There’s something appealing about Miss Richfield 1981.  It may be her signature style composed of white-rim glasses, chewing gum and raven bouffant.  Maybe it’s her Midwestern sensibility or bold, physical humor.  Whatever the reason, it’s working.

With an act that combines “homespun warmth and edgy improv,” the Minnesota native has sold out theaters across the country, including venues in Atlanta, Chicago and New York.  During the summer months she packs the house five nights a week in Provincetown, and headlines for Atlantis Events cruises and resort vacations.  She has also appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” NBC’s “Today,” TLC’s “Cake Boss” and Travel Channel’s “Weekends With Samantha Brown.”

On March 30-31 Miss Richfield brings “2012: We’ll All Be Dead By Christmas!” to the 14th Street Playhouse as she readies her audiences for the rumored apocalypse.  Despite her hectic schedule as the potential ends nears, Miss Richfield spared a few moments to speak with Fenuxe.

Fenuxe: Have you ever considered leaving Minnesota? 

Miss Richfield:  Good heavens! No! No! No!  On second thought, the cold winter months can be treacherous when scampering across the icy walkways in 7-inch stilettos.  So I’ve thought about relocating part-time to a small, farming community in Florida called Hialeah.  It’s where the Mexicans from Cuba settled and not far from the homos in Fort Lauderdale.  They have ample parking facilities, so we’ll see how high gas prices go and then I may drive my home down from Minnesota and feed the meter for a month or so.

Fenuxe: If you ran your own pageant, what qualities would you look for in a winner?

Miss Richfield: As Miss Richfield 1981, a beauty professional and pageant title holder, I know the buzz about scholarships and high school diplomas and all, but it’s a fact that only 50 percent of beauty queens can actually read and write, and virtually none of us do math.  So I’d hang it all on a lovely appearance, big hair and reasonable hygiene.  Let’s face it, beauty is skin deep and everybody knows that your skin is not connected to your brain!

Fenuxe: How do you keep yourself occupied on all those Atlantis cruises?

Miss Richfield: Surprisingly, I do not have a lot of free time on the ships as the homos have me running country dances and bingo and ice skating during the day and then I usually work a night shift in the laundry for some mad money and bus fare home.  It’s not a bad gig because you can say what’s on your mind since no one speaks English.  Then I also do a few shows in the main theater, which can seat up to 1,300 people.  It never sounds like that many since most of the homos refuse to put down their cocktails to clap.  But I know they’re out there when my eyes are watering from the stench of expensive cologne, dime store hair gel and that chemical smell from dry cleaning—you know they refuse to launder conventionally!

Fenuxe: You’ve been the Orbitz Gay Travel spokesperson for a hot second. How’s that going?

Miss Richfield: I don’t want to toot my own horn, but hang on while I grab my tuba!  We’re filming another Orbitz commercial the day before my Atlanta show!  And those people at Orbitz are really, really smart.  They discovered that when people see Miss Richfield 1981, they want to travel.  It doesn’t matter whether it’s on the street or in a restaurant or even in my shows, once people get near me, they just want to get up and go!  It’s very consistent!

Fenuxe: If the world ends in December, how do you think it will happen? 

Miss Richfield: I can’t go into too much detail, as it is a topic I highlight in my new show, “2012: We’ll All Be Dead By Christmas!”  But I’ll guarantee you that the nightmarish horror and panic of the end times have been carefully and accurately crafted into uplifting musings and musical production numbers that will encourage you to take a celebratory approach to the impending Armageddon!

Fenuxe: You’ve been doing what you do for quite a while. What’s the key to your longevity?

Miss Richfield: Professional training and good clean living.

Fenuxe: How does Atlanta’s gay scene compare to other cities you’ve visited?

Miss Richfield: I find the homos in Atlanta to be particularly happy and satisfied, not to mention exceptionally handsome.  They always make me feel right at home, and I end up loving it all in Atlanta. It could be the healthy diet of peaches and sufficient roughage that make a person regular and happy. Or it could be my friendly accommodations at the Shepherd’s Inn on Ivan Allen Boulevard, with its nighttime crowd and shared baths.  Or it could be that good old-fashioned Southern style that makes me smile and ask that everyone move faster or get out of my way!

Miss Richfield 1981 Presents 

“2012: We’ll All Be Dead By Christmas!”

