didn’t know how big it was until I came down and saw it for myself,” said Dye, who moved to Pensacola in 2005.
“It all fell apart because they started getting death threats. It was a backlash from the ministers in town, the city council members.” Jones
EJS Beach Party / photo courtesy of Gay Grassroots LGBT History Project The “conventions” at the Hotel San Carlos occurred at least as early as 1968. The event grew to include multiple beach excursions and a variety of shows such as a female impersonator revue, a Mr. U.S. Gay Contest, and musical performances in the hotel ballroom. Newspaper accounts state that in 1972 an estimated 2,000 “homosexuals … from all parts of the country” attended Emma Jones’ four-day Fourth of July event at the Hotel San Carlos, which was prominently located at the intersection of Garden and Palafox streets until its demolition in 1993. In their interviews, Jones says the Hillyers told him, “It all fell apart because they started getting death threats. It was a backlash from the ministers in town, the city council members.” Watkins says articles he encountered in his research indicate that in the mid1970s, “Pensacola authorities were none too pleased that Pensacola had become the gay capital of the South. So they initiated a crackdown on the most recognizable sites of gay communities in the hopes of cleaning up the city’s image.”
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The Hillyers believed the primary reason the Fourth of July party went on for so long was their friendships with society women involved in Fiesta and Mardi Gras organizations. “Those women sort of kept their husbands at bay to protect Ray and Henry,” the couple told Jones. The last EJS convention occurred in 1975. “I think those core people that started it remained friends, but at that point, gay life was so different than it had been in the ‘50s. There wasn’t a need for the secret or private post office box,” said Jones. After 1975, friendships forged in the EJS likely continued. A gathering of former EJS compatriots may have simply morphed into the Memorial Day weekend party that has grown since then.
REINVENTED IN THE ‘80S
It was not long after the EJS conventions ended, many have heard, that the three-day Memorial Day weekend became the common holiday for LGBT vacationers to meet up. Liz Watkins, a locally-based television and video documentary producer, moved to
Pensacola from New Orleans in 1982. The first year she went to the beach on Memorial Day weekend was 1986, and hundreds of LGBT visitors congregated near what is now Park East. Some have heard the gatherings began when two men invited friends from Atlanta in for the weekend in the 1970s; others that locals invited friends from South Florida up, and the next year that group brought a busload of friends, and it grew from there. The undeveloped, private beaches of Gulf Islands National Seashore were evidently a draw regardless of where from the first groups hailed. “I guess they figured it was a nice place to go out on a beautiful, pristine beach and have nobody bother them, being a group of gay guys,” said Ted McCrary, manager of Emerald City. “That stretch of beach has a long-standing reputation as a ‘gay beach’ because of its remoteness,” Jay Watkins has found, adding, “In a time of increased scrutiny or moral panic, it is easier to be openly gay in places that are far removed from surveillent authorities or nosy neighbors.” Liz Watkins remembers the specific directions given in the days before GPS units. “Before Park East existed, there used to be a small, brown National Park sign. You went exactly two miles past it, and that’s what was considered the LGBT beach. So it was roughly another mile past Park East, originally, closer to Navarre.”
BUILDING STEAM—AND OPPOSITION—IN THE ‘90S
As the number of visitors on the beach grew in the late 1980s and early 1990s parties in town began to grow, also. Lauren Mitchell, an entertainer at Emerald City, has lived in Pensacola since 1987 and remembers the early 1990s being the biggest years for the club on Wright Street—then called The Office—when there weren’t many parties by outside promoters. “That’s when we first got a permit to have the street blocked off. This used to be a scuba dive shop, and so in the first years when she [owner Sherry
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Johnny Chisholm, who now owns Emerald Odom] had The Office, we had a pool. That City, and McCrary first produced a Memowas great for Memorial Day weekend.” rial Day weekend party in Pensacola in 1995, McCrary agreed, remembering from his before hurricanes Erin and Opal. Chisholm desk in Emerald City, “In 1989 when I first did not own a bar in Pensacola at the time but started coming, this entire building was a coordinated the first event—held in a waresweatbox, she had so many people in here. It house on Gregory Street that has since been was fantastic.” demolished—from New Orleans, where his The Office “was very much part of the bar Oz was a success. history of getting gays and lesbians accepted When two out-of town promoters abanin Pensacola in the early 1990s,” said Liz doned their parties at the Civic Center and Watkins. “We got really active in the late ‘80s, Bayfront Auditorium after the 1995 storms, early ‘90s.” Chisholm and McCrary stepped in and took Unfortunately, the activity was due to increased incidents of targeted vandalism and ire. over the events. After The Office, briefly named College “We started to have people really rowdy Station, closed, Chisolm purchased the club against the gays and lesbians Memorial Day,” said Watkins who remembers people dumping nails on the road leading to the LGBT beach and protestors “screaming horrible stuff.” In 1993, when a WEAR report dubbed Pensacola “The Gay Riviera,” some local officials became concerned that the event would ruin the perception of Pensacola as a “family friendly” destination. The City Council passed a resolution that October espousing the city’s dedication to “the propagation of traditional family values.” Some local citizens also complained to city officials about events in town. Odom met with opposition when trying to obtain a permit to close the street in front of The Office for parties in 1994. Eventually, Odom reached a compromise with the city and obtained the permit, after hiring an attorney. The opposition seemed illogical and unwarranted to many, particularly considering the amount of money LGBT tourists infused into the local economy over the Memorial Day weekend. “We had all of our friends coming in—we’re paying the toll at the bridge, filling up 18 coolers with beer, water, Coca-Cola, food… we’re spending a lot of money,” said WatWAVE Beach Party / photo by James Amerson kins. “That’s when we fought back. We started stamping the money.” The mid-1990s was the first time soin 1998, renaming it Emerald City (EC). Being stamped “gay money” appeared. locally-based, the EC team began expand“Suddenly this money started flooding ing weekend party offerings to the point that all through Pensacola,” said McCrary, “and before Hurricane Ivan the bar produced 11 difpeople started getting the picture: this is a ferent parties both in town and on the beach. huge boon to the season starting up.” According to McCrary, the LGBT Memorial Day event, “was absolutely at its biggest in 2001 through 2004, just completely out of control. We were working around the Despite the difficulty with some locals, the clock back then,” also producing a visiLGBT Memorial Day events grew throughout tor’s guide in addition to parties from 2000 the 1990s. With the increasing popularity through 2006. McCrary said the Sunday came increasingly huge events, putting Pennight parties at the Civic Center alone drew sacola on the circuit party map. 3,000 to 4,000 people. “By 1994, people talked about crowds of Hurricane Ivan cut back on the numbers 20 to 30 thousand,” remembers Liz Watkins. of “What we term the ‘Circuit Boys’: those “Johnny Chisholm is a business man, and are the guys who are fairly affluent and travel he saw that he could make money, and then to all the big parties around the country,” said several other people saw they could make McCrary. “Actually the big promotion parties money, too.” were just mainly for those guys. It didn’t take
ON THE CIRCUIT
May 23, 2013
anything away from the crowd that had always been coming to the clubs. In some cases, it added to it a little.” After Bayfront Auditorium was demolished in 2005, EC negotiated with SRIA to hold their Saturday night party at Park East, where it still occurs as the WAVE Beach Party and draws approximately 1,500 guests at $50 a person. “The oil spill was like the one-two punch,” said McCrary of efforts to reinvigorate the large numbers of circuit parties. “Really the big things in those years that hampered our building it back up were the giant strides we made at Disney in 2004 to 2007.” The EC team has produced since 1994 parties at Disney World’s Gay Days, which is typically the weekend after Memorial Day. After Hurricane Ivan, the number of their parties there jumped, said McCrary. “People were starting to have to decide if they were going to go to one or the other.”
