Daytime Drag

This ended up being one of the most emotional days for me.
Snapping this picture, I got caught up in what it all meant.

Saturday was the longest day of the entire weekend. Saturday brought about the AIDS Walk, and Lewistunning Dragapalooza. So, the day started in Ogunquit, took a road trip to Lewiston, and then returned to Ogunquit.

The morning started with me making a coffee run, while faces started to go on. As usual, I got to sit and watch both faces go on.  And, as usual, I was impressed by the difference in how the makeup gets applied.  Because, neither of the ladies puts on their makeup the same way.  And, oddly enough, this will not be the last time that I'm impressed by the differences in makeup application.

Because I get to be in the same place with them, while they're putting on the makeup, and, at this point, we're on day 4 of putting on a face, it seems like the time just flies by, and the face is ready.  And, then, I do the "husbandy" thing, and fix bra straps, and tuck fabric flaps, and then, my job is done.

And, they're off!

We walk to the beach.  The girls are getting attention, and if it were anywhere other than Ogunquit, I'd probably be worried about the fact that they're getting attention because of the daytime drag.  But, because it's Ogunquit, and I realize that the majority of the attention that they're getting is from people that I know, it's all good.  We arrive at the parking lot, where Frannie Peabody has set up, to give out numbers, and the race is going to start, and I start snapping pictures like crazy.  Chulani, one of the karaoke singers from Friday night sings the national anthem.  The girls pose for some pictures with runners/walkers.  The race starts.  And, we get to go ride on a stretch golf cart, to cheer on the runners.

Our Limo Awaits!

The girls originally got in the way back, which faces out away from the driver, until Shaunna pointed out that maybe it would make more sense, for me, with the camera, to be facing that direction, to take pictures of the runners.  So, we do a short Chinese Fire Drill, and I end up in the way back.  And, within minutes of the switch, I almost fall off, when the taxi starts to move.

Miss E'on, Shaunna Rai, Leanna Love

We only go to the halfway point, because the taxi isn't allowed on the beach, which is pretty much (from my understanding) the rest of the course.  We cheer on the last of the walkers, and then head back to the parking lot, for lunch, and more pictures.  Then, it's tear it all off, pack up the car, and get on the road!

We stop home long enough to repack bags, with new outfits, for Dragapalooza, throw clean clothes in the overnight bag, and then we're off again.  We pick up Cherry Lemonade, and book it for Lewiston.  And, it hits me while we're driving to Lewiston, that I totally need a bigger car!   Between the passengers, and the drag, we're packed. Fully.  And, I'm supposed to be fitting one more person into the car.  It's impossible.  And, I stress about it for a little bit, on the drive.

ClubKid MizzDiveena

Once we get to Lewiston, I get to relax again.  There's not a whole lot going on, other than reminiscing, and discussing the show.  This is Cherry's first year doing Dragapalooza.  And, this is really the first time that I've spent much time with Cherry or her male alter, Conor.  This is also the first time that I've really caught myself being judgmental about people that I don't really know.

I've always tried to not make snap judgments about people in general.  Give people a chance, before you decide for certain that you like them, or not.  This has a bad habit of backfiring on me...when I give people the chance to prove that I shouldn't dislike them, they prove to me just why I should dislike them.  Fortunately, this was not the case this time.

Because Cherry had hosted Cherry's Drag Race, and had taken a former friend of mine "under her wing," I had a preconceived notion of the type of person that Cherry is.  Read as, someone that I'll be social with in a social situation, but not someone that I would spend much time with.

One of the best parts of the weekend for me, was finding out how much of an ass I was, when I found out that Conor/Cherry was nothing like I thought.  It was decided that I needed to go pick out something for lunch, because, with my specialized diet, I should be the one to do the looking for something gluten-free.  And, Conor decided to go with me.  The first part of the walk was quiet, because I didn't know what to say.  And, then, there was a bit of bonding over, of all things, the blog.  From there, conversation came pretty easily.  I actually realized that this is someone that I have a lot of respect for.  He does the drag thing, he works for a magazine, and dj's at Styxx.  He puts me to shame.  Lol.  I work in group homes, and write a blog...

