by Bob Bolyard

      On Sunday, November 16, over 70 friends, drag queens and family members gathered to celebrate the life of Lady Zeno, who died November 6, reportedly a victim of suicide. The memorial event took place at the St. John's Club in Burlington, one of Lady Zeno's favorite karaoke and drag performance venues.
      Lady Zeno (a.k.a. Jason Kirby, age 29, of Bristol) burst on the local drag scene in the spring of 1998 as part of "Drag Camp Follies" presented by the House of LeMay. Since then she appeared in numerous House of LeMay productions and floats (both for Pride and Mardi Gras), always with a smile, always making people laugh. One of her most memorable bits was appearing as gubernatorial candidate Ruth Dwyer during the campaign of 2000. She sang "Take Back Vermont" to the tune of the Guys & Dolls classic "Take Back Your Mink." As always, she brought down the house.
      However, most people will remember Lady Zeno for her fund-raising efforts for Pride Day 2000. By hosting Tuesday Night Zingo (her own personalized version of Bingo!) and taking up collections during Wednesday's Karaoke Kapers, she raised $5000, one quarter ("Stupid tax!"), and one dollar at a time. For her efforts she was crowned the first (and only ever) "Queen of Pride."
      At the Lady Zeno Memorial Social (social being her code word for "Take a drink!"), members of the House of LeMay read poems, showed video clips and even played two games of Zingo. Many other friends offered their memories through stories, jokes and laughter. In her honor, over $250 was raised and donated to the Addison County Human Society, as requested by her family.
      Lady Zeno touched the lives of thousands. She'll always be with us. "Hail Zeno! Queen of Zingo!"

Bob Bolyard is a member of the House of LeMay.