Baltimore
Baltimore’s newest LGBTQ bar opens in Mount Vernon
Central has no connection to previous spot Grand Central
Baltimore’s newest LGBTQ-friendly bar and nightclub has opened for business.
Central Bar Mount Vernon had a “soft opening” on Friday at 885-889 N. Howard St., part of the city’s Mount Vernon neighborhood. The bar and club is open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily. Co-owners Marc Hayes and Ivan Yordanov are planning a grand opening for the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, with DJ Trakklaya.
Central is several blocks from the corner where another gay club, Grand Central on Charles Street, was closed in 2020 by developers who bought the property and shut the bar so they could construct an eight-story office building in its place.
The Central on Howard Street has no connection to the development team that bought Grand Central, but Hayes is the former general manager of Grand Central.
Knowing that the developers didn’t intend to keep Grand Central open, he explored several locations where he could open a new LGBTQ-friendly club and chose the Howard Street property. The city’s liquor board granted a license in June.
The new Central is actually three buildings that are connected on the inside. Over the years, the buildings have housed a series of clubs and lounges, most recently Bentley’s jazz club.
The new club has a long main bar on the first floor that’s reminiscent of the one torn out of Grand Central; a dining area, a full-service kitchen, second-floor lounge and dance areas and a second bar. The southernmost building is set up as a carryout. With 6,200 square feet in all, it’s one of the largest gay clubs in Maryland. The owners say it’s an LGBTQIA+ establishment that welcomes everyone.
Hayes said he and Yordanov have spent the time since June getting the building ready to pass inspections, stocking up on inventory, hiring a staff and otherwise preparing to open. He said he put a three-sentence notice on Facebook at 6 p.m. last Friday that Central would open at 8 p.m., and it filled up right away. Former Grand Central owners Don Davis and Troy Ross Caperton sent flowers. Central had another crowd on Saturday.
Hayes said he’s glad to be open finally and see a lot of familiar faces. He and Yordanov are planning to have Sunday brunch, drag shows and other live entertainment.
“We’re going to close for Thanksgiving to give everybody a chance to rest up and then get it on after that,” Hayes said. “We look forward to seeing everyone.”
Baltimore
The government pressured USA Rugby to ban transgender women. A Baltimore team refused to comply.
Ferals is a women’s-plus team within the Flamingos
By KYLE GOON | It was midmorning, and the March winds lashed against the faces of the players on the Ferals rugby team as they suited up at a park in Frederick. The turf was frozen.
Harper Ockert, 24, wrapped her left knee with tape, stabilizing her joint for the jarring hits to come. She had struggled to sleep the night before, but her anxiety was not strictly about the game.
She and her teammates were preparing to defy newly enacted rules set by the sport’s governing body. A nervous energy thrummed in her chest as she considered what her defiance meant.
Ockert is a transgender woman who plays for the Ferals — the women’s-plus team within the Baltimore Flamingos rugby club. Three of her teammates are trans women, too. They had played games for the Ferals before, but this match at Walnut Ridge Park was the team’s first since USA Rugby had shifted its policy to allow only people assigned female at birth to play women’s rugby.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Baltimore
Popular Mount Vernon gay bar Leon’s to temporarily close after owner’s death
Ron Singer passed away on July 7
By WESLEY CASE | Leon’s Backroom, Baltimore’s oldest gay bar, temporarily shut down after service on Wednesday night, according to a post on the business’s Instagram page.
The announcement comes a little more than a week after the death of the Mount Vernon bar’s owner, Ron Singer, who died at 66 on July 7.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Baltimore
Ron Singer, owner of popular Mount Vernon gay bar Leon’s, dies
66-year-old’s funeral to take place Friday
By CAYLA HARRIS | Ron Singer, the owner of Baltimore’s popular gay bar Leon’s Backroom, died Tuesday, the venue announced in a social media post. He was 66.
“For more than 20 years, Ron made Leon’s a place so many people were proud to call home,” the post reads. “He will be deeply missed.”
The Mount Vernon bar, typically open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily, is still open Thursday, but doors will close at midnight so staff can attend his funeral Friday morning. Services are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. at Sol Levinson’s Chapel.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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