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A Few Changes This Year
Attendance seemed up only slightly over last
year but not nearly as high as it was in
2001. I don't know if the weaker numbers contributed to
a change in promoters, but this year the gay night was organized
and promoted by FRESH instead of GUS BEAN PRESENTS. The music
on the three stages wasn't well appreciated, the comic performer
garnered quite a few complaints too and the crowd just wasn't
as creative or fashionable as in year's past. They kept the
stage placement, but did away with the after midnight "kick
'em outta the park" routine which was nice. Next year,
I'd like to see them reach out to a broader demographic as
the number of twinks and high schoolers seemed to have sky
rocketed while the bears and middle aged lesbians were supremely
under represented. A balanced crowd makes for a more interesting
millieu, but all-in-all it was a nice event for a new up-and-coming
production team unused to such large scale venues.
Time to rekindle friendships
This year, I got to hang out with three long time pals in
equal measures. The adventure began at 3:30 in the afternoon
when I left home to meet my pal Puppy. He and I hung out for
a little while at his plush new pad before making the trek
down to the South Bay. We wandered around the park and went
on a few rides together. By then we had run into Ggreg Taylor.
The three of us were in line for Invertigo when Puppy decided
to leave because his BF rang to tell him their friends from
LA had arrived for a holiday visit. GT and I went off and
had a total blast. We always found people to talk to in line
and even the lamest and tawdriest bits of the park became
fun when slathered with enough sarcasm and praise. By the
time GT had to meet his lesbian flatmate and her gal pals
for a ride home, I was ready to ride Top Gun again. While
it's not quite as much fun going it alone and in the dark,
it was still thrilling and probably the best ride they offer.
I wandered up to the dance area and met up with Blackstone
and his posse. He
wasn't DJing this year so he took advantage of the opportunity
to enjoy the park. The souvenier visors and characature drawing
were proof enough that he succeeded. After a detour to Morgan
Hill to drop off Mike, Blackstone finally got me home at 3:30
in the morning.
Time to ride The Rides
This year, Stealth was shut down everytime we walked by and
Invertigo broke as we were in line. It never resumed operation
so the choice for rides was quite limited. Mechanical difficulties
didn't stop us from having fun on the rides though...
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Q and Gal Pal, Christine W
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Time to enjoy the "Entertainment"
With so many of the best roller coasters shut
down this year, there was more time to check out the "entertainment"...
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Summer's
off to a great start...
