Florida Agenda

JOHNNY’S CELEBRATES 31 YEARS

Johnny’s is celebrating 31 years in business Thursday, Friday and Saturday, September 22 through 24 at both their Fort Lauderdale and Miami locations plus honoring the legendary Uncle Al’s 25 years working at the famed all-male dancer’s bar. Free drinks and hors d’oeuvres from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., $3 Chambord Vodka cocktails, 60 house dancers performing nightly starting at 6 p.m. and free admission if you bring a copy of  the Johnny’s ad from Mark Magazine  or the Florida Agenda. Johnny’s Fort Lauderdale is located at 1116 W Broward Boulevard. Johnny’s Miami is located at 62 NE 14th St. (in downtown Miami).

GLBX AFTER-HOURS

Hamilton Gallery at 615 East Las Olas Boulevard will be hosting the Gay and Lesbian Business Exchange (GLBX) After Hours Networking event on Thursday, September 22nd, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. GLBX is a Council of The Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce. Exchange events are free for members. The mission of the Chamber is to drive economic growth for the Greater Fort Lauderdale community; it was recognized that the Gay and Lesbian Community needed to be included in a manner to unite and connect, giving an inclusive voice to continue to attract new Gay and Lesbian businesses. For information or reservations, contact Drew Miller at (954) 462-6000 ext 8775.

PET ADOPTION WEEKEND
A Pet Adoption Weekend will take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 24 and 25 from 12 noon to 4 p.m. The
Pet Project, 1164 E. Oakland Park Boulevard. Puppies, kittens, dogs and cats will be available for adoption. Rescuers and shelters are welcome to bring “adoptees.” Water and treats for the pets will be provided, and hot dogs and sodas are also available for sale. There will also be a tent sale with 50% off selected merchandise at The Pet Project Thrift Store.

For more information, visit www.petprojectforpets.org.

SMARTY PANTS CELEBRATES EIGHT YEARS
Smarty Pants (3038 N Federal Hwy # M, Fort Lauderdale) will be celebrating their 8th anniversary on Sunday, September 25. The party will feature Chic Lisitano performing live from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Also on hand, the Flamingo Auto Group will be holding a Classic Car Show in the parking lot from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. That day will also feature a free breakfast at 9 a.m., a free barbeque starting at 1 p.m. and Bar Tab BINGO starting at 7:30 p.m.

TEXAS HOLD ‘EM POKER TOURNAMENT
Women in Network (WIN) will be holding a Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament taking place on three nights, Saturday, September 17, Saturday, October 15 and Saturday, November 5. Tournaments will be limited to the first 32-40 players who sign up. To register, please visit  womeninnetwork.com/Poker.html.

RESCUE & REJOICE
Abandoned Pet Rescue will be holding Rescue & Rejoice, an event to raise funds since the organization is run solely on donations they receive. The fundraiser will be held at Allied Kitchen and Bath (616 West Oakland Park Boulevard, Wilton Manors, FL 33311) on September 13th, from 6 to 8 p.m. and is co-sponsored by The Cabanas Guesthouse & Spa. Suggested donations include gift certificates and other merchandise that will hold a value in an auction environment. For more information on the Rescue & Rejoice event, or if your donation is something that needs to be picked up, please call Geri at (954) 581-6423 or email at apr954@aol.com.

My Gay Radio Streams Live
Mygayradio.com is streaming live every Sunday from Rosie’s on Wilton Drive,
4 to 7pm, and every Monday they will provide a live streaming event with DJ Jared Michael from Maracas Restaurant (3001 N Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale), and you can get FREE?margaritas from 4 to 7pm when you purchase a dinner. Listen live online at www.jumponmarkslist.com.

GLBX AFTER-HOURS
Hamilton Gallery at 615 East Las Olas Boulevard will be hosting the Gay and Lesbian Business Exchange (GLBX) After Hours Networking event on Thursday, September 22nd, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. GLBX is a Council of The Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce. Exchange events are free for members.

The mission of the Chamber is to drive economic growth for the Greater Fort Lauderdale community; it was recognized that the Gay and Lesbian Community needed to be included in a manner to unite and connect, giving an inclusive voice to continue to attract new Gay and Lesbian businesses. For information or reservations, contact Drew Miller at (954) 462-6000 ext 8775.

PET ADOPTION WEEKEND
A Pet Adoption Weekend will take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 24 and 25, from 12 noon to 4 p.m. at The
Pet Project, 1164 E. Oakland Park Boulevard. Puppies, kittens, dogs and cats will be available for adoption. Rescuers and shelters are welcome to bring “adoptees”. Water and treats for the pets will be provided and hot dogs and sodas will also available for sale. There will also be a tent sale with 50% off selected merchandise at The Pet Project Thrift Store. For more information, visit www.petprojectforpets.org.

TEXAS HOLD ‘EM POKER TOURNAMENT
Women in Network (WIN) will be holding a Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament taking place on three nights, Saturday, September 17, Saturday, October 15 and Saturday, November 5. Tournaments will be limited to the first 32-40 players who sign up. To register, please visit womeninnetwork.com/Poker.html.

“THERE COMES A TIME”
Miss Coco Peru in her all new show “Miss Coco Peru: There Comes a Time” on Friday, September 2, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at The Manor Entertainment Complex, 2345 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. The return of the celebrated monologist/singer/actor-actress Miss Coco Peru in an all-new, cabaret-style evening of stories, songs, lots of laughs – and a surprise or two. Legions of Coco-philes know that Miss Peru’s shows fearlessly explore all facets of human nature, expertly turning darkness into illumination.

“This time,” says Coco, “I’ve decided to do something a little different. I wanted to try something a bit lighter, a night of pure fun with Coco.” For tickets, visit www.brownpapertickets.com/event/183543.

