Community Celebrates Hard Work, Unity
Posted: March 24, 2008
J. Allen Pope Community Unity Awards Mark Pride, Achievements
(Below) Former Mobile County School Superintendent Dr. Harold Dodge accepts The J. Allen Pope Reaching Out Award)
The ballroom at Mobile's Radisson Admiral Semmes was only a few seats short of being full, and that's a lot of people, folks! Saturday night's (March 15th) AQUA Community Unity Awards once again showed our strength and commitment to growing the Mobile LGBT community. Some orgainzations (such as the Southern Renegades) simply introduced themselves and explained their cause. Others announced awards to their members or members of our community. Here's a list of those awards:
Inspiration Award Dr.Moira Amado-Miller
Letter Better Late than Never! (Posted: February 27, 2008)
Kind Words from OASIS Arrive Delivered to The Renegade... Finally!
Kind words that arrive late are still almost always welcomed- (unless you're attending a funeral...) So when this letter was e-mailed this week from OASIS (Okaloosa Aids Support & Informational Services) The Renegade wanted to immediately share it with you!
The letter is in reference to our fund raising efforts during the "Bears 'n Baskets" auction held at The Roundup just before Christmas. Seems it was sent with the wrong address and kept being returned. So Butch finally just e-mailed it!
Thanks, OASIS. It was our pleasure. Good luck with the Positive Living Conference! (and if you don't know what that is, read on!)
Pensacola Agency Says Thanks! (Posted Dec. 1, 2007)
Renegades and E.A.S.E. Bring Holiday Help
"I didn't know where I was going to get the money! You're an answer to a prayer!"
That was the reaction from EASE case worker Carol Mott after being told she was about to receive a gift from the Southern Renegades. But it's really a gift from the community. During the Renegades's November bar night, patrons at The Roundup ponyed up for the chance to win a basket of beverages and other fun items. By the end of the evening, 300 dollars had been raised to donate to EASE... that's EmeraldCoast Area Services and Education (formally Escambia AIDS Services and Education). The club purchased Wal-Mart gift cards to be used by clients in need.
While Motts says the agency has been downsized, and she's the only case worker, she's still calling on clients. These are client living with AID or H.I.V.s who have many needs, not just during the holidays, but everyday.
Mott told The Renegade she had just received some requests from several clients for basic items, but she didn't know how she was going to fufill them. The donation, she said, came just at the right time.
The Renegades want to thank The Roundup, the businesses that donated items for the basket, and those who bought tickets that night. You may not have realized it at the time, but your few dollars will helps several people deal with a very trying time in their lives during the holiday season!
To Return to the Main Page, CLICK HERE!
Great Attendance, Big Success!
New Orleans Leather Run Packs 'Em In!
(Posted Sept. 30, 2007)
Chicago, Nashville, Atlanta, Dallas, even as far away as Wisconsin... Representatives from leather clubs throughout the country came to New Orleans for the last weekend in September, as the Crescent City Outlaws hosted their 2007 run.
The annual run is called "Jailbreak". And this year's theme offered a tempting title: "Lucky 7- What Happens in New Orleans, Stays in New Orleans". This years weekend party was the 7th such run by this New Orleans Levi/Leather club. This year's event also played host to the annual meeting of MACC- That's Mid American Conference of Clubs... kind of a "club of clubs".
Several of the visiting clubs hosted cocktail hours at area bars, sticking pretty close to the Vegas theme (although the jury is still out on one cocktail party hosted by a lone fashion plate named "Amanda Straddle", but she seemed to be "feeling" lucky at the time.)
One of Saturday's highlights was a Chinese buffet dinner, where club colors were presented and a number of awards were handed out. The Renegades's cameras were snapping away (between bites of eggroll). The Outlaws are a very small club, but pull off a tremendous run. The Renegades may want to consider participating in next year's event!
Congratulations, Crescent City Outlaws!
Now, get some sleep.
(ABOVE) 2004 Mr. Louisiana Leather Tim Lott (sitting) , his partner, Gary (center, standing), Lords of Leather VP George Hester (far left), and a gentleman whom I don't recall right now (please forgive me, far right)
(Above, Left) The dashing Jim of the Nashville Conductors (Right) Danny of The New Orleans Bears and Bear Trappers holds court.
(Above) Nope, no wall mirrors. There were just that many people at dinner!
(Above) And NOW, ladies and gentlemen, you know why that guy from Mobile was taking photos of your backs.
Good Time, Great Turnout (Posted October 15, 2007) Renegades Take Part In Pensacola Pridefest
A day in the park, a very "dark" leather pride party, and a successful benefit cookout- three very different events, but all enjoyed by members of the Southern Renegades, particpating for the first time in Pensacola Pridefest. (We would have taken part last year, but we didn't exist!)
