Local
July 4 in Rehoboth: fireworks return but Freddie’s is delayed
Nate Buccieri on the keys at Blue Moon; ‘Eyecons’ to open at Clear Space
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. — With Memorial Day weekend a chilly washout, the Fourth of July promises to be packed with revelers ready for a post-COVID good time and there are several big developments awaiting visitors.
Freddie Lutz’s dream for many years has been to open a Freddie’s Beach Bar at the beach in view of real sand. That dream is close to fruition. But reality has intruded and he will have to wait just a little longer as he navigates the process of opening a business in what Rehoboth Beach denizens have come to know as ‘lower slower Delaware.’
The City of Rehoboth Beach has never been known as a business-friendly place but to be fair, the issues surrounding the pandemic and now the reopening of the state have made things even worse. In the best of times the permitting process is slightly antediluvian. Today you also have to deal with Sussex County and it can seem to take forever. There are reportedly dozens of businesses looking to open, some in Rehoboth and others on Route 1.
So while Freddie’s Beach Bar won’t make its hoped for July 4th opening, Lutz himself is staying positive and working to get the restaurant/bar open as soon as possible. He wants to make sure when it does open it will provide the same level of fun, good food, and service as both Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington and his Federico Ristorante Italiano.
Lutz recently received an honor from U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) who presented him with a flag that had flown over the Capitol to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Freddie’s Beach Bar. He had been honored previously by the military for being a safe place for members of the LGBTQ community before “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was rescinded. Both of Lutz’s establishments are fully integrated into the community and he was proud to have been approached by Amazon during the pandemic to help prepare and organize meals they funded for first responders.
Lutz told the Blade, “Once Freddie’s at the beach is open I hope it will be as diverse and all-inclusive as Freddie’s in Arlington. I look forward to bringing the same magic people feel at Freddie’s in Arlington to the beach.” He added, “I am looking forward to working with all my good friends and neighboring gay bars to make Rehoboth an even more exciting beach destination for dining and entertainment.”
While we anxiously await Freddie’s opening, there are other options this weekend. Well-known New York City pianist Nate Buccieri returned to his residency gig at the Blue Moon this week and plays Sundays-Thursdays, 6-8:30 p.m. with no cover charge throughout the summer. Dinner is available during the show.
Christopher Peterson’s “Eyecons: Thank You Tour” premieres July 4 and runs through Sept. 5 at Clear Space Theatre. The female impersonator’s show features live singing parodies of everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Tina Turner. Shows are Saturday at 10 p.m. and Sunday at 9 p.m., all tickets $25.
After last year’s COVID-driven cancellation, fireworks return to Rehoboth Beach on Saturday, July 3. Festivities kick off at the downtown bandstand around 8 p.m. with fireworks at 9:30 p.m.
And looking ahead, the annual Sundance dance party fundraiser for CAMP Rehoboth is being replaced by the new SunFestival, Aug. 29-Sept. 5. The Blade will have more details in the coming weeks.
Baltimore
The fight to save one of Baltimore’s last gay bars
Leon’s closed in July after its owner’s death
By JULIE SCHARPER and WESLEY CASE | Soon after Jim Becker came out as gay in 1967, he ducked into a Mount Vernon bar called Leon’s.
In the dark, smoky bar, men used pseudonyms for fear of being outed, as homosexual acts were illegal in Maryland. Bartenders, wary of vice squad raids, would blow a whistle if couples leaned in for a kiss.
But to Becker, arriving at Leon’s was a kind of homecoming. He could explore his identity, connect with other gay men and build community in the anxious years before the 1969 Stonewall uprising, a pivotal moment in the LGBTQ rights movement.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
District of Columbia
Gay-owned pizzeria in Dupont Circle burglarized
Protest Pizza owners say community has expressed support
Gay activist Randy Downs said he and his business and life partner Ricky Bennett are grateful for the support they have received from the Dupont Circle community after they released a video showing a suspect breaking into their recently opened pizza shop and taking money from a cash register shortly before 3 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 21.
The surveillance video shows a man wearing black clothing with his face covered, smashing the glass front door of Protest Pizza, located at 1633 ½ P St., N.W. The video, which Downs and Bennett provided to D.C. police, also shows the suspect climbing over the bar to get to a cash register, which he opened to take out cash.
A D.C. police report obtained by the Washington Blade lists the incident as a Burglary in the Second Degree and says the owners reported “approximately $78 in cash” was taken from the cash register. The report says the incident is not listed as a suspected hate crime.
Downs told the Washington Blade that after he and Bennett reported the break-in and theft on social media, they received an overwhelming showing of support from neighbors and others, including business owners, from across the nation.
“The break-in was upsetting, but it is not what will define Protest Pizza,” Downs said. “What defines us is how quickly people showed up,” he told the Blade. “One person came looking for a cash register; our community saw a gathering place worth protecting. The response reminded us that Protest’s real value was never in the register.”
Downs said he and Bennett, who live around the corner on the section of 17th Street, N.W., near several other bars and restaurants, including the gay bar JRs are located, opened Protest Pizza in November 2025.
“Ricky and I built Protest Pizza as a positive, welcoming, queer owned neighborhood restaurant and bar — a space for protest and joy,” he said.
A D.C. police spokesperson said police offer a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction of a suspect responsible for the type of burglary and theft that occurred at Protest Pizza. Police say anyone with information to help solve this type of crime should call the police tipline at 202-727-9099.
District of Columbia
Advocates honored at Engendered Spirit Awards
Annual ceremony held at conclusion of Trans Pride DC
The 2026 SaVanna Wanzer Engendered Spirit Awards ceremony took place at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in D.C. on Saturday. The ceremony was held at the conclusion of the day-long Trans Pride DC: Encore.
Honorees included D.C. Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs Deputy Director Vida Rangel; the LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative, Inc.; and Connor Keuntje, CLP, CLPC.
Trans Pride DC: Encore was held throughout Saturday with several workshop sessions and a virtual conversation with actress and advocate Dominique Jackson.
The annual Engendered Spirit Awards were renamed the “SaVanna Wanzer Engendered Spirit Awards” in honor of SaVanna Wanzer, founder of D.C. Trans Pride. Wanzer died on April 24 of this year.
Speakers at the ceremony included Japer Bowles, director of the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs and Bianca Sprague, executive director of D.C. Trans Pride.
“The intent behind this award and honoring members of our communities, organizations, and allies, is to really elevate all of the work that they’re doing to provide resources, tools, learning opportunities and connections: centering trans folks, gender non-conforming, and gender diverse individuals,” Sprague said.
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Gay-owned pizzeria in Dupont Circle burglarized
Advocates honored at Engendered Spirit Awards
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