LAY-BEAR DAY POOL PARTY
Sunday, September 4, from 12 noon to 7 p.m. Last year, 500 people attended, and this year it will be bigger and better than ever. This will also be a kick-off party for Beach Bear Weekend 2012, that will be happening May 10th-14th of next year. A $12 beer bust along with the $8 rum buckets and $4 Russian Standard Vodka specials. D.J. Daddy-O will once again be spinning his signature mix of music, so big thanks to him for making all the parties sound so great. There will be a Hospitality Suite at the hotel for the guests that want to take a play break. No cover. At The Depot, 2935 N. Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale. Parking is available up and down the street and they have rented the Citibank parking lot on the corner of Oakland Park and Federal for the over flow.

EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY
Celebrate two amazing years with Adam and Gallery 101 along with the debut of Fresh Catering and Events. Bring a friend to eat, drink and view art. On Saturday, September 3, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Gallery 101, 3350 NE 33rd Street in the Galt Ocean Village Shoppes in Fort Lauderdale.

PET ADOPTION WEEKEND
A Pet Adoption Weekend will take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 24 and 25, from 12 noon to 4 p.m. at The
Pet Project, 1164 E. Oakland Park Boulevard. Puppies, kittens, dogs and cats will be available for adoption. Rescuers and shelters are welcome to bring “adoptees”. Water and treats for the pets will be provided and hot dogs and sodas will also available for sale. There will also be a tent sale with 50% off selected merchandise at The Pet Project Thrift Store. For more information, visit www.petprojectforpets.org.

TEXAS HOLD ‘EM POKER TOURNAMENT
Women in Network (WIN) will be holding a Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament taking place on three nights, Saturday, September 17, Saturday, October 15 and Saturday, November 5. Tournaments will be limited to the first 32-40 players who sign up. To register, please visit womeninnetwork.com/Poker.html.

By CLIFF DUNN

A Bully Pulpit You Can Bank On

Since the operating company which owns Northwest Savings Bank announced plans in January to close its three Broward County locations, there has been a lot of wait-and-see concerning which area financial institutions will benefit from the coming vacuum. A number of smaller, community-style banks and credit unions are hoping to benefit from Northwest’s leave-taking, an exit which has $59 Million in combined deposits and $106.1 Million in loan paper up for grabs. For some, the trick seems to be letting customers know they’re waiting with open arms. “We would love to show those soon-to-be-orphaned customers that they have a soft landing here,” says Brenda Hartley, Wilton Manors Branch VP for BankUnited.

Directing traffic to her front door isn’t a recently-learned behavior for Hartley. “I’ve been based in our Wilton Manors branch for over seven years,” she explains. “I still need to remind people that we’re open for business just a few doors down from Five Points Publix. For our customers, though, we’re like a great restaurant: once they find us, they never leave.” Recently, Hartley and BankUnited took a stand against bullying and its often tragic consequences, especially among LGBT youth. Last year, the Southern Poverty Law Center teamed up with the Broward Sheriff’s Office Hate Crimes and Anti-Bias Task Force to produce the documentary “Bullied,” which chronicles the real-life struggles of then-teen Jamie Nabozny, who stood up to his tormentors with a Federal lawsuit  while still a kid in Wisconsin. That suit led to a landmark court decision which held that school officials are accountable for anti-gay bullying that occurs on their campuses. The groups agreed to hold the film’s premier as a benefit for the Pride Center at Equality Park, and Hartley jumped on board to help bring the film to South Florida for its premier at Fort Lauderdale’s Cinema Paradiso.

Poker in the Front,  Liquor in the Rear

Although Texas Hold ‘Em poker has been around for years, and entered into the zeitgeist nearly a decade ago on cable broadcasts such as “Celebrity Poker Showdown” (who even knew Gabe Kaplan was still alive?), the game – much like a number of local bartenders – has found a new life and following at several Wilton Manors venues. Both The Manor Restaurant and Complex and Sidelines Sports Bar have poker tables set up near their front entrances on certain nights as an enticement for patrons to stop in and play. Sidelines offers Texas Hold ‘Em daily through their interactive video games, as well

as a tournament on Tuesday evenings, and a game night on Mondays that includes poker upon request. Jennifer Morales, the club’s Director of Marketing, says that the tournaments and any other games of chance are played within the State’s closely enforced gambling laws. Laurie Whittaker, Morales’ partner and Sidelines’ co-owner, agrees (although she insists with the merest suggestion of a butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-her-mouth smile that “what happens in the smokers’ patio, stays…”).

The Wax Man Cometh

With the April 15 deadline for filing Federal income taxes fast approaching, Bliss Spa at the W Hotel in Fort Lauderdale is offering patrons some “wax relief” with a 15% discount on its body wax services. The “wax day” “wax break” (these puns almost write themselves) runs through the 22nd, with in-spa de-fuzzing demos starting on the 15th.

Court-Ordered Sessions

One of the most startling workplace statistics in recent years is the increase in the number of cases of reported sexual harassment of men by other men. According to Newsweek, “Between 1992 and 2008, the percentage of sexual-harassment charges filed by men with the [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] doubled from 8 percent to 16 percent.” Although these stats concern Steven Rowe of Multidemen-sional Wealth Management, he says with confidence they don’t bear any measure on his recent decision to hire an intern. Of the runway model-looking Moscow-transplant he recently brought on board to learn the financial services business, Rowe acknowledges: “I hired him because he kicks my butt at tennis.” While there were other factors contributing to the hire, Rowe says that employers are always looking for that unquantifiable unknown. “The office gets a dedicated staffer who wants to cut his teeth in a professional environment, and I get someone who ranked in the Top 50 on the pro circuit. It’s win-win.” Behold the X-Factor.