Mama’s House

from Embrace Magazine — The Arts Issue

Lake County Pride 2020

STORY & PHOTOS BY JOHN SOTOMAYOR

Mama Savannah Georgia and her tal-M ented performers brought the house down at Bank Street Patio Bar on Dec 3, 2020. Her show, “Holiday Carols Gone Bad Comedy Drag Show” presented drag kings and queens, a gorgeous stilt walker, and more to a mixed crowd of gay and straight couples and groups who came out to see the fi rst drag show in a popular straight venue in downtown Ocala. Performers included Derek Trent aka Mari Juwana, Marie Julian aka Mario Georgia, Nicholas Cotter aka Lady Fiona Georgia, Miss Persona Georgia, Samantha Bender and DJ Ron Coin Boy Hernandez-Kovalski.

It has been announced that the drag show will be held on the fi rst Thursday of every month. That is huge. A special thank you to Brittany Harrod, David Reyes, and all the bar and wait staff at Bank Street Patio Bar.

Other drag queen hosts have had gay bingo nights and other similar performances in the general downtown Ocala area but never to this scale and visibility. In its fi rst year, Bank Street Patio Bar is wildly popular, and Mama Savannah Georgia, who has toured all over the USA and Europe for over 26 years, has been breaking new ground in North Central Florida by performing her comedy drag shows in mainstream venues, like 1888 in Eustis, and Serendipity in Mount Dora, both in Lake County.

The reaction of the crowds show small town USA is ready and accepting of the LGBTQ community. Her encore performance at Bank Street Patio Bar took place on January 7, 2021 to a similar response. Hopefully, this is a sign of more LGBTQ events taking place in mainstream venues for all to enjoy.