Out In The Mountains : A+E - Winter Is A Drag Ball: Gossip Gossip Gossip

Winter Is A Drag Ball
Gossip Gossip Gossip!

Drag Queen Diva Tori Nado (Right) Spins her
own story of Winter is a Drag Ball 2006

Tori: "Call a cab, and make sure it's a van!"
Friend: "What do you need a van for?"
Tori: "My hair's too big for a regular cab!"

by Tori Nado

The above is not gossip – it's the damn truth. My hair was way too big, but it certainly made an impression when I attended the 11th Annual Winter is a Drag Ball at Higher Ground. Most people (Donald Trump) talk about location, location, location. Well, on February 11, 2006 that cliché held true. My Bad Weather Girl entourage (Val Kano, Sue Nami & Dawn Pour) and I blew into both ballrooms with such a force of nature that the H.G. security nearly called FEMA.
To start things off, The House of LeMay played hostesses to over 800 wonderfully, outlandish attendees on that frigid (see: Anne Coulter), Saturday evening. Amber, Marguerite, Lucy Belle, and Liza (not of the Minelli variety) not only hosted the evening, but also hob-knobbed, sang, danced and coordinated the entire Ball — and that takes balls. At the start of the evening, The LeMay's performed their trailer-park-inspired cabaret act in the Showcase Lounge with their talented back up band The Decoys.

Meanwhile, in the Ballroom, punk-rock locals The Dirty Blondes gave a whiskey-infused, no-holes barred performance. If you are not familiar with the Blondes' music, think of a less-classy Courtney Love only talented but still really drunk.

After I finished my own mini-performance of Yentl in the restroom, Nathan Jarvis headed up a Phantasmagoria performance complete with dancing ladies and coordinated leopard-print costumes which, I hope to borrow in the very near future. Meow.

Speaking of costumes, mine was great! But so were the costumes of the Madonna's – all five of them. They not only looked fabulous, but also performed a "best-of" montage thanks to the many re-incarnations of Madge herself. What Drag Ball isn't complete without a handful of Madonna's? I'm not talking about religious icons either (ok, I did see a few Mary's). Attendees that really made a splash were Aykasha who was crowned Queen and Professor Shamus OnMe who was crowned King. Other title holders were Miss Muff Diver & Miss Blow Hole (Mess Congeniality), Miss Matterhorn (Originality), The Bad Weather Girls (Best Group – no, we didn't bribe), and a name-less duo that won Best Couple (rumor has it they were named The Retro Girls). When the coronation came to an end, DJ Elliot and DJ John Martin spun hits right up until 2 PM. So much dancing and so few sensible shoes - what a shame!

      All-in-all, everyone loved me, although the last time I saw that many fake tits "Baywatch" was still on the air. Don't worry, I don't discriminate. The last time I saw that many fake dicks was at a Republican fundraiser.
      Political leanings aside, the real star of the evening was the Vermont People with AIDS Coalition. The entire evening was a benefit for the Montpelier-based nonprofit, so big thanks should be given to the House of LeMay, everyone at Higher Ground, all the talented performers and everyone who attended. To learn more about VT People with AIDS Coalition or to make a donation visit www.vtpwac.org
      I will close with a beauty tip: Do not go hunting with Dick Cheney. That guy will really f*@k up your make-up!

Air Kisses,
Tori