primarily “girl” event—support Jones’ observations. Founded a little over 10 years ago, UnLeashed has had an estimated 8,500 people in attendance over the weekend in recent years. Just as the demographics of the event appear to have evolved so too have relationships with some units of local government. McCrary says the city “has been very good working with us” on permitting requests despite having “some headaches from it,” such as a church that protests at EC every year and files complaints with the city for letting them close the street. Of the critics McCrary says, “They can’t show any evidence that it’s a problem on any level. So usually you’re just left with, ‘We don’t like you.’ That’s really what it boils down to and really we don’t get much of that.” Buck Lee, who has been the SRIA executive director for eight years, says he remembers one arrest at an LGBT event during his tenure. For the most part, “no one is out of hand, everyone is well-behaved.” “Our clientele tends to try to take care of the places they stay and be appreciative. Much smaller events out there seem to cause a lot more trouble,” said McCrary of the beach events. Lee also noted the Park East beaches are usually left nearly pristine. “We have a fantastic relationship with the Santa Rosa Island Authority,” said McCrary. “When they get these big crowds, they always worry.” To minimize concerns, EC pays to provide two large dumpsters and between 40 and 50 port-o-lets at Park East, where facilities are minimal. “We do that for them, because they allow us to have our parties.” A standing tradition of donating to benefit charities—started by the White Heat Foundation in the early 1990s—continues. For the second year, Cabaret will hold benefit shows, with proceeds going to Okaloosa AIDS Support & Informational Services (OASIS). The Order of Zeus, a predominantly gay Mardi Gras krewe is the benefit charity for a number of EC’s parties. And so, the decades long Memorial Day weekend event rolls on. Stocking his bar early one afternoon, Dye paused a moment to reflect on what it is about the weekend that continues to draw LGBT visitors to the beach. “It was probably initially founded—and this is just personal opinion—on reuniting,” said Dye. “There are a lot of people in this business that I see that move on with their lives—Pensacola was a college stepping stone, things like that—but it’s almost guaranteed that weekend that we can see a lot of old friends.” Such news would likely be music to Emma Jones’ ears. {in}
“Our clientele tends to try to take care of the places they stay and be appreciative. Much smaller events out there seem to cause a lot more trouble.” Ted McCrary While the number and crowd size of Pensacola’s circuit parties may not have bounced back to pre-Ivan numbers, LGBT tourists are still visiting the beach on Memorial Day weekend en masse. “What it’s come to now is kind of what it was in the mid-‘80s or so where it’s a drive-in event for people from New Orleans, East Texas over to Jacksonville, Atlanta, Orlando, Arkansas,” McCrary has observed. “We still have huge numbers, upwards of 50,000 people.”
MOVING FORWARD
While attendance is strong, some have noticed changes to the overall makeup of the LGBT Memorial Day weekend crowd. “I honestly think that it has become more of a lesbian event than a gay event,” Jones stated. “Anecdotally when you’re on the beach, there are more women now than there used to be. It used to be completely dominated by men, but I think that’s turned around in the last five or six years.” The growth of events like the UnLeashed Music Festival at Flounders—a
13
Legends, Myths and Questions Unanswered by Jessica Forbes
Over the course of living and working in Pensacola, several IN staffers have heard a few curious stories about Memorial Day weekend. While preparing this issue, a few of those questions have been answered, but a few more have surfaced, too. If you have any tips, contact info@inweekly.net.
HATERS DUMPING NAILS ON THE ROAD TO THE BEACH Confirmed
multiple times over. First occurred in the early 1990s, some say roofing nails were dumped on the road near Park East as recently as four years ago. SRIA’s Buck Lee says he hasn’t heard of nails dropping over the past eight years.
BLOW UP DOLLS IN THE SKY Still Undocumented. David Dondero, who lived in Pensacola in the late ‘90s and has since been named one of the greatest living songwriters by NPR, told a story during a local show that stuck with a few IN employees. During Memorial Day weekend festivities in 1996 or 1997, or so the story goes, someone had heliumfilled blow up dolls in a convertible, and the dolls escaped, floating into the sky. Allegedly,
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someone called the police to report the Rapture was underway. No one at the IN has gone through police reports to verify the call, but this is a great story whether it is true or not.
NAVARRE WAS A NUDE BEACH?
Every beach is probably a nude beach from time to time, especially if tequila is involved, but there is no evidence to suggest beach nudity was ever legal in Navarre. Google searches indicate that due to its remote location, the strip of Gulf Islands National Seashore between Pensacola Beach and Navarre is a rumored favorite for nudists year round. Nudist colonies in Pace and Milton provide the only sanctioned birthday suit venues in the area.
THE STAMPED MONEY BROUGHT SECRET SERVICE A’ CALLING While
it is well known that cash has been stamped with the words “Gay Money,” pink triangles, or combinations of both, one local remembered hearing a story that the Secret Service paid a visit to a local LGBT Pride shop that allegedly had stamps next to the cash register. This
story, and the implication that the law about defacing currency is ever enforced, may come as a shock to those of us who wrote our names on bills in middle school, or last weekend at McGuire’s.
GAY BANK Not specifically related to
Memorial Day weekend, but, yes for a few years in the early 2000s, Pensacola was home to the Gay and Lesbian Bank, or G&L, which closed in 2002.
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND IS A LOCAL GAY PRIDE EVENT No.