After eating, I felt better, and faces started going on.  And, with Shaunna, E'on, Leanna Love, and Cherry Lemonade, there was no shortage of differences in how the faces were done.  Some of it's war paint, some of it looks like geisha face paint.  The eyes are all different, even when the same colors are being used.  Tips are traded.  Upcoming shows get discussed.  And, then it's time to go...and I'm lost. I have no idea how to get to Bates College, from Benni's (E'on), and thus have no idea how to get back.  And, I know that I can't fit four drag queens, all their hair, outfits and makeup in the car.  So, I end up taking two trips, with Leanna as my co-pilot.

Prodigy

Returning to the college, to drop off Shaunna and Cherry and park myself, I get the first hint that the weekend is catching up with everyone, because some fool has decided that since the queens get to park by a side door, that so can they.  And, my parents are walking up, trying to figure out where they're supposed to get their tickets from.  And, I just want to run screaming away from the whole thing, at this point, because I'm having a hard time staying focused on what I need to do first...which is get the costumes/hair back to the dressing rooms.  So, I dismiss my parents, and tell them I'll be right back, because I still have to park...two blocks away.  And, by the time I get back, they've already got their tickets, and mine as well.

Shaunna Rai

We go get seats, and it hits me that, I've been using my camera all day.  I have no idea how much battery I have left.  And, I start panicking.  What happens, if I killed my battery during the walk, and can't get any pictures during Dragapalooza?

Cherry Lemonade

The show starts, and there is a request for no flash photography.  So, we can still take pictures, but not with a flash.  On the one hand, this is a good thing, because the lack of the flash is going to save the battery life.  But, on the other hand, it's going to make it harder for the camera to focus on what's going on on stage, because we're kind of far away from it, and it's not like the stage is super well lit... So, I start snapping away, and I have changed the speed to action, so that I can get more pictures, with less work.  And, then I realize that I'm taking too many pictures!  Because, the battery starts to flag, quickly.

Jacinda

And, 2/3's of the way through the show, it dies on me.  Mentally, I begin to curse the camera out, for having wronged me...because, apparently, this is a Leo trait, or so I was once told.  Then, I spot it.  At the end of our row, is a plug.  And, I have my charger!  The night's not a total loss for me.  Not that it would've been, even if I wasn't able to take pictures...but, I like having the record.  Finally, it's intermission.  Hopefully the battery will charge enough in the 15 minute break, to survive through the rest of the show.

Sara Tonin

Unlike last year, I never made it outside to snap pictures, thanks to a dead battery.  So, I sat with my parents.  And, this is when I find out that there's a good possibility that my dad is going to need to go in for back surgery.  ('Cause, of course, I'm not stressed out enough already, I need something else to throw in the mix.)

Intermission is nearly over, and Shaunna comes looking for me.  I try to gauge how much longer the show is going to be, because I'm going to have to leave, literally, as the last number ends, to get the car, and get it back to pick up all the drags before the lot empties, and I'm stuck in traffic forever.  As we're halfway through the show, there's no real time given.  So, I make it known, that this is my plan for the rest of the evening.

And, lo, the battery has charged enough to get me almost all the way through the show.  This year, there were far more first time performers, both picked from Outright, and established performers who haven't done the show before.  And, I was blown away by how good they were.

And, somewhere in here, Shaunna made the announcement that we'd been waiting for all weekend.  Frannie Peabody Center's fund raising had broken the record by more than double last year's numbers.  They had in fact broken $100,000, and there was still money coming in.

The turning point in the night, for me, was ClubKid MizzDiveena's second number.  In unloading the drags initially, I thought I'd recognized a friend backstage, who I wasn't expecting to see.  But, I wrote it off as being delirious from all the other days that we'd been going.  It turned out, that I, in fact, had seen Tony backstage.  And, he was performing with Diveena, as a demon of some sort.  And, so he came down the ramp around the seats, and happened to be on my side.  Putting things together, and realizing that it was him, made me chill out, and enjoy the rest of the show.

Then, just like that, the show was over.  I booked it to the car, and beat all the traffic.  Then, it was time to load the car back up, bit my parents goodbye, and head back to Portland, to drop off Cherry, and head back to Ogunquit, to rest up for the Sunday Brunch at Bessie's.