Local
Town woos bears with pizza, draft beer
D.C. dance club draws biggest Friday crowd two weeks running
The local bear crowd that used to gather every Friday night at EFN Lounge/Motley Bar has unofficially settled on Town as its new home.
Though the group has no established leadership, former Motley bartender Nicholas Baatz negotiated with Town owner Ed Bailey to have the group gather there. Green Lantern and Cobalt also made efforts to woo the bears but Town has had the largest turnout the last two Fridays.
“Without a doubt, Town is the new space,” said Kevin Smiffy, a bear happy hour regular. “I went to all three places the first week. I know [Green Lantern owner] Greg [Zehn]. He’s a good friend so I kind of owed it to him to stop by but there were maybe 20 people there as opposed to a couple hundred at Town. Town, by far, was the place to be.”
But doesn’t Green Lantern’s vibe suit the Bear crowd better?
“You would think on paper it seems that way,” Smiffy said. “But Green Lantern isn’t really conducive to bear happy hour because it’s two levels and the upstairs really isn’t that big. Town is one big open space with the bar against the wall. Yes, it’s more posh and not what you think a bear would be into, but who knows?”
Bailey said he and Baatz discussed that concern.
“I think they had some questions about whether or not we would even be interested,” Bailey said. “They perceived the image of our business, I guess, and didn’t know if we would even want their crowd there. It was a little bit of an eye opener for us because evidently some people think of us as a twink bar, which we aren’t. I mean, yes, we have our fair share of twinks, but I wouldn’t call us that though some have that perception. But yes, we’re excited to have them and it’s been a fantastic showing so far.”
Bailey says about 250 attended Aug. 20 and about 350 last week. Several provisions were made. Ordinarily Town doesn’t open until 10 on Friday nights but opens now at 6 on Fridays for the bears. They stay downstairs and Baatz arranged to bring their own DJ. Bailey provides pizza — they went through 30 extra-large pizzas last week. Bailey also installed draft beer kegs which Town didn’t previously have. Bud Lite and Shock Top are on tap. And rail drinks and bottled beers are sold for $2 cheaper than usual.
Bailey even instructed the drag troupe, which goes on at 10, to alter its first few numbers to find things that would appeal to the bears so they’d stick around.
“Everything’s been well worth it,” Bailey said. “It’s been delightful.”
Rehoboth Beach
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Attendees encouraged to wear appropriate gear
Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach hosts a monthly leather happy hour. April’s edition is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate gear. The event is billed as an official event of BLUF, the free community group for men interested in leather. After happy hour, the attendees are encouraged to reconvene at Local Bootlegging Company for dinner, which allows cigar smoking. There’s no cover charge for either event.
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
District of Columbia
D.C. Council member honored by LGBTQ homeless youth group
Doni Crawford receives inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award
About 100 people turned out Tuesday evening, April 7, for a presentation by D.C.’s Wanda Alston Foundation of its inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award to D.C. Council member Doni Crawford (I-At-Large) for her support for the foundation’s mission to support homeless LGBTQ youth.
Among those who attended the event was Japer Bowles, director of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, who delivered an official proclamation issued by Bowser declaring April 7, 2026 “A Day of Remembrance for Wanda Alston.”
Alston, a beloved women’s and LGBTQ rights activist, served as the city’s first director of the then newly created Office of LGBTQ Affairs under then-Mayor Anthony Williams from 2004 until her death by murder on March 16, 2005.
To the shock and dismay of fellow LGBTQ rights advocates, police and court records reported Alston, 45, was stabbed to death inside her Northeast D.C. house by a man high on crack cocaine who lived nearby and who stole her credit cards and car. The perpetrator, William Martin Parrott, 38, was arrested by D.C. police the next day and later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was sentenced in July 2005 to 24 years in prison.
Crawford was among those attending the award event who reflected on Alston’s legacy and outspoken advocacy for LGBTQ and feminist causes.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to receive this inaugural award,” Crawford told the Washington Blade at the conclusion of the event. “I think the world of Wanda Alston. She has set such a great foundation for me and other Council members to build on,” she said.
“Her focus on inclusivity and intersectionality is really important as we approach this work,” Crawford added. “And it’s going to guide my work at the Council every day.”
Crawford was appointed to the D.C. Council in January of this year to replace then Council member Kenyan McDuffie (I-At-Large), who resigned to run for D.C. mayor as a Democrat. She is being challenged by four other independent candidates in a June 16 special election for the Council seat.
Under the city’s Home Rule Charter written and approved by Congress, the seat is one of two D.C. Council at-large seats that cannot be held by a “majority party” candidate, meaning a Democrat.
A statement released by the Alston Foundation last month announcing Crawford’s selection for the Wanda Alston Legacy Award praised Crawford’s record of support for its work on behalf of LGBTQ youth.
“From behind the scenes to now serving as an At-Large Council member, she has fought fearlessly for affordable housing, LGBTQ+ funding priorities, and racial justice,” the statement says. “Council member Crawford’s leadership reflects the same courage and conviction that defined Wanda’s legacy.”
Organizers of the event noted that it was held on what would have been Wanda Alston’s 67th birthday.
“Today’s legacy reception was a smashing success,” said Cesar Toledo, the Alston Foundation’s executive director. “Not only did we come together to celebrate Wanda Alston on her birthday, but we also were able to raise over $10,000 for our homeless LGBTQ youth here in D.C.,” Toledo told the Blade.
“In addition to that, we celebrated and we acknowledged a rising star in our community,” he said. “And that is At-Large Council member Doni Crawford, who we named the inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award recipient.”
At the request of D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) the Council voted unanimously on Jan. 20, 2026, to appoint Crawford to the Council seat being vacated by McDuffie.
Council records show she joined McDuffie’s Council staff in 2022 as a policy adviser and later became his legislative director before McDuffie appointed her as staff director for the Council’s Committee on Business and Economic Development for which McDuffie served as chair.
Calendar: April 10-16
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