Doug Landreth, President of Gay Grassroots of Northwest Florida, the organization that organizes Pensacola PRIDE in June, says that while Memorial Day is “a fantastic weekend of fun and frolic” and “an economic boon for the economy,” the beach events and circuit parties don’t benefit the local LGBT community, which is the goal of a Pride festival. Pensacola PRIDE is a week of family-friendly events, said Landreth, which aim to bring community members of all walks of life together, while Memorial Day weekend is a party. For
additional info about Pensacola PRIDE, visit ggnwfl.com.
PENSACOLA OFFICIALS STILL THINK HOMOSEXUALITY AND “FAMILY VALUES” ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE True, at least
of the Board of County Commissioners as of 2012. Last June, Mayor Ashton Hayward took a historic step in signing a proclamation on June 12 that declared June 10-17 as Pensacola Pride Festival Week and urged all citizens to “celebrate the diversity, humanity, and equal rights for our entire community.” Two weeks later, the BOCC ratified a proclamation “urging citizens of Escambia County to join with Florida Family Action in declaring Escambia County a place committed to the propagation of traditional family values that promotes virtues and values that give children and their families a first class quality of life.” The language was much like that of a 1993 City Council proclamation, except for the mention of Florida Family Action, the lobbying arm of the Florida Family Policy Council, whose slogan is “Fighting for Life, Family, Marriage and Liberty.” {in}
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Sightseeing You Can Write Home About by Jessica Forbes
Fort Pickens
Located at the far west end of Santa Rosa Island, history and/or nature buffs will appreciate a visit to this national park, one of multiple components of the Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida and Mississippi. The park itself is open 7 a.m. through sunset, while the Visitor’s Center is open daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Guided tours of the fort, which was completed in 1834, take place daily at 2 p.m. The fort’s museum reopened last summer for the first time since Hurricane Ivan in 2004, and interactive exhibits and HD audiovisual features are part of the new-and-improved museum space. Thanks to fines paid as a result of the BP Oil Spill, sometime in the future there will also be ferry service between the historic fort and Downtown Pensacola. 1400 Fort Pickens Road 934-2635 nps.gov/guis/planyourvisit/fort-pickens.htm
Veteran’s Memorial Park / photo by Samantha Crooke If you are visiting Pensacola Beach from out of town, there are probably enough basic activities to keep you busy—from shopping along the Quietwater Beach Boardwalk to simply sitting and enjoying the beach vistas. Should you find yourself wanting a break from the beach party, however, the following are a few activities worthy of a note home (or Facebook post) that don’t involve booze or amplified sound, and are unique to the beach and city of Pensacola.
ON THE BEACH
Fitness Onboard
For the fitness-focused beach goer, Fitness Onboard’s group fitness classes offer the unique experience of exercising atop a paddleboard in Little Sabine Bay. Fitness Onboard 101, which teaches the basics, is offered at 10 a.m. on Fridays. A bootcamp class starts at 9:30 a.m. on Saturdays, and on each Sunday, classes alternate between yoga and bootcamp at 11 a.m. A single class costs $26.25, but multiclass passes are available for those staying into the next week. All beach classes launch from Margaritaville Beach Hotel Pier, and the company also offers paddleboard rentals for $22.50 an hour or $84.50 for a day. 165 Ft. Pickens Road 912-8089 fitnessonboard.com
afraid of heights to climb aboard one of the climate-controlled gondolas for a spectacular view. Having opened last July, a ride on the Observation Wheel provides a great opportunity for aerial photo ops in barelyabove sea level Florida. With views of the beach and Gulf of Mexico, the observation wheel revolves four times during a 10 to 12 minute ride. Weekend hours of operation are Friday through Saturday, 12-10 p.m., and Sunday, 12-8 p.m. Adult tickets are $15 on all but one VIP gondola, which is equipped with leather bucket seats and a glass floor; VIP spins cost $50 per person. 5-A Via de Luna Drive 462-4360 facebook.com/360PensacolaBeach
360 Pensacola Beach Observation Wheel Not that it is easy to overlook the Observation Wheel, one of the newest attractions on the beach, but some basic info about the wheel may encourage even those May 23, 2013
Fitness Onboard / courtesy photo
IN TOWN
Emerald Coast Tours
Emerald Coast Tour’s Historic Pensacola Segway Tours provide one of the best ways to see the historic sites and neighborhoods of the City of Five Flags. Reservations are required for the various Segway excursions, which depart from ECT’s location on South Palafox Street and include history tours as well as Wine and Glide tours on Friday nights, among others. Bike tours are also available by appointment only, but if you’d prefer to explore by bike on your own, bike rentals are only $10 a day or $25 if you prefer to keep the bicycle overnight. Price includes helmets and locks so you can ride safely and securely. ECT also delivers the bikes to area hotels for an additional fee.
701 S. Palafox 417-9292 emeraldcoasttours.net
Museums in Grand Ol’ Buildings
If you are looking to beat the heat and enjoy a few air-conditioned venues, Downtown Pensacola has a number of museums and art galleries to take refuge in located in historic former government buildings. The T.T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum, formerly Pensacola’s City Hall, has three floors of historic artifacts to explore, the majority related to local and state history. Artel Gallery, a not-for-profit gallery, is located in a building that once served as the County Courthouse, and is now a visual arts exhibit space. Likewise, the Pensacola Museum of Art (PMA) resides in what was once the City Jail; some cell bars have been preserved within the museum’s two floors of space. Admission to the Wentworth Museum and Artel Gallery are free, but donations are accepted. PMA is $5 for adults. All are closed on Sunday.
