Public Notice
Nothing Succeeds Like Excess
By Kate X Messer, Fri., April 25, 1997
Break out the spangles, Babs. Let bad taste be your guide at Viva Las
Vegas, the annual funder for AIDS Services of Austin, happening
Saturday, April 26, 8pm-midnight, at the Austin Music Hall, 208 Nueces. Besides
DYI fashion action, look for faux gambling, live and silent auctions, the "Love
Me Tender" Wedding Chapel presided over by the King himself, plus a raft of
extravagant door prizes, including airline tickets, theatre comps, and a
spanking new Honda Civic.
Feeling a shade under after last night's Vegas romp? Tough tatas, missy,
because Sunday morning puts you right back at the scene of the grime. Through a
cruel twist of scheduling, the Austin Music Hall is also the site of
Workout for Hope, Sunday, April 27, 208 Nueces. Registration opens at
10am and the so-called fun starts at 11am -- a three-hour workout with the
indefatigable Cathy Ryden and other well-known sadists, ah, fitness
instructors. Money raised will help fund research for HIV/AIDS and related
cancers at City of Hope, a national medical and research facility.
320-7010.
The fourth annual Austin Bob Marley Festival livelies up itself Sunday,
April 27, noon-10pm, at Auditorium Shores. Admission is free, but they're
asking everyone to bring two cans of edibles for the Capital Area Food
Bank. You'll also want to pack some cash for your own care and feeding:
Cajun, Ethiopian, and Caribbean foods head the vendor list this year and, of
course, there'll be the usual round of jewelry, crafts, and Marley chatchkas.
Scoff now. After the third round of No Woman, No Cry, you'll be ready to
tie-dye the dog.
Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, don't miss the prelims of the 5th
Annual Miss Universal Thang Drag Beauty Pageant this Sat, Apr 26, at 'Bout
Time, 9601 N. I-35. Hopefuls hit the stage at 10:30pm, with the
vivacious Miss Augusta Blush officiating. The event finals are on for May 10,
same time and place, so mark your calendar accordingly. Proceeds help support
Project Transitions, which provides hospice, housing, and support
services for people with AIDS.
We always feel a bit giddy mentioning $150/plate dinners, but remarkably, some
of our readers can actually afford these things. If you're one, consider the
Share Our Strength benefit dinner, slated for Sun, Apr 27, at the
Shoreline Grill. You know the drill: cocktails at 6:30pm, dinner at 7pm, silent
auction ongoing throughout. This year's sale focuses on a series of handpainted
platters and chairs donated by over 40 local artists and designers, so you
should be able to pick up a snazzy accent piece over the hors d'oeuvres.
Proceeds benefit Caritas and the Sustainable Food Center.
477-5584.
Last-minute notice on Gary Wu, a Chinese gay and lesbian rights
activist, who'll speak at UT, Thu, April 24, 7:30pm, in the Education Building,
SZB 104. Wu has published and produced two books and a video on gay and lesbian
life in China, and is a co-founder of one of only two gay organizations on the
mainland. No dry theorist, he was also jailed for organizing a lesbian disco at
the international women's conference in Beijing. Along with his talk, Wu will
screen his film Comrade: A Record of the Survival of the Lesbian and Gay
Community in Beijing, 1995-1996. The event is free and open to the public.
Finally, the Clarksville/West End Jazz and Arts Festival is accepting
vendor applications for its ninth annual fest, coming June 14-15 in Pease Park.
Interested? 477-9438.
Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door, and $20 if you wanna get in on the Honda drawing. This year's proceeds are earmarked for the Capital Area AIDS Legal Project, ASA's pro bono legal arm. 406-6173 or 406-6115.
