August 15, 2003

Those who missed the first weekend in August at the River, missed seeing more gay men in uniforms than a typical battalion!  Well, maybe not. <wink>
 August 1-3 was the Northern California LeatherSIR and Leatherboy Weekend in Guerneville.  Since the "theme" for the fantasy portion of the Contest was "military", the producers Roger Gregg and David McCammon (of Gotham on Main St.) extended the theme to the whole weekend. If you missed seeing all the hot men, it's probably because they were dressed in camouflage.
 For those who are unfamiliar with the "LeatherSIR and Leatherboy" Contest, you might remember the "Mr. Drummer and Drummerboy" Contests.  I won't go into the details of the change, but it's the same contest, with the same sort of men, but just with a new name. Some if it has to do with the fact that Drummer Magazine is no longer being published. Think of it as just a name change and you'll not be so confused.  By the way, representatives from the Russian River had won the Northern California regional titles for four years running. Must be the water.
 There were "local" titleholders from San Francisco and Sacramento as well as the Russian River.  Three "SIR" Contestants and three "boy" Contestants.  Phillip Linder and Roger Hunt were the Russian River LeatherSIR and Leatherboy, respectively.  Sacramento sent Brian Williams and Arturo Crespo as SIR and boy, and San Francisco's Tom Braddock and Jose Guevara were SIR & boy were all in town for the Regional contest.
 The six Contestants, along with the seven judges and the two emcees all stayed at the RRR that weekend.  The judges included Eric Partridge [No Cal LeatherSIR 2002], David Shorey [No Cal Leatherboy 2002], Richie Chameroy [Int'l Bootblack 2003], Ray Tilton [No Cal Mr. Drummer 1998], Mr. Marcus [S.F. Emperor I after Norton], Mike Zuhl [Producer for the Int'l SIR/boy Contest], and last, but not least, Sandy Reinhardt ["Mama"].  Tony Koester [S.F. Leather Daddy XX] and Lenny Broberg [Int'l Mr. Leather 1992] co-emceed the weekend.  One could hardly take a step at the Triple R without bumping into someone with a title.  Funny thing is, when you get to this class of titleholders, they don't throw attitude - they're genuinely warm, friendly and helpful.
 Actually, the Contestants were amazingly calm throughout the weekend.  No doubt aided by the fact that there was a team of four Den Dads, headed by Peter Fiske [S.F. Leather Daddy XXI].  Because of a medical condition, our original Den Dad, Jim Peterson, had to back out - we wish him a speedy recovery.  Peter was aided by Chris Smith [Tony's partner], Bob Machado and Jeff Sanders.  Gerard McInerney was Judges' boy, making sure that the Judges were kept informed and not thirsty.
 For the Contestants, the Weekend started Friday evening at 8PM with drawing their numbers.  These numbers were the order in which they were presented to the audience on Saturday night, as well as the order of their interviews, emcee debriefing, and fantasy rehearsals.  Yes, there's a LOT more to a real Leather Contest than the few hours the audience sees onstage.
 Soon afterwards, all of the Contestants met at the Rainbow Cattle Company where they were introduced and began selling raffle tickets.  To keep raffle sale interest up all weekend, Roger & David planned to have several drawings during the weekend, with an abundant supply of prizes. Apparently, one contestant had his own way of keeping interest UP, and did so with a Russian River local out on Main St. - an act that perturbed one of the judges, and might be an issue at International.
 After midnight, the Contestants went to Xen for "Midnight Maneuvers" [a Dungeon Party] where some had the chance to get to know some of the Contestants... better. They couldn't risk staying out too late though, as their day began at 9:00 Saturday morning.
 From that time until midnight, their day was full.  The morning was filled with the aforementioned Interviews (30% of their score), Fantasy Rehearsals, and debriefing by the Emcees.  Their early afternoon was for the Opening Number rehearsal, and mid-afternoon was poolside.
 From about 2:30 until 5PM, the Contestants were mostly busy participating in a fundraiser with the Russian River Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence [http://www.rrsisters.org]. Together, they helped raise over $2,000 for Sacramento Cares, Sonoma County AEF, & BCEF throughout the weekend.
 (Personal note: I would like to ask everyone to be sure that you have not maxed out your credit card or checking account BEFORE you begin bidding on items at a charity auction. You not only hurt your own reputation, but that of the producers of the event and the charities. Ultimately, it hurts the very people that the rest of us are all trying to help.)