A Day in the Park
While official Pridefest events actually began the previous weekend, Skulls started taking part on Friday night, ping-ponging back and forth between The Roundup and Emerald City. Saturday saw club members mingling with a steady crowd at Seville Square, where the day was filled with music, entertainers and performers. Gulf Coast Tide did a fantastic job of creating a well rounded stage show, including singer/songwriters Troy Rusnack, Kip Traylor and Lisa Christian. Members of the popular "Sordid Lives" cast made an encore appearance this year, with "Brotherboy" drawing in the crowd, right to the edge of the stage!. Portions of the AIDS Quilt served as a constant reminder of those who couldn't make it again this year, keeping a promise that "we'll never forget".
(Above, right: Singer/Songwriter Troy Rusnack hangs with Renegades Aaron & Matt at Seville Park. Now we know where Matt and Aaron's hair went.)
Blackout at the Bar
(Left: Locals Rick and Bill slum with the Skulls. There's just something about a cowboy hat that is neither cow, nor boy...)
Saturday night saw a packed house at E-C for that night's official Pridefest dance party. That happened to be the same night at The Roundup and the Southern Renegades played host to a "renegade" Leather Pride party! Turns out there were plenty of warm bodies to go around! The guys at The Roundup promised a good time, and they delivered, converting the rustic cowboy-themed bar into a true "blackout party" atmosphere, especially on the patio! The men were elbow-to-elbow. Renegades from all three states let loose, and the phrase "reminds me of New Orleans" was quoted way more than a few times. We don't know where all that black leather came from, but there's some nekked cows somewhere between Fort Walton and Gulfport! Kudos to those Renegades who wore their skull shirts, which are becoming hot items in Renegadeland. Be watching for some more leather and uniform themed parties at The Roundup. Doug, John and the guys promise!
Sunday was Cookin!
(Below: Renegade Tad uses metal tongs to poke at a weiner. Take it from there.)
With such a great turnout Saturday night, there was some doubt if there'd be a crowd at all for the Roundup/Renegade Pridefest Cookout at noon on Sunday. With 80 hamburgers and 80 hotdogs slapped on the grill, there was concern we'd have leftover meat. (Renegeades do not like leftover meat.) BUT- not to worry! By the end of the afternoon, it was all gone, and a steady crowd on the patio and at the bar made Sunday afternoon as busy as a Saturday night! More than 200 dollars in donations were given to Appetite for Life, and nearly everyone walked away with a cap ot a t-shirt (shwag donated by beverage distributors to The Roundup for this occassion.) Thanks to Renegades Tad and Rick for taking charge of the grill, and The Roundup for supplying the meat. And your webmaster says thanks to those Renegades who provided photos for this article and for the soon-to-be published photo page- as I couldn't seem to remember to bring my camera.
I must have been distracted.
Handsome, Weathered Images Reflect Renegade's Artistic Style
Meet Southern Renegade Scott Brady over a beer at the bar, and you'll immediately be taken by his good looks and friendly smile. But if you bother to look closer at this Mississippi son, you'll discover his talent for catching your eye extends well beyond his smile. It comes to rest on canvas stretched across a wooden frame. For this is where Scott Brady lets another side of himself be known.
After studying art and design at Mississippi State, a stint as art director in television, and working closely with promotions at Mississippi's coastal casinos, Scott has found time to create art that is true to himself. "You should always paint what you know!", he jokes. But when you see what Scott paints, and how he plays with his images, you realize he's serious about his work. In one work, called "Bourbon Cowboy", a western hat dips down over the brow of a shirtless, lean and lanky man, his thumb casually hooked in his beltloop.
A Bourbon Street character, to be sure. The pose is enough, but Scott takes a stab at a signature effect... fusing what he calls a "rustic organic" background into the work. The result? A rugged, raw feel that is decidedly masculine. It's a method Scott repeats in other pieces, ping-ponging between gatherings of men in football jerseys or no shirts at all, to tail-wagging pooches who seem to grin from the canvas. They're the kind of images Southern men seek when they're truely honest with themselves. To see Scott Brady and his work, visit his website. And should you see him in Pensacola at The Roundup, or at a Southern Renegade event, let him know what you think. You might even get that smile in return!
Update! Scott C. Brady's recent work, Irresistible, is available at Maggie May’s in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi. See it at his webpage by clicking the link below.
To visit Scott Brady's webpage, click HERE: http://www.scottcbrady.com
Appetite for Life says Donation Welcomed, Needed (posted June 27, 2007)
Kind club members and thirsty customers helped the Southern Renegades raise $269 Memorial Day Weekend. The Sunday afternoon keg party marks the first charity event held by the new club. In a letter of thanks to the club, Appetite for Life executive director Celest Southard wrote that the donation will provide one person living with HIV/AIDS a daily meal for nine weeks. Not bad for a few hours of suds.
Our thanks, once again, to The Roundup for providing the space and the beer!
The kind letter is posted below. If it makes you feel good, then take part in future Southern Renegade charity events. There will be others!
(Above) No, it's not a "temporary tatt" This is FOREVER, baby!