T.T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum 330 S. Jefferson St. 595-5990 historicpensacola.org
Artel Gallery 223 S. Palafox (850) 432-3080 artelgallery.org
Pensacola Museum of Art 407 S. Jefferson St. (850) 432-6247
Veteran’s Memorial Park and Wall South
Overlooking Pensacola Bay, the 5 acreVeteran’s Memorial Park contains monuments dedicated to veterans of World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Dedicated in 1992, Wall South is a one half scale model of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., and is the only permanent memorial outside of the nation’s capital. A Marine Aviation Memorial Tower added last August and a Submarine Veterans Memorial are also on premises. The park is situated on Bayfront Parkway, the main route between the Three Mile Bridge over the bay and Downtown Pensacola, making it convenient for those traveling into the city from the beach. On Memorial Day weekend, the park is one of the most significant stops visitors and residents alike can make. Located immediately east of the intersection of 9th Avenue and Bayfront Parkway (850) 456-0040 pensacolawallsouth.org {in} 15
Gay Money
The Uncertain Economics of Memorial Day Weekend by Jessica Forbes
Dr. Steven Philipp of UWF authored a report titled “Gay and Lesbian Tourists at a Southern U.S.A. Beach Event,” published in the Journal of Homosexuality in 1999. Based on research he directed in 1994, Philipp’s data is now nearly 20 years old and, as he recently pointed out, outdated. “Depending on your estimates, there were 40,000 to 60,000 people coming into the beach that weekend, with little recognition,” recalls Philipp as to what prompted his research, “It was almost like they were invisible.” Having focused much of his career on tourism choices of African-Americans, Philipp, now the program coordinator of UWF’s Hospitality, Recreation, and Resort Management program, says the 1994 survey work was a side project he chose because the topic had something to do with discrimination. By Philipp’s estimation, “The larger community was aware of the event, but not supportive or particularly welcoming.” The 1994 survey involved 1,272 participants, the majority of which were “young, urban, highly-educated gay and lesbian tourists.” Only 10 percent were locals, and 34 percent of those visiting said they were staying for four days, and over 27 percent planned to stay longer. When the survey was complete and numbers were crunched, an estimated 27,000 gay and lesbian visitors, the National Park Service’s estimate that year, spent approximately $18.7 million on food, lodging, activities and retail that Memorial Day weekend. In light of his past survey findings and the continued popularity of LGBT events on the beach, “There is a significant economic impact here that we should undoubtedly be supporting,” said Philipp recently. Buck Lee, the Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA) executive director, said that the SRIA paid for the 2012 Haas Center study on the economic impact of the Blue Angels weekend and “any such study for Memorial Day weekend would have to be approved by the Board.”
To the best of his knowledge, Lee said there has never been in his eight years as Executive Director a discussion of any governing bodies endorsing or quantifying the economic impact of the LGBT events on the beach. Two phone messages left for the Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce executive director for this story were unanswered, but a Chamber employee, who asked not to be named, said their organization only keeps track of bed counts and which hotels sell out on given weekends, and could provide no information beyond that.
“I can guarantee you that a family of four that comes in for Blue Angels is not going to go spend nearly as much as two gay guys when one’s a lawyer and one’s a doctor.” Liz Watkins
Memorial Day weekend is an economic windfall for Pensacola Beach. How big of a windfall? No one has the numbers. No one seems particularly interested in determining the numbers, either. On Pensacola Beach, the weekend has connotations that may contribute to the reluctance to clarify the economics. Depending on with whom one is speaking, mentions of Pensacola Beach on Memorial Day weekend could be accompanied by an eye roll, guffaw, knowing smile or some combination of those. For individuals unfamiliar or new to town, this body language often alludes to the large Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) gathering that has occurred over the holiday weekend on Pensacola Beach for decades. The economic impact of the LGBT visitors is huge. That is all anyone really knows, or all that many seem to care to acknowledge.
Hotels guard their numbers closely. Pinpointing exactly how much money LGBT visitors spend at restaurants, bars, and retailers on a busy holiday weekend is only guesstimating in absence of focused survey efforts. In a year when Blue Angels weekend will take place without the Blue Angels and DeLuna Fest is cancelled, Memorial Day weekend is looking more and more like the best moneymaker on the beach this summer.
“There is a significant economic impact here that we should undoubtedly be supporting.” Dr. Steven Philipp
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ONE STUDY (AND DONE?)
Unlike Blue Angels weekend—another large, economically significant event weekend on Pensacola Beach—little organized effort has been made to quantify the total economic impact of the LGBT beach crowd, or Memorial Day in general. In fact, the last and only assessment of the LGBT crowd’s economic impact was conducted in 1994.
BED COUNT
Roy Williams, Assistant General Manager at the Days’ Inn Pensacola Beachfront, said Memorial Day weekend is on par with Blue Angels weekend as far as revenue for the hotel. Williams has worked at Days’ Inn for 12 years and stated that the hotel has been at capacity on Memorial Day weekend each of those years. “It’s a great economic boom for the hotel, one of the few weekends aside from Blue Angels that we can count on selling out.” Mike Nixon, Vice President of Hotel Operations for Innisfree Hotels—which owns the Hilton, Holiday Inn, and Hampton Inn on the beach—has worked on Pensacola Beach since 1994. Nixon regards Memorial Day as the first big sell-out weekend of the year, but not the biggest. “It’s the highest rates and the highest revenue producing weekend of the year up to that point, yes.” Due to timing, however, Blue Angels and the Fourth of July are bigger sales-wise for their hotels, Nixon says, as “July weekends are always stronger due to the timing of school schedules—everyone is out of school by July. Some colleges are still in even during May.” In the past, the Hampton Inn and Hilton hosted pool parties through the day, but Nixon said the large LGBT day parties seem to have moved to the beach east of the Portofino Island Resort over the past several years. While their hotels consistently sell inweekly.net
The Economics of Acceptance by Jessica Forbes
IN: By demonstrating the number of businesses supportive of the LGBT community, is it a goal of PAE’s to increase acceptance and maybe a more positive perception of Pensacola for residents and visitors alike? LATSHAW: Pensacola is a community bound together by common values of fairness, courtesy and treating other people like you would like to be treated yourself. We’re trying to show that those values that have made Pensacola such a great community will make it an even stronger one if they’re applied to everyone here, including LGBT people.
From shop owners, teachers, and doctors to loyal customers at your favorite local shop, the LGBT community contributes to every aspect of life in Pensacola. By demonstrating this contribution along with broad local backing, we’re trying to create a positive change in Pensacola. If we can create a culture where our city’s natural welcoming nature is applied to all citizens, including our LGBT neighbors, it will have a positive impact on our citizens as well as entice visitors and businesses to come to our town. Fairness isn’t just good for the community; it’s good for business.
“It will have a positive impact on our citizens as well as entice visitors and businesses to come to our town. Fairness isn’t just good for the community; it’s good for business.”