When: March 30 at 8PM

Where: 14th Street Playhouse,

173 14th Street, Midtown

Tickets: $25-$35

Details: www.missrichfield.com or www.14thstplayhouse.org

Supporters of the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus are letting their voices ring in an online contest to help the agency win $25,000. Voting continues through this week in the Southwest Airlines LUV Grants for Good poll, which is awarding $75,000 to Georgia charities.

“We are the only LGBT organization that is represented, and so we’ve been getting a lot of help from the community,” said AGMC Executive Director Crystal Anderson. The chorus has been using Facebook, Twitter and e-mail blasts to rally folks to vote online, and supporters can cast a vote each day until March 18.

In its pitch to Southwest, AGMC noted that most grantors tend to donate to service-oriented non-profits instead of arts organizations, and added that winning a grant would aid the chorus and Atlanta’s gay community.

“I think some of it will obviously go toward general operating expenses, but it would also, in the next one to three years, help us implement our strategic plan,” Anderson said. The chorus is hoping to build partnerships with metro school districts such as the Atlanta Public Schools to work on issues such as bullying and homelessness among gay youth, and is developing plans to establish a women’s ensemble to compliment the AGMC.

In addition to building support for the Southwest grant competition, AGMC is also prepping for its spring show, “Gleeful Noise: Celebrating Glee Clubs, Then & Now,” which takes place March 30-31 at the Cannon Chapel at Emory University.

You have selected your top ten available studs (who will be revealed in our March 22 issue), and you’ll have your opportunity on March 31 to bid for dates with them during the second annual Best Bachelor Auction presented by Fenuxe Magazine and Ketel One Vodka.

Held at Raw Space in Castleberry Hill, the romantic event will offer decadent date packages for the bachelor and their winning bidders, as well as a date night auction for those who have already found their true loves. The night promises to be a smash with local celebrity Bubba D as host, some of Atlanta’s favorite drag queens as entertainment and several gorgeous models as eye candy.

And, once again, all proceeds from the auction will benefit AID Atlanta. The organization’s development director, Jon Santos, said the funds will help underwrite the expenses of AID Atlanta’s free confidential and anonymous HIV testing clinic.

“It’s one of the most valuable services we offer, since we know for a fact that getting tested helps save lives,” he said. “AID Atlanta is so thankful to everyone involved in this event. Everyone comes together to create a great event that raises significant funds and ultimately helps to save and transform lives. I am really looking forward to this year’s auction and have been saving up to buy a date!”

Photo from 2011 Best Bachelor Auction

Have we piqued your interest? Read below to see what’s in store for you and the bachelors:

Nice Package!
All of our bachelors and their winning bidders will receive a fabulous date package including dinner for two at STK, a mani/pedi, a spa session provided by Look Young Spa, theater tickets from Horizon Theatre and 7 Stages and much more!

Romantic Raffle
Did that darn guy with the deep pockets outbid you? Well, you still have a shot at winning big with the raffle. Stock up on tickets for your chance to win a hot lather and old-fashioned shave, a dinner for two at Taqueria Tsunami, a bottle of sparkly bubbly stuff (you supply your own glasses) and many more prizes.

Already Have a Man?
Well, head over to our date night auction with bids starting as low as $20. Bid on a romantic horseback riding date or a tour of Atlanta. Are you culture junkies? Then bid high and you might find yourselves at the Atlanta Opera for Don Giovanni with passes to Intermezzo to mingle with the operatic divas. Do you really want to impress your beau? Vie for two tickets, hotel and airfare to Las Vegas to see Celine Dion.

Photo from 2011 Best Bachelor Auction

Money, Money, Money
Whether you’re pinching pennies or rolling in dough, you have plenty of options for having a good time and helping out a worthy charity. General admission is $20 and includes three complimentary drinks and parking. If you can swing VIP, tickets are $75 and a special reception at 7 p.m. with the bachelors, an open bar, complimentary valet, private VIP area and bar. For those of you who want to make an entrance, the Prince Charming Package features everything from the VIP admission plus personal concierge for the evening, a limo ride and horse and carriage transportation to and from the event for $150 per ticket. And, you and a friend can pitch in to bid on a bachelor and work out who gets what if you win.

Photo from 2011 Best Bachelor Auction

Want More?
Bubba D just might pick you out of the crowd for special prizes for best first date story, best kiss, longest relationship or hottest couple. And, with some of Atlanta’s hottest drag divas escorting the bachelors down the catwalk, there will surely be a drag performance or two during the night. So be sure to keep some dollar bills in your pocket so you can make it rain! Plus, there will be booze. We’d never throw a party without our favorite signature cocktails from Ketel One, and there will be fine-as-hell bartenders on site doing what they do best.

