Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 4, 1995 TAG: 9507050093
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: KATHLEEN WILSON
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Times sure were interesting in the Regency Ballroom of the Radisson Patrick Henry Hotel on Sunday afternoon. There were sky-high wigs, ears dripping with rhinestones, mile-long eyelashes and some sensational beaded and sequined Bob Mackie original gowns.
All worn by 6-foot tall scarlet-lipped men in size 13 spike heel pumps.
Yes, the Sisters in the Name of Love just about brought the roof down. Members of this newly formed foundation - sponsored by members of both Roanoke's gay and straight communities - cavorted among 150 or so spectators who handed dollar bills to the female impersonators as they danced and lip-synched their way through the crowd.
By the time everyone had eaten and the show was over, nearly $1,700 had been raised for the Roanoke AIDS Project by the Sisters in what was its first annual benefit gala.
Folks at the event agreed that they look forward to times becoming far less interesting when it comes to AIDS.
``Sometimes all I need is a hand to hold,'' explained Donald Law, who is living with full-blown AIDS.
For Donald, whose face was soaked with tears, living is the operative verb. Before the meal and the more outrageous festivities began, Donald was one of many who spoke to the group in a program moderated by Barbara Ma-berry.
``Someone to go out to dinner with,'' he continued, pausing. ``And you don't have to pay; I'll pay for my own damned dinner. I can't hurt you and I wouldn't. A hug is not going to give you AIDS. Neither is a handshake.
``And neither is going to dinner with me.''
Lois and William Webb wept at their table.
``Listening to everyone speak, I wanted so badly to get up there and say something,'' Lois lamented. ``Maybe one day I'll be able to.''
For now, it's just too soon. The Webbs are still sorely mourning the loss of their son, Bill, who died in December.
This event was a pivotal one in Roanoke. The first elegant fund-raiser for the disease that has been adopted as a cause celebre in most cities.
But until now, not in Roanoke.
``I know you can die from AIDS and I know you can get it very easily,'' Casey King, 6, told me. ``I know that you have to be very careful''
This tiny blue-eyed blonde knows a lot about AIDS. And her parents, Cindy and Chuck King, say they began educating her when she was 3.
That's because Cindy's brother, Warren - the uncle whom Casey called ``Peanut'' - died of the disease.
As the Sisters - including the irrepressible Anita Mann, Marolyn St. James, Savannah Savage, Desmond Michaels, Lynette Summers and Jenna McCleary - each hit the dance floor, Casey was a sweet sight in her floor-length, white eyelet ruffled dress as she handed the impersonators a dollar in mid-song for the till.
But no one seemed to get more of a kick out of the show than Barbara Maberry's 66-year-old dad, Duke, whose eyes were as wide as his smile as he doled out dollar bills to the Sisters from his wheelchair at the edge of the dance floor.
The floor show itself raised nearly $800 in spontaneous contributions.
If you missed last weekend's Sisters in the Name of Love fund-raiser, get a pen. The organization's Christmas AIDS Benefit Gala will be held on Sunday, Dec. 3 at 3 p.m. again in the Patrick Henry's Grand Ballroom, which is being donated by the hotel.
For the price of $15 per person or $25 a couple, you'll not only enjoy a great meal and a wildly entertaining floor show, but you will also find out what it is like to get as dolled up as you can possibly can and find the best looking women in the room are actually men.
I love Key West.
No, not the Florida islands Ernest Hemingway so enjoyed. Never been.
But Key West the band stole my heart at last year's Zoo Do and earned an oh-so-prestigious Mingling award for Best Party Band when it contributed greatly to making Mill Mountain Zoo's Zoo Do my pick for Best Party in 1994 as well.
Now it seems everyone is discovering that Key West is hot! hot! hot! Roanokers are lining up at area bars to catch the band in person.
If you didn't catch them at Confeddy's Friday night, scan the newspaper's calendar for their upcoming gigs, including a repeat performance at Zoo Do on July 21.
And if you can't make it there, maybe one day you'll catch them on TV.
Key West's Chris Gregory, Roger Hartless and Steve White recently released their first CD, ``Postcards from Paradise,'' and it is well worth a listen. Woven among some original tunes you'll find island-inspired versions of ``Knockin' on Heaven's Door,'' ``Brown Eyed Girl,'' and - natch - ``Hot, Hot, Hot.''
How far can it be from a Mingling to a Grammy?
Saturday night. The 7:10 show of the thoroughly charming ``The Secret of Roan Inish.''
The Screening Room at the Grandin. (You know, the tiny one where you get to know everyone you're watching the movie with before the final credits roll.)
``It's just like watching in your living room, isn't it?'' commented the man sitting next to 9-year-old Phoebe Kleiner.
``Only smaller,'' quipped Phoebe, who was there with her parents Larry and Judy and almost-8-year-old brother, Lewis.
THE PARTY LINE: If you'd like to invite Mingling columnist Kathleen Wilson to a party or social gathering, call her at 981-3434; when asked for the mailbox, dial MING (6464) and press the # key.Then leave a message as directed. Or write her in care of the Features Department, The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010-2491.
by CNB