Sara Latshaw Founded in April 2013, the Pensacola Alliance for Equality (PAE) has, in a little over one month’s time, had more than 50 local organizations and businesses join in support of its goal of ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. The primary objectives of PAE being support, education and policy change, the coalition aims to foster awareness to ensure equality and safety for all Pensacolians, including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) citizens. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida, the University of West Florida, HIVevolution, Q-Up Pensacola, Gay Grassroots of Northwest Florida and the UWF Gay-Straight Alliance all participated the creation of the PAE. Sara Latshaw, the Northwest Florida Regional Organizer of the ACLU, recently took time to answer a few questions about the PAE’s founding and goals. IN: What was the impetus and/or inspiration for founding PAE? LATSHAW: Our community is moving in the right direction when it comes to LGBT equality. We thought this would be a great opportunity for direct action to ensure that all of Pensacola’s citizens are being treated equally. Whether you are lesbian, gay, bi-, transgender or straight, equal treatment and respect for all makes for a better Pensacola.
out on Memorial Day weekend, Nixon has noticed the numbers of LGBT guests have correspondingly dropped at Innifree hotels. May 23, 2013
Sara Latshaw
CURRENT MEMBERS OF PAE:
The University of West Florida HIV Evolution Gay Grassroots of Northwest Florida University of West Florida Gay-Straight Alliance American Civil Liberties Union of Florida McKenzie Law Firm, P.A. Dog House Deli The Spotted Dog Adonna's Bakery and Cafe Susan Campbell Jewelry
“The Gay and Lesbian community [on Memorial Day] used to be strong enough we could rent exclusively to them and sell
Levin Group Vinyl Music Hall Gallery 11 Fiore of Pensacola The Loft Appetite 4 Life Legacy Event Design Insurance Solutions The Leisure Club Abhaya Yoga Center Laura Bogan Social Media A&J Mugs Once Upon a Time Maximilian Coffee Cactus Flower Cafe Emerald City of Pen-
sacola, Inc. The Hair Do Sluggo's United Church of Christ Clever Ogre Polonza Bistro End of the Line Cafe Urban Objects Digital Now Bethany Lauren Photography Carl Wilson Woodworking
out. That’s not the case lately—I don’t think they have as big of a showing anymore,” said Nixon, who noted, “although,
IN: As a relatively new organization, what has the response been to your initial efforts? LATSHAW: So far, we have received a huge outpouring of support. The alliance is growing everyday with businesses, organizations, communities of faith and energized individuals who want Pensacola to continue to grow as a welcoming city. What that shows us is that the support for what we’re doing already existed here. We’re just trying to be the catalyst to turn that support into action. IN: Does the Alliance have any plans to maybe publish a guide or similar resource for LGBT visitors to the region? LATSHAW: This is not something that we’ve addressed—yet. But as the coalition grows, we’re going to begin planning other ways to promote fairness and equality in our community. {in} For additional information about the PAE, visit facebook.com/PNSGSA A Safe Port Counseling Center Zarzaur Law, P.A. The Magnolia Gulf Coast Tickets, LLC Law Office of Sherry Ivey Jones Food Not Bombs Pensacola The Great Light Media, Inc. Independent News Winston Perkins Carlton Marks Inc. Studio The Cabaret The Round Up JJ Creative Design Patrick Preston, Clinical Psychologist JG Interiors Yana Apothicaire Southern Oceans Archaeological Research, Inc. Blue Angel Yoga Glad to Be Here Dee McDavid Interiors Scout, Inc. Jason Wilkins Interiors Angel's Garden Joshua Aaron Jones, Attorney at Law, PLLC The Red Carpet Wicked Indulgence Emerald Coast Tours
there are more hotels and more rooms on the beach now, too.” continued � 17
FUTURE ANALYSIS
Considering the outcry in April at the possibility the Blue Angels air show would be cancelled, it is interesting more analysis has not been given to a weekend in which toll numbers consistently surpass both Blue Angels and Bushwacker Festival weekends. Also interesting to consider is that during 2012’s Memorial Day weekend, if every car that crossed the bridge from Friday through Sunday contained only one Hilton on Pensacola Beach / photo courtesy of Innisfree Hotels person, and that one person only spent $100 a day between lodging, food, entertainment, and retail shopping, that would still—arbitrary and under-exaggerated as those figures likely are—equal a $17.1 million infusion into the local economy. Actual figures are likely much higher, but, again, no one knows for sure what they may be. No one is sure either how much of the money comes from the pockets of the LGBT vacationers, a group that participates in events that are completely privately organized and funded, at no cost to taxpayers. A logical start to quantifying the num“This group as a rule is much tamer ber of visitors to Pensacola Beach is to look overall, with a lot more discretionary income at the number of vehicles crossing the Bob than a group of college kids,” says Nixon of Sikes Toll Bridge. But, as Paul Dye—owner the LGBT crowd for Memorial Day weekend, of Cabaret—points out, “You can’t go with “They are generally not as concerned with the assumption that every car that went the hotel rates, the cost to get here.” through the tollbooth is an out-of-towner Overall higher incomes on the part of coming in for the Memorial Day weekend. “ LGBT vacationers likely drive the economic Aside from the facts that Memorial impact of their stays even further, many Day weekend is not an exclusively LGBT people familiar with the Memorial Day celebration on the beach and people often weekend events believe. carpool and boat to Santa Rosa Island “The people that come down have that weekend due to limited parking and money, and spending $500 to $600 a increased traffic, using toll numbers is, at day on hotels, food is nothing,” said local best, a jumping off point for any economic documentary producer Liz Watkins, who impact study. has attended Memorial Day events on the Whether or not passengers are travelbeach since the mid-1980s. ling to the beach for the LGBT celebra“I can guarantee you that a family of tions, toll numbers do show that Memorial four that comes in for Blue Angels is not Day has, at least recently, surpassed the going to go spend nearly as much as two toll numbers during Blue Angels weekend. gay guys when one’s a lawyer and one’s a Numbers provided by the county show doctor,” said Watkins. “When a family of that from 2009 through 2012, the totals for four—like my family—comes to Pensacola, cars going across the Bob Sikes Toll Bridge they have to get the cheapest hotel room, consistently grew on Memorial Day weekeat the cheapest food, you know? People end—from 45,620 to 57, 472—while Blue don’t realize.” Angels numbers were more irregular from Figures from 1994 indicate that, at least year to year, fluctuating between 43,732 on 20 years ago, what Nixon and Watkins have the low end and last year’s high of 55,591. observed was true. Perhaps sometime in Comparing the totals for the Fridays the future someone will survey the beach through Sundays of Memorial Day and Blue business, crunch the numbers again and Angels weekends, more cars crossed over illuminate the true economic impact of on Memorial Day weekend each of those Memorial Day weekend in general and the four years except for 2010, the year of the LGBT crowd in particular. {in} BP Oil Spill.