Special Thanks
We couldn’t throw this swag shindig without some help. So we thank our presenting sponsor Ketel One Vodka, silver sponsor Piedmont Bark, bronze sponsors Nationwide Insurance and Homme Underwear, as well as our other sponsors Delta Airlines, STK, Brushstrokes, Atlanta Opera, 7 Stages, Horizon Theatre, Look Young Spa, Atlanta Rocks, Dip n Dap, and Astroglide.

The young activists taking part in SoulForce’s “Equality Ride” close out a busy week of crisscrossing Georgia with a town hall meeting this afternoon at the Virginia Highland Baptist Church. The forum will focus on issues that particularly affect black LGBT people of faith, and takes place from 4-6:30 p.m.

SoulForce, which advocates for spiritual acceptance of LGBT people, brought its 2012 Equality Ride to Atlanta earlier this week to protest a rally supporting Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum. The Equality Ride tours college campuses and religious institutions with anti-gay policies, and from Atlanta the caravan traveled to Athens to work with University of Georgia students.

On Wednesday, the Equality Riders staged a demonstration at Carver Bible College, a historically black institution in southwest Atlanta. After a three-hour vigil outside the Carver chapel, SoulForce leaders were granted a meeting with Carver President Robert Crummie, who was invited to attend today’s town hall meeting.

U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin’s hopeful march into history books will include a stop in Atlanta, with the pioneering lawmaker delivering the keynote address at the 25th annual Human Rights Campaign Dinner & Silent Auction May 5.

The Democrat from Wisconsin is hoping to become the first openly gay member of the U.S. Senate, and secured her party’s nomination without opposition. Her Republican opponent won’t be known until mid-August, but the GOP field is currently led by former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, who also served in President George W. Bush’s cabinet.

Analysts and early polling have declared the Wisconsin senate race a toss-up, and LGBT dollars from other states could help Baldwin cross the historic threshold. HRC has identified Baldwin’s election as one of its top priorities for the 2012 election cycle, and a victory would make Baldwin the highest-serving openly LGBT elected official in U.S. history.

In 1998 Baldwin broke barriers in the lower chamber of Congress by becoming the first openly gay candidate to win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Fourteen years later, Atlantans now have the chance to help her do the same in the U.S. Senate.

Sources of inspiration for Patrick Hanson vary. Sometimes it’s a combination of colors or a scene in a movie, but many times it’s music that motivates him. The East Point artist is a huge fan of hard rock, alternative and pop.

“Nine Inch Nails have always been a huge inspiration for me because Trent Reznor writes and composes in a layered way,” Patrick said. “I feel his music actually has texture.”

Aside from the musical influence, Patrick’s new work reflects a recent series of difficult events within his life. In the last six months both his grandmother and father passed away, he ended a five-year relationship and he lost his job. He related all those experiences into his art.

“I’m trying to remain a positive person,” Patrick admitted. “I know there are a lot of people out there who have it worse than I do. It’s been a creative crutch as well as inspiration dealing with it all.”

The new pieces will be a part of his first solo art show of figurative works since 2000, and the show—titled “Progression Regression—will be on display at CherryLion Sculpture Studios beginning March 31 through April 21.

“I feel like I hit a plateau on my figurative work and for the most part stopped,” he said.  “I now have a new vision, direction and abilities. That is the next step for me and the reason I chose the title [because I’m] moving forward from my past.”

His artistic past, though, also offers happy memories.

“I remember as a child I was always interested in manipulating things and changing things,” Patrick said. “I painted on my toys. I still have a locker full of toys at home and probably every one of them has something on it.”
Another shining moment in Patrick’s life occurred while he was working as a production assistant on the set of Lifetime’s “Drop Dead Diva,” which is filmed in Peachtree City. He heard art was needed for the show, so he brought in some of his works and several pieces were chosen to adorn the set.

“What excites me the most about any of it—besides the exposure to millions of people—is the fact I have a platform to inspire countless others.”

For more information about Patrick and his work, visit www.handsonworks.com.

“Progression Regression”
Where: CherryLion Sculpture Studios, 889 Morris StreetWhen: March 31-April 21
Details: www.cherrylion.com

A community meeting is set for 7 p.m. tonight to discuss the fate of YouthPride, the imperiled non-profit that serves Atlanta’s LGBT youth.

