Miss Fire Island

And now for something completely different…This past Saturday had me revisiting an event that I have been absent from for some 15 years. It was the Miss Fire Island contest. For the uninitiated this is a beauty pageant with a twist. All the contestants are men vying for this coveted title dressed in drag. 

The festivities, held at the Ice Palace just up from the ferry is no palace and the Grove Hotel which it is apart of except for a recent facelift was termed even by the locals as the classic ‘dive’ in fact the Fire Marshall’s made the owners redo the wood flooring that was showing signs of age albeit one day before the contest.  Nonetheless the Ice Palace is high camp and this weekend had the breeders (heterosexuals) overrunning this small hamlet reserved for alternative lifestyles. Cherry Grove, a delightful respite from the high tension we all experience back on the main land is a place where virtually anything goes and most probably does. The people are so laid back that you just feel comfortable as soon as you step off the boat and as my friend Bobby says there is no judgment here life goes on in an idyllic setting where you are free to express yourself from the deepest part of your imagination.  

The contest featured 33 different performers in different categories and some of them were more than reasonable facsimiles of the intended gender they were trying to emulate.  Some of the hairdos in fact were taller than me and the dresses looked like Gianni Versace originals. Now some may not be fans of Drag Queen contests for a host of reasons but judging by the reaction of this crowd they loved it.  The runway walks alone were not to be believed and when the entertainers did their shtick lip synching their act into their acrobatic fandango the crowd with a little help from the demon rum were collectively oohing and ahhing.  

The 2nd runner up and runner up were Elvis Presley like in that they were “pretty” and this years winner, Logan Hardcore had the countenance that rivaled some Prom Queens.  I missed two days of spin and after the Corso Zone today I made up for it in no uncertain terms.  

And as the raucous behavior escalated as the contest drew to a close and more alcohol was consumed it had some of the local inhabitants collectively sighing that this happens but once a year.  We breeders as my friend affectionately calls us can be quite the pain in the ass if you catch my drift.