“It’s the highest rates and the highest revenue producing weekend of the year up to that point." Mike Nixon
PAYING A TOLL
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inweekly.net
Ladies and Gentlemen
An Insider’s Look at Memorial Day Weekend by Sarah McCartan
“The Round Up and The Cabaret are our usual go-to hot spots for the weekend.” Jones considers himself a veteran, having been a Memorial Day weekend participant for just shy of a decade. For Jones, the weekend can be best described as, “Reuniting, sunshine and memories.” Ask any weekend veteran what the key is to having a successful experience and they will tell you that first comes hydration, followed immediately by sunscreen. “Hydrate—it’s a marathon, not a race,” said Justin McCoy. “Also, lather up with at least SPF 30 sunscreen and reapply because ain’t nobody got time for sun poisoning and premature aging.” While those may be keys to success and necessities to avoid suffering, McCoy explains that flexibility is also a must have. “I like to be flexible,” said Justin McCoy. “On the holiday weekend, I make an effort to be a social butterfly that easily flits from an intimate dinner to a packed dance floor.” Like many others, McCoy plans on starting his weekend downtown, before making his way out to the beach. “I will start off the weekend with my booty-shaking friends at the Big Freedia concert at Vinyl Music Hall on Friday night,” said McCoy. “Then I expect to spend most of my time at the beach, where I’ll celebrate pride by enjoying some sunshine, crystal-clear water, drinks, and good company.”
Everhart prefers a mix of weekend activities, with some down time in between. “I enjoy partying with new and old friends but I personally know only a few people that can seriously stand to have a five-day nonstop bender,” said Everhart. “I’ve got to have some down time for sure. I don’t think I’m the only one. Am I?” She’s not. Jenny Diamond agrees and also suggests that a giant flotation device is the way to go to relax and beat the heat during the day. And by giant flotation device, she means eight-person inner tube with seats, drink holders and even a sand anchor. “Friends and strangers will swim up, jump on, and hang out for a bit. It’s a fun way to meet people,” she said. Diamond affirms the weekend to not only be about the party atmosphere, but about friendship and above all, community. “Despite the vast array of fun shenanigans to attend, watch, or participate in, I prefer a more relaxed time with friends, and friends of friends, and friends of friends of friends,” said Diamond. “Don’t get me wrong, a lot of it is about partying, but in my experience, the weekend is mainly about celebrating community in the most open, unapologetic way possible.” Although still a newcomer to the weekend, Kimberly Hammoc shares the same collective enthusiasm. “It is the one time of year I don’t feel like a minority,” said Hammoc. “It is refreshing to see people being open and happy being themselves in such a large crowd.”
“Friends and strangers will swim up, jump on, and hang out for a bit. It’s a fun way to meet people,” Jenny Diamond
photo courtesy of Justin McCoy Step onto Pensacola Beach’s sugary white sand this weekend and you are guaranteed to see a colorful formation of flags flying high, flying proud. For many, Memorial Day weekend is one massive ongoing, uninhibited party. And one that kicks off well before the weekend officially begins. But more than that, and for the majority of individuals, the celebration is a time of community and togetherness. Throughout the weekend, some flock toward the party circuits, complete with sweat drenched, dance hungry bodies packed tightly together leaving barely enough room to breathe, yet still enough space to dance. Others prefer a more lowkey experience, camped out at the beach, floating in the emerald waters by day with a drink (or two, or three) in hand, and hopping along to beach bars after the sun sets. The weekend means something slightly different to everyone who partakes, which is the freedom, and the beauty in it. Still, many have their favorite go-to activities. And since we just had to know what these activities are, we asked a few locals to sound off and give us an insider’s look, to help us determine who does Memorial Day Weekend best—the ladies, or the gentlemen. Let’s start with the gentlemen. May 23, 2013
THE GENTLEMEN
“The beach is a major attraction for Memorial Day weekend,” said bartender Chris Peterson. “There is nothing like friendly attitudes and a diverse crowd that takes full advantage of our beaches. Gay or straight— you will not have a bad time.” As a bartender at both Emerald City and Portofino Island Resort, Peterson finds himself right in the middle of the weekend’s action. “You can’t miss the ‘Wave’ party located at Park East on the beach Saturday night,” he said. “Dancing under the stars with an amazing light show and entertainment? Count me in.” The celebration doesn’t stop when you leave the beach. Downtown Pensacola’s high energy dance bar Emerald City serves as a primary hub for the weekend. And for those looking to avoid the party circuit and associated cover charges, surrounding locales offer plenty of alternatives. “I think of Memorial Day Weekend as sort of a homecoming for friends, so we tend to go where the locals go,” said Joshua Jones.
THE LADIES
The gentlemen won’t be the only ones shaking it this weekend. There will be no shortage of ladies trying to keep up with Big Freedia’s vivacious bounce moves at Vinyl Friday night—and yes, I am counting myself in this list. But overall, the ladies are opting for a more relaxed weekend, spending time with old friends, while making new ones. Unleashed Music Festival at Flounders Chowder House on Pensacola Beach notoriously draws in a crowd, and this year’s lineup is an especially hot topic of conversation. “Two words: Brandi Carlile! Wait! Two more words: Indigo Girls!” exclaimed Sarah Everhart. “Flounders is where it’s at this year.”
THE WINNER
Ultimately, when asked how to best sum up the weekend in three words, it all came back to the idea of “something for everyone.” And so the winner is? That remains up for discussion, and left for you to decide. Regardless of gender, orientation, experience level, or anything else under the sun, there seems to me to exist an all-around tie, which is also the freedom and the beauty in it. All things are created equal after all. {in}
19
Memorial Day Weekend Event Lineup you are looking to get a good parking spot or simply a jumpstart on the party, The Other Side Bar, situated just next door to the left, opens at 3 p.m. daily. For more information on the full lineup of nightly events, visit emeraldcitypensacola. com.
THE CABARET
photo courtesy of Chris Peterson Whether you are looking to dance the weekend through, or simply sit back and enjoy the sights, sounds and scenery, there is endless entertainment to be found both daily and nightly throughout Memorial Day weekend. Here are some of the leading area events to add to your party lineup.
PARTIES ON THE MAINLAND EMERALD CITY
406 E. Wright St. Thurs., May 23 – Mon., May 27 9 p.m. – 3 a.m. nightly 18+ This Gulf Coast premier gay dance bar is bringing a different theme to each night of the Memorial Day weekend festivities. DJ Jay-R and DJ Dewight Barkley provide alternating music entertainment through the weekend with lights by Shavar. The grand finale is a special Memorial Day edition of “Drink & Drown” Monday night. If
101 S. Jefferson St. Wed., May 22 – Mon., May 27 Times vary nightly 18+ Enjoy nightly fun and entertainment without a cover charge at your neighborhood gay bar. Memorial Weekend at The Cabaret kicks off on Wednesday with Trivia. Back to back performances by the Armorettes of Atlanta serve as the main feature Saturday and Sunday nights beginning at 10 p.m. Along with offering entertainment, this touring drag troupe has raised more than $2 million for HIV/ AIDS support groups and services. This weekend’s shows benefit AIDS support group OASIS. For a full lineup of nightly events and times, follow The Cabaret on Facebook.
