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.”
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Congratulations to Yadiel Meléndez, on their new role as Community Associate, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Meléndez is piloting a new role as a Community Associate at the Wanda Alston Foundation, where they support queer and trans young people in finding their footing, building independence, and experiencing a housing community where they are seen, valued, and affirmed. They are coming into this role with more than a decade of experience as a community organizer and operations specialist, supporting diverse communities through service, advocacy, and program coordination.
Previously they worked for Right Proper Brewing Shaw as a server and bartender and at Sephora, Washington, DC, and at FreshFarm, DC, in bilingual food access. They also worked freelance to build foundational structures for local queer BIPOC performance art coalitions, producing variety shows to curate space for marginalized performance artists in the community. They were a production manager for Haus of Hart Productions, a BIPOC centric performance art production. They also worked as field staff with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Stafford, Va.
Meléndez is bilingual, Spanish and English. Their work is guided by a commitment to dignity, safety, and trauma-informed engagement, particularly within LGBTQ and BIPOC communities.
Congratulations also to Ben Rosen LICSW, on his new role as program director, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Rosen previously worked with Fountain House’s OnRamps program, helping to build a new, innovative outreach program for individuals considered chronically homeless, and living with serious mental illness, in the Times Square area of New York. Rosen is a Psychotherapist, having worked with SG Psychotherapy, and as the psychotherapist with the Nest Community Health Center (URAM).
Rosen has a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts: Musical Theatre, Minor in Psychology (Cum Laude) from Malloy University Conservatory; and his M.S.W. in Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups, from The Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, N.Y. He is independently licensed in New York and Washington, D.C.
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.).
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Comings & Goings
An effort to increase the number of psychiatrists of color
Calendar: April 10-16
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
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