 In addition, they were still selling raffle tickets AND helping with the auction of the local baskets.  The basket sales were to generate money for the Regional winners' travel fund.  While the titleholders of each locale were asked to create a basket representative of their area, the Russian River men went well beyond the call - their "basket" not only contained items from local businesses, but was cleverly housed in a camouflage "tent".
 When dinnertime rolled around, the Contestants and Judges were all hauled up Old Cazadero to my home for dinner.  They got to experience all nine of the newly installed 4" high speedbumps on the mile trek up the road. I'm sure more than one Judge nearly lost his teeth on those bumps. (By the way, I've got a petition going about them....) Dinner included Baked Chicken, Caesar Salad, Carrot & Raisin Salad, and a cake with the "Northern California" logo on the top.  Except for the cake, it was a low-fat, healthy meal - just the right thing for folks who needed good nutrition for a grinding day. Thank goodness for my house guests that weekend - Peter Fiske and Brad Cavalier managed to clean up my home in about 30 minutes, just in time for the arrival of my dinner guests!
 After dinner, the Contestants had less than half-an-hour to shower, shave and pack before being escorted to Odd Fellows Hall.  (Hopefully, they took my advice and packed everything Friday night.) Roger & David made sure there was a changing tent outside the hall, allowing them to do costume changes throughout the evening as needed.  After all, God forbid we see them onstage twice in the same getup!
As the Contestants were getting last-minute preparations, the doors opened at Odd Fellows Hall and the audience began arriving.  Because all the beverages were included in the price of admission, some attendees arrived early to take full advantage of the hosted bar. They were apparent by their boisterous voices during the Contest."
 The Contest began with the six Contestants lining up military fashion onstage and five of the San Francisco boys of Leather presenting the colors.  The lead boy, Chris Smith, presented the American flag, with other boys (including one boi), holding the gay, leather, bear and boy flags. Our own David Meulemans sang the National Anthem (eat your heart out Kate Smith) and later sang "America the Beautiful".
 Tony and Lenny threw verbal jabs at each other throughout the Contest, keeping the mood of the audience upbeat all night long. At one point, their jabs were centered about the name of an unusual piercing that one of the contestants had, which sounded more like a Yiddish term than a Leather one.
 One by one, each contestant came up on stage and gave his speech.  Only one really followed Roger & David's instructions of following the "military" theme all night, and I'm not sure all the Judges got it either.
 By the way, for those who are planning to enter similar contests in the future?  A bit of advice - Do NOT try to memorize a speech. Memorized speeches have all the warmth of a fluorescent light.  It's better to have a bit of the 'possum-in-the-headlights look than the oh-shit-I-forgot-where-I-am-in-my-speech look.
 It's here that I have to note the biggest difference between an IML-type contest and an ILS/ILb-type contest.  It's the Fantasy portion which IML contestants never do.  Each of the six contestants had to come up with a sexual Fantasy which not only reflected their own proclivities, but the "Military" theme that was assigned to all contests for the Northern California region. It's this portion of the Contest that accounts for another 30% of the total score.
 While no actual genitals are displayed during an onstage fantasy, its pretty obvious what the action is. This year's Fantasies ranged from esoteric to fun.
 My personal favorite was Phillip's which played off of his Southern accent and turned what some might consider a "negative" into a "positive" (think of Gomer Pyle's cousin signing up for service) with great results.  By the way, who was the hunk he had on the table at the end?  Can we get him to run next year?
 Our Russian River Leatherboy's Fantasy used John Rochat [a former Mr. Russian River Leather] in a hot fantasy on an army cot.  Sometimes size DOES matter and John's stature was well suited to that of Roger.
 The San Francisco SIR and boy created a unique Fantasy as a two-part longer fantasy.  The fact that they were the first and last respectively gave them an opportunity to bracket all the other fantasies.  It was, however, a little difficult to follow for some Judges.
 Sacramento Leatherboy Arturo's Fantasy was difficult to place as far as "location" (were they outside, in a bar, ...?) but the effects were very good. He just needs to remember to bring a mop for afterwards... or a straw.
 The judging of the competition ended with the "Physique" portion of the Contest. With a sailor cap cocked to one side and a combination of American Flag shorts and leather, Jose [S.F. Leatherboy] was in the best physical condition.