VINYL MUSIC HALL 2 S. Palafox
Big Freedia
Fri., May 24, 8 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. All Ages You haven’t lived until you’ve seen
the Queen of Bounce—Big Freedia—live and in the flesh, or until you’ve bounced right along with her. This New Orleans legend has been credited with popularizing the underground hip hop subgenre and booty shaking dance form that has become widely known as “bounce.” Tickets are $15. Advance tickets are available at vinylmusichall.com
Ladies Day Memorial Weekend
Sat., May 25, 4 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. 18+ Ladies Day Memorial Weekend 2013 is an event formulated by a group of local promoters, instructors and musicians, with a goal of bringing together the local community for a celebration of music. Although geared toward the lesbian community, the event aims to include and welcome everyone. Tickets are $15. Advance tickets are available at vinylmusichall.com
nice and cold. An ATM is also accessible on site.
Wave Beach Party
Sat., May 25, 10 p.m. – 4 a.m. If you aren’t worn out from the sun, you’re in luck, because Saturday night the party doesn’t stop. Instead, it goes all night. Saturday night, producer and DJ Roland Belmares brings an all-night dance party to Park East. Tickets are $50 and available for purchase online at memorialweekendpensacola.com. For more information on the Park East parties and a list of helpful weekend reminders, hotel information and more, visit memorialweekendpensacola.com.
CAPT’N FUN BEACH CLUB 400 Quietwater Beach Rd.
Sexacola Beach 2013
Located just a little more than a mile to the east of Portofino Island Resort on Pensacola Beach, Park East is your last stop before entering Gulf Islands National Seashore property. It’s a stop you can’t miss—especially this weekend. Park East amenities include a restroom and changing area, plus picnic pavilions and a lifeguard station. Most importantly, Park East acts as a central hub for the weekend, with parties brought to you by Emerald City.
Thurs., May 23 – Sun. May 26 8 p.m. – 3 a.m. nightly 18+ This weekend, the annual “Sexacola” event returns to Capt’n Fun Beach Club on Quietwater Boardwalk for its fourth year. Nightly events include wet T-shirt contests and cash giveaways. Special features include Thursday night’s kick off foam party, Friday night’s illuminated glow stick dance party (glow stick tip: green means single, red means taken), and a performance by the Ying Yang Twins on Saturday night. For a complete listing of nightly entertainment and ticket information, visit sexacolabeach.com.
Splash Beach Fest
FLOUNDERS CHOWDER HOUSE
PARTIES ON THE ISLAND PARK EAST
Fri., May 24 – Sun. May 26 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. daily Enjoy three uninterrupted days of fun in the sun at Splash Beach Fest. The free event includes plenty of music, bars, vendors, and beyond. Ice is available for purchase so you can keep your beverages
800 Quietwater Beach Rd.
Kristy Lee Presents: UnLeashed Music Festival 2013
Thurs. – Sun., Schedule subject to change Ten years ago Alabama country singer
—Creative Organic Vegan Cuisine, Coffee & Catering—
Vegan Cooking Classes twice a month — Sunday Brunch with champagne specials Thursday 3 Course Gourmet Dinner—Menu changes weekly. Plus Daily Specials
610 E. Wright St. | 429-0336 | eotlcafe.com 020 2
inweekly.net
In Observance Kristy Lee / press photo
“There’s a lot that gets lost in the translation of holidays, period. You’ve got to step back and remember.”
For more on the UnLeashed Music Festival, turn to page 28
Kristy Lee brought her guitar to Pensacola Beach and played an unadvertised show to roughly 800 friends and fans. Now the annual UnLeashed Music Festival brings in more than 8,500 attendees. This year Kristy Lee returns and welcomes Brandi Carlile and the Indigo Girls. Four-day General Admission passes are available for $105 including a service fee. Nightly tickets will be sold at the door based on availability. For more information and to purchase advance tickets, visit pensacolaunleashed.com. {in}
Paul Dye Veteran’s Memorial Park / photo by Samantha Crooke Amid the festivities that have grown to surround Memorial Day weekend, ultimately, the annual, federal holiday is a time to honor the memory of the men and women who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Sunday, May 26 at 1 p.m. the Pensacola Veterans Memorial Park Foundation hosts its annual observance of Memorial Day at Veterans Memorial Park. Mr. Mike Esmond is
this year’s special guest of honor. Mr. Esmond served with the United States Army, on landing craft transporting soldiers into battle. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War and the first Vietnam draftee to speak at the park. “Pensacola is a military town. With all the excitement, Memorial Day is whenever [we remember] the soldiers that have passed,” said Paul Dye, owner of The Cabaret. “It’s important to remember the
H e in b e Wr ig h t
prior military losses… we’re a country at war. There’s a lot that gets lost in the translation of holidays, period. You’ve got to step back and remember.” The public is encouraged to attend the observance ceremony and bring along blankets or lawn chairs. Veterans Memorial Park is located in downtown Pensacola on Bayfront Parkway, at the southernmost point of Ninth Avenue. {in}
rg St .
St .
Jef fers on St . Pa la f o x
1. VINYL MUSIC HALL 2 S. Palafox 2. THE CABARET 101 S. Jefferson St. 3. EMERALD CITY 406 E. Wright St. 4. THE ROUNDUP 560 E Heinberg St. 5. CAPT’N FUN BEACH CLUB
mainland
400 Quietwater Beach Rd.
6. FLOUNDERS CHOWDER HOUSE 800 Quietwater Beach Rd.
7. PARK EAST V ia d e
Q u ie t w May 23, 2013
ach ate r B e R d .
Luna D
r.
Here's a basic map to help you get a lay of the land. As you can see, Park East isn't really very close to anything, so don't try and walk there, ok? For transportation info, turn to page 22. 21
Travel Smart, Arrive Safe by Sarah McCartan
(ECAT) provides free seasonal trolley service on Santa Rosa Island. Trolley service kicks off this weekend and runs every 30 minutes, from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. To learn more and to download a trolley route map, visit goecat. com/routes. For live trolley tracking, check out visitpensacolabeach.com/trolleytracker. It doesn’t matter how you are getting there. The important thing is that you are traveling smart so that you arrive at each and every one of your destinations safely. Here are a few transportation suggestions to help you while you are out and about this holiday weekend.
TROLLEY TIME
Catch a ride on the beach trolley to avoid driving or lengthy treks up and down the beach. Escambia County Area Transit
JUMP ON IT
If you are looking for a ride from downtown out to the beach this weekend, or vice versa, jump on the ECAT Route 64 Beach Jumper. You can catch the bus downtown at the stop located at the corner of Jefferson and Garden streets, just a short walk from the Pensacola Bay Center and surrounding parking lots. Casino Beach Pavilion serves as the Beach Jumper pickup and drop-off location on the beach. For the complete route schedule, map and fare information, visit goecat.com/routes.
