At The Mix Saturday, Feb. 13, Allen Beard, reigning Grand Duchess Pollo Del Mar, reigning Grand Duke Patrick Noonan, Grand Duke XXXV Carlos Medal and Royal Crown Princess Sandra O. Noshi-Di’n’t gather for the My Furry Valentine fundraiser. The event b

Notorious Sainted Glamazon About Town

“You’re a relentless fundraiser.” 

I’m not sure who in the crowd at The Mix last Saturday during the Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco-sponsored My Furry Valentine event said that, but it stopped me in my tracks – and put a huge smile on my face. Of course, it’s a huge compliment…one of the best I’ve ever received, in fact. Nothing could be more worthwhile in my mind than helping those in need, especially when those happen to be one of my true loves: our four-legged friends!

Moments earlier I’d promised the enthusiastic masses at the February 13 benefit for Rocket Dog Rescue that, if I could, I’d personally hold each and every person there upside down by their ankles and shake them until their wallets fell out. Fortunately, that wasn’t necessary. The partiers emptied their pockets on their own to donate to the Bay Area nonprofit which pulls loving pets from high-kill shelters around the state and provides temporary housing until they are delivered to loving, permanent homes. 

Through a combination of jello shot and raffle sales, donations and tips to drag performers, I was determined to meet the $1,000 goal Grand Duke Patrick Noonan and I set for the fundraiser. Several times I took to the microphone to encourage additional donations, even passing a bucket to literally accept the change from their pockets. When all was said and done, I was ecstatic to announce to a loud ovation that the evening surpassed our goal by more than $50!

It was the second such highly-successful, animal-oriented fundraiser I’d attended in as many days. The evening before, across town at the Bernal Heights Stray Bar, the Ducal Court’s reigning Miss Debutante 2010 Kitty Tapata – a.k.a., Karin Jaffie – hosted Puppy Love, a fundraiser for the Hearing Dog Program of San Francisco. 

A long-time subdivision of the local SPCA and Ducal Court beneficiary, the program fell victim to budget cuts in 2008 and would have been done away with completely were it not for a staff dedicated to the program’s mission of training dogs (often rescues) to aid the hearing impaired in much the same way a guide dog would help the blind. 

With raffles, a silent auction and small drag show featuring Grand Duke XXXIV Oliver-with-a-Twist, who works for the Hearing Dog Program, Absolute Empress XLII Chika, Emperor candidate Stephen Dorsey and yours truly, Kitty raised an unbelievable $1,500-plus! Local channel KOFY TV20 was on-hand to document the festivities and speak to many of the performers. Hopefully we’ll be seeing some of our Bay Area favorites popping up on the boob tube soon!

These were only two of the many stops on what proved to be a drag-intensive weekend for me. Friday, after leaving Kitty, I found my way to Marlena’s in Hayes Valley for Emperor XXXII Fernando Robles’ Red Party, then hit Lookout to perform with Cookie Dough, Tweaka Turner, Shakey Gibson, Ducal Royal Crown Princess Sandra O. Noshi-Di’n’t and the remarkably lucid Marcy Playground at Ver/Sus. 

Afterwards, I decided to make my tour of the city complete with an unscheduled stop at Divas off Polk Street for an impromptu performance at their Friday night drag show hosted by Empress XL Tiger Lily. Can I say just how much I love the girls there?! Since I started regularly attending Divas’ Tuesday Is Talent show, now hosted by my drag mother, Grand Duchess XXXVI Landa Lakes, I’ve made some wonderful new friends and acquaintances.

Anyway, the next night, after wrapping up at The Mix, I hit the freeway with Ducal Princess Royale Miso Hornay, Landa and Sandra for the San Jose Imperial Court’s Bloody King & Queen of Hearts Pageant at the Billy DeFrank LGBT Center. It was a fun evening with Emperor Casey Jones, Empress Mona Lott-Moore, Miss GAPA BeyonSoy and our South Bay friends, but the cumulative experience proved so exhausting, I fell asleep in the car on the ride home!

Thankfully, I was sufficiently rejuvenated in time for Monday, a wonderfully sunny day which marked my annual President’s Day Recovery Party at Lookout. By the time I blew past the bar with the top down on my car, blonde hair flying in the breeze, the balcony was already crawling with some my favorite people. 

The fabulous Wilson Hardcastle and Shilpa Patel showed up, newly-crowned Mr. Powerhouse Leather 2010 Lance Holman proved to be a life of the party, and DJ Grind kept the music lively. Meanwhile, Examiner.com photographer and gay nightlife reporter Marques Daniels was capturing all the debauchery with his ever-present camera! And, of course, as is the tradition at those parties, I was once again hocking jello shots – but this time for profit. 

“You’re the queen of the jello shots!” said one partygoer, to whom I’d sold a mountain of the treats for charity days earlier at The Mix. It wasn’t quite as great of a compliment as being called “a relentless fundraiser,” but it’s no less true I suppose. “So this money goes to a good cause?” asked another reveler, in whose mouth I’d just sprayed one of the cherry-flavored treats. 

“It sure does,” I told him, extending my hand. “Call me Ima Goodcause. Nice to meet you.” 

When the whole group of his friends looked at me in surprise, I just shrugged my shoulders and laughed. Even a relentless fundraiser has to pay the bills!
Follow “The Glamazon” at Facebook.com/PolloDelMar or Twitter.com/TheGlamazonPDM. Email her direct at Pollo_DelMar@Yahoo.com.