GALA members responsible for the 1988 Gay and Lesbian Awareness Picnic took the lessons learned from that project and applied them to create even greater success in 1989. They held numerous fundraisers throughout the year, the biggest being the “Button Nite Blowout”, and expanded version of the previous year’s sole fundraising event. More bars participated than in the previous year, with special offers for the button wearers:

• Cabaret and Taps– 50¢ off any drink
• The Windjammer – 25¢ schnapps or tequila shots
• Connections – 50¢ schnapps shots
• The Other Side – 25¢ schnapps shots
• View on the Hill – two schnapps shots for 50¢
• Legends – one free cocktail

Over $1,000 was raised that evening for the Pride festivities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Organizers planned an entire week of activities, culminating in the “2^nd Annual Gay Pride Picnic”, again held in Southmoreland Park. Other events included:

The Stonewall Arts Festival, held at the Foundry, 2805 Southwest Boulevard, was presented by ACT-UP Kansas City, the local chapter of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, as a fundraiser for GALA. Featuring visual art and performance pieces, the Festival was held Friday, June 16 and drew a substantial crowd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Participating visual artists included Bert Provost, Craig Bruns, Roy De Cries, Christopher Leitch, and Kurt Von Schlemmer. Some of the performers that night were Kacey Carlson, Scott Cordes, Kate Burn, and Davina Gabriel. Ms. Gabriel’s first piece featured a recitation of the famous poem “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg in its entirety and entirely from memory!

A production of The Ten Percent Revue was launched during Pride Week at the Quality Hill Playhouse. The show featured a series of songs that addressed a wide range of gay-related issues, from the AIDS crisis to lesbian motherhood, with poignancy and humor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition to the Stonewall Arts Festival, ACT-UP Kansas City also sponsored a Public Rally on the steps of City Hall on Friday June 23, urging “all who are ready to be publicly visible and want to express their outrage over the city’s response to AIDS…to join at City Hall and participate in whatever fashion they feel comfortable.”