SEEING YELLOW
While there is a long list of cab companies in Pensacola, Yellow Cab of Pensacola just so happens to have the easiest phone number to store in your memory bank. If you can only remember one phone number this weekend—emergency numbers aside, let it be (850) 433-3333. Open 24 hours, seven days a week, Yellow Cab drivers are available to pick you up downtown, on the beach or wherever you find yourself, and will take you safely to your next stop. Expert Tip—Hailing a taxicab is fun, but this isn’t New York City, y’all. In order to get cab service, it’s best to first place a call and let the cab driver know where you can be found. Then you must stay there and wait for pickup. I know it’s tempting, but try not to meander away.
FLYING IN
If you are flying into Pensacola International Airport this weekend, there are several companies ready and waiting to help you hit the ground running, whether you are starting
off downtown, or heading straight out to the beach. Island Time Shuttle is available 24/7 to provide airport shuttle service to and from hotels, resorts and other weekend destinations. For more information, visit islandtimeshuttle.com. For shuttle quotes and reservations, call (850) 686-9741. Several area hotels offer courtesy car transportation to and from the airport. For a complete listing of ground transportation options, visit flypensacola.com.
PEDAL FASTER
If you find yourself growing tired while walking about downtown this weekend, or just want to move a bit faster but have no more kick left in your step, hop in a pedicab. Gulf Coast Pedicabs is a bicycle taxi tourist service, available to transport two or three customers at a time. Although they pedal for free, they survive on tips so be sure to have a fistful of cash on hand to thank them for pedaling your tired self. Visit facebook. com/gulfcoastpedicabs for more information, and be sure to look for them on the streets of downtown this weekend. {in}
Pensacola’s
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AUTOSPORT GRAND SLAM
the Eighteenth Annual
SPARTAN SCRAMBLE GOLF TOURNAMENT Friday, May 24, 2013, 12:30 p.m. Tee Off Tiger Point East Golf Course *All proceeds donated to St. Paul Catholic School* Prizes include the award of a new 2013 Cadillac for a hole-in-one on a designated par three hole, with three additional, separate $10,000 cash awards for a hole-inone accomplished on any of the other course’s par three holes. A special prize for two tickets to the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina shall be awarded along with round-trip air fare, ground transportation and hotel reservations in exciting Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Entry Fee: $95 per player
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FOREVER DIETING?
Coffee Talk with Lauren Mitchell by Hana Frenette
Lauren Mitchell / photo by Hana Frenette Lauren Mitchell is seated across from me at Starbucks with her hair pulled back, glasses on and no makeup. She is the epitome of relaxed with an oversized shirt, loose fitting shorts and flips flops. There are no fake eyelashes grazing her cheeks or glitter falling from her hair. Mitchell is one of the area’s most recognizable performers but she doesn’t feel the need to take her persona from the stage to the street. “Offstage and in regular life, I’m such an introvert,” Mitchell said. “I’m not up in the mall with my big wig on and my gowns, screaming for attention.” Not that Mitchell would ever have to scream for attention. Her 6-foot-2-inch frame plus heels demands it. “The first time I ever did a show in drag with in high school, for a ‘Miss Ugly Contest,’” Mitchell said. After that, while living in Gainesville, Fla., one of Mitchell’s friends who worked at a club had the idea to put Mitchell in drag and have her be in one of the drag show performances. “They had me in a big blonde wig and a bathing suit, heels and some little sequin belt—it was the ‘80s so you couldn’t forget the sequins,” Mitchell said. “Nervousness was beforehand, then once you’re on stage it’s like—ta-dah!” Shortly after her first performance at the club in Gainesville, a friend of Mitchell’s needed a ride home to Pensacola. Mitchell gave the ride and just never left. After working at several bars and clubs, Mitchell landed a job at The Office, which is now Emerald May 23, 2013
City, and has been there ever since. She’s in charge of setting up drag shows and parties and for planning events throughout the year for major holidays and parties. Being a successful drag queen isn’t just about the wardrobe and the makeup, although those two things are obviously very important. It’s just like any other element of show business. “You have to have everything,” Mitchell said. “Throughout the years a lot of girls have tried and not been able to make it because they think it’s just a party and all it takes is to be pretty on stage— you’ve got to have personality. A lot of it.” Many of the girls at Emerald City are dancers, while others have perfected various personas based on a variety of famous women, like Mary J. Blige or Diana Ross. “I’m not really a dancer, I’m a performer,” Mitchell said. “I can make it look like I’m dancing—I’m just getting too old for all that, I’ll break a hip!” Mitchell has been in the business for over 20 years. Her career has always taken place in the South and she has a very relaxed understanding of the way people react to her.
“If someone calls me sir or ma’am, they’re just trying to be polite, and that’s what I’ve learned about being in the South,” Mitchell said. “I just go with whichever one they say.” Whether she’s grocery shopping, or at a Starbucks or a Chick-filA here in town, Mitchell said she’s always been treated with respect, and it’s because she represents herself in a respectful manner. “If you just let the person call you by what they perceive you to be, you get a lot more acceptance, because their perception isn’t being challenged,” Mitchell said. “If someone just presents themselves with a little bit of class, it will take you a long way.” Throughout the course of our interview, half a dozen people stop by our table to say hello to Mitchell and ask her how the shows are going or what she’s been up to lately and what she’s been planning. She responds in a personable, light-hearted way to each inquiry and it is clear that she is not only well respected as a performer, but well-liked as a person. The South is her home and she’s good at what she does. No ifs, ands, or butt implants about it. {in}
TIME TO CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT FOOD. A LUMINOUS LIFE HYPNOTHERAPY
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850-346-7865 EAST HILL www.luminouslifehypnotherapy.com
“If you just let the person call you by what they perceive you to be, you get a lot more acceptance, because their perception isn’t being challenged.” Lauren Mitchell
Lauren will host Beach Bingo from 6-8 p.m. on Friday at The Other Side. Along with EC's team of entertainers, Lauren will also take the stage for spotlight performances throughout the weekend, and during The Jewels of the Emerald Coast shows scheduled for at 11:30 p.m. Monday and 1 a.m. Monday night/Tuesday morning during EC's Drink and Drown party. And, for those who would like a chance to say hello, Lauren will also be a Feature Bartender at EC's front bar during the weekend's multiple parties. Additional info: emeraldcitypensacola.com 23