Photo: Rich Rodriguez, Mister Ramrod 2011
Zak Enterline and Steve Whitney, proprietors of Fort Lauderdale’s oldest gay bar, Ramrod, are sending a contestant to the 2011 International Mister Leather (IML) competition, this year being held in America’s Second City, Chicago. Rich Rodriguez of Wilton Manors, who was crowned Mister Ramrod, is Chi-Town-bound this Memorial Day weekend.
Open for Business wishes him luck. Next up on Zak and Steve’s Bucket List: helping Your Kindly Scribe to find a pair of @#%-less chaps that accentuate his fundament during next month’s Pig Dance.
Stonewall Wilton Manors: Still Flying the Flag
Readers may recall that last year’s Stonewall Street Festival ended with a whimper rather than a bang following its organizing committee’s admission that they were flat broke following June 2010’s event in Wilton Manors. Pride of Greater Fort Lauderdale officers and board members reported a net loss of over $30,000 after the dust settled, with unpaid expenses for vendors, law enforcement and other creditors. This year, the standard for the seminal street festival has been picked up by Wedner and Friends Events, which is producing a more streamlined version for the 12th year of the summer Pride highlight.
The producers and city officials met this Tuesday at Wilton Manors’ Hagen Park in a preliminary Town Hall meeting to share their vision with residents and supporters for the 2011 production, being held Sunday, June 19. The producers say that the event has been re-envisioned for 2011, with a 4 – 9 p.m. festival component, a parade beginning at 6:30 p.m. and entertainment beginning at 7:30pm, all centered on Wilton Drive. This year’s Grand Marshals will be MSNBC News Anchor Thomas Roberts and his partner
Patrick Abner. Roberts, an award-winning journalist, anchors MSNBC Live on weekdays at 11 a.m.
Another new addition to the 2011 event is the participation of Luminary Couples in the parade, long-term partners who “will be honored at this year’s gathering for their courage and dedication,” according to event producer Ellen Wedner. “The first 10 couples, together 20-plus years, who reach out to us will be known as the Founding Luminary Couples, and will be invited to ride in the parade. Any couple having a 10-plus year relationship is invited to apply to walk or ride in the Luminary section of the parade as well.” 20-plus years? Open for Business feels special if someone holds the door open on the way out of the restroom at Torpedo.
By the Numbers
$24 Billion: Amount spent annually worldwide on the purchase of soap
$106 Billion: Amount spent annually worldwide on the purchase of household cleaning products
76: Estimated Percentage of kitchen dish cloths infested with germs
1-in-3: Number of American men who don’t wash their hands after using the restroom
If you’re “Open for Business”, you can contact Business Writer and Director of Sales, Cliff Dunn, with your story at Business@FloridaAgenda.com
