Great
parties and great comedy are planned -- including
headliners Kathy Griffin
and RuPaul -- during this year's gay and lesbian ski
weeks at Lake Tahoe.
The two events, Ascent and WinterFest, overlap
again this year. Ascent -- the Winter Party at Lake
Tahoe, starts Feb. 26 with a kickoff party at Faces
nightclub on Kingsbury Grade and goes through Feb. 5
with the Tahoe Arts Project's Night with Oscar party
at the Circus Maximus Showroom in Caesars Tahoe.
Guests will be kept laughing and dancing all week by
comedian Cheril Vendetti, feel-good reggae band The
People, folky pop singer Garrison Star and Doria
Roberts, a self-proclaimed "pissed-off, rock-n-roll,
dyke-n----r-bitch.
"The week also features apres ski events every
night at various South Lake bars. But Janna York,
events coordinator with Ascent, said Harveys reports
that most of the tickets are already gone for the
big-name entertainment: Celeb-obsessed Kathy Griffin
and ANT, who was on "Last Comic Standing." York says
"he's a kick, he's hysterical." You may remember
Griffin from such shows as "Suddenly Susan" and her
reality show "The D-List" on Bravo. She was also a
member of the famed Los Angeles comedy troupe the
Groundlings.
A cut of all the proceeds go to Lake Tahoe Gay
Lesbian Foundation, the nonprofit side of LTGL
Events, which is the sponsor of gay ski week. LTGLF
has eight beneficiaries for the year.
The Lake Tahoe WinterFest kicks off its ninth
year March 5 and ends with a huge party March 11 at
the Hard Rock Cafe with RuPaul. She will perform her
dance songs, including "House of Love," and
"Supermodel (You Better Work!)."
WinterFest producer Kevin Ray said DJs will
keep the party going all night after RuPaul leaves
the stage.
Other events include an opening- night party at
Faces and on March 9, a PFLAG fund-raiser with
comedian
Jade Esteban
Estrada,
who performed at 2005's gay pride parade in Reno.
"People just loved him," Ray said. "He's a
one-man show that portrays a lot of gay and lesbian
icons throughout history."
Ray said the WinterFest party usually attracts
about 500 people, and he hopes to keep it at that
size.
"We've been told every year they like it
because it's a friendly event where people have an
opportunity to meet people," Ray said.
©2006 Reno
Gazette-Journal