 Before the winners were announced, there were the usual step-aside speeches, producer speeches, etc.  But there were two unique twists to the evening's show.  For one, David Shorey [No Cal Leatherboy 2002] was officially inducted onstage into the San Francisco boys of Leather.
 The other twist was a presentation by Producer David McCammon [Minnesota Drummerboy 1998] to Chris Smith.  It was a drumstick mounted on a wooden plaque in the shape of California as a "Special Boy" Award.  Chris was speechless, but as his partner Tony started to grab the mike, Lenny reminded him that the award was not about him.  Chris composed himself for a moment and graciously accepted the award.  Lots of hugging and happy tears ensued, and several in the audience got misty as well.  I'm glad I kept a hankie or two in my left pocket that night!
 Finally, the Contestants were all brought onstage.  The big moment had arrived. Eric and David presented the crystal medallions as the names of the first runners-up were announced - SIR Tom Braddock of San Francisco and boy Roger Hunt of Russian River.  Then the winners were announced - SIR Brian Williams and boy Arturo Crespo, both of Sacramento. Eric and David draped the medallions on the winners, presented their patches, and stuck around for the photo-ops.
 Of course, everyone was in a celebratory mood at that point, so the crowds poured out of Odd Fellows mostly into the newly reopened Russian River Eagle (for their Victory Celebration) and the Rainbow Cattle Company.  It's good to have our Eagle crowded again!
 The Contestants were exhausted, and many headed for bed after a short appearance at the Eagle. I use the term "bed" euphemistically - at least five of the six got laid that night.  I know none of the three Leatherboys slept alone and Ray Tilton fell in love after staying overnight with one of the SIRs - Marcus wants the first born of THAT union. Hey Ray, you still want to move to Guerneville? <grin>
 Sunday morning was time for recovery. One by one, each of those involved with the Contest showed up at T.Jay's home for Brunch.  Between the food that he supplied, and the leftovers from the Dinner the night before, the whole town could have been fed. Everything from sushi to roast beef was being presented to a slightly dazed crowd. And coffee to "the hair of the dog that bit them" was downed to bring everyone back from a very successful night.
 In a magnanimous act, Phillip presented two imported Alabaster statues to the Northern California winners. They will be used as a starter for their International baskets.
 While most of the crowd had to return to their hometowns, some attended the fundraiser benefit Sunday afternoon at the Eagle. Others were probably too worn out to do much of anything but rest, take care of sore feet, butts, or dicks.
 Mr. Marcus ran home to write his column for publication that week. His report was full of well-deserved accolades to Roger & David for having produced a superb event.
 As the Producer for the 2003 San Francisco LeatherSIR and Leatherboy Contest, and "Executive Assistant" for the Northern California Weekend, I know it's not an easy task to do. Especially when you find out you're doing it only 3 months before the event. I've figured out that as a Producer, you have to... Determine a location for 3 days of events, Choose a date, Select judges, emcees, and other staff, Plan a schedule, Create the paperwork, Meet with bar owners, Explain the difference between ILS and IMD (ad nauseum), Work with the local/regional/international producers, Build an automated spreadsheet for the tallymaster, Create webpages, ads, flyers, posters, cards, etc., Fight with the printer, Find contestants, Promote the contest, Inform the press, Invite everyone you know, Get the bios, Collect the applications, Remind your staff (about everything), Write emails, Replace staff who've bailed, Update everyone about everything, Produce copious amounts of documents which no one reads, Coach the contestants, judges & staff, Shop for gear & supplies, Decorate the stage, Coordinate the contestants (didn't they read the schedule?), Order/pick up the patches & medals, Pay for everything, Reserve regional accommodations for your winners, Referee squabbles with bar managers, Attend every party/fundraiser/contest between now and your own contest to promote, Negotiate "special guests", Worry about entertainment, Remember to eat/sleep, Hope the computer doesn't crash, Make copious notes, Forget about sex, Pray for good weather and good crowd, Circulate the guestlist, Take pictures, Prepare a speech, Stand at the contest looking nothing like the frenzy of thought that is going through your mind, And finally - graciously accept both the praise and censure of your event when it's over.
 My hat is off to Roger and David and their team of assistants for having done the job better than anyone else in my memory.  Everyone left the River in an upbeat mood after a fabulous weekend.
 And Congratulations to the new Northern California LeatherSIR Brian Williams and Leatherboy Arturo Crespo.  The best of luck to you both at International and in the coming months.

- Rod Wood,
  Northern California Mr. Drummer 2000