A pair of task forces that were charged at looking into the operations and sustainability of YouthPride are set to present their findings at tonight’s forum, which will take place at St. Mark United Methodist Church, 781 Peachtree St.

YouthPride has been an outlet to LGBT since 1995, but late last year it was revealed that the organization was on the brink of bankruptcy, and operating without a board of directors and many other structural essentials for a non-profit. The agency now faces imminent eviction from its Inman Park headquarters, and its overall fate remains bleak.

Return to Fenuxe.com tomorrow for an in-depth recap of tonight’s meeting.

Portraying a conservative Baptist preacher may seem like an ironic role for a gay actor, but George Contini embraced the opportunity.

Prior to landing the part in the 7 Stages’ production of “Hidden Man,” George was already well aware of the real life Howard Finster, a religious man turned folk artist who forged an unlikely friendship with a young, gay punk artist named Robert Sherer from Atlanta in the early 1980s. George even visited Finster’s four-acre folk art “Paradise Garden” in the north Georgia mountains as part of his preparation for the role. He admitted the visit to Summerville coincided with a business trip.

“The reason I was up in that area was to buy a pig for my partner’s farm,” said George, who lives on a small farm in Lawrenceville with his partner, Anthony. “We named the pig Finster.”

Aside from the trip and the purchase of living pork, George came at the role from a variety of angles.

“First, I had the great opportunity to meet Robert Sherer, who gave me copies of some pictures he had of his time spent there with Finster,” George said. “I then read all the books on Finster and the Gardens—particularly “Stranger from another Planet,” which was incredibly helpful in understanding the reverend’s world view and interpretation of his visions and art.”

George also learned how to play banjo and shape-note sing in his quest to play the man considered to be one of the leading American folk artists of the 20th century.

“To me, Finster represented the ultimate life of an artist—devoting his life to his art, taking the everyday and raising it to the divine, and making no distinction between the spiritual and the creative act,” said George, who has been a professional actor, director and playwright for 30 years. “I wanted to get into this character’s head because I felt a bond with his need to respond to the ever present creative urge. I knew taking the role on would transform the way I see and interact with the world.”

Although George thinks of Finister as one of his artistic heroes, he said the play offers various elements gay audiences may find appealing, even if they know nothing of the respected visionary artist.

“This is an extraordinary story about the relationship between two young gay men and a man one would expect to be their ‘enemy’ who turns out to be a mentor,” George said. “It is a ‘coming out story’ with an ironic twist in that it is the conservative fundamentalist reverend who is responsible for leading Robert toward self-acceptance and salvation of his ‘self’ through his own art. Also, it’s great to see a play with gay themes where none of the queers die.”

As a theater professor with the University of Georgia, which is collaborating with 7 Stages on this play, George said he explores gay themes a lot in his Queer Theatre and Film class. He said it was refreshing to see a play such as “Hidden Man,” which was written by Pamela Turner with Russell Blackmon and directed by Del Hamilton, where the gay characters don’t die shameful deaths.

If none of those reasons grab the attention of gay theater goers, George mentioned one last aspect of the play that might.

“And of course,” he said, “there are the requisite naked boys…”

“Hidden Man”
When: March 8-25, 8PM with Sunday performances at 5PM
Where: 7 Stages, 1105 Euclid Avenue
Tickets: $30
Details: www.7stages.org

Leading up to the Atlanta Pride Festival, the Atlanta Pride Committee will be organizing events and activities throughout 2012 to build enthusiasm for the festival, including special events during the month of June to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Additionally, the partnership with the Georgia Aquarium, for the Kickoff Party, will continue as part of the 2012 Pride celebrations. A full schedule of programming and parties is still being developed for Atlanta Pride Week.

Applications are now open for parade participants as well as market vendors. The APC encourages interested parties to submit their applications and payments early as both parade and vendors slots have sold out in previous years.

The Atlanta Pride Festival will follow National Coming Out Day on October 11 and the Out on Film Festival, which is set for October 4-11.

Jeffrey Schwarz

Jeffrey spoke with Fenuxe about his interest in the vocal gay advocate.

Fenuxe: Why do you think it was important to share Vito Russo’s story?
Jeffrey: Vito Russo, in my opinion, was one of the founding fathers of the gay liberation movement in that he saw the connection between the political and the cultural. Not a lot of people were talking about how gay people were represented in media and on film. Vito was one of the first to really bring the subject up in the early days of gay liberation.

Fenuxe: What piqued your interest to work on the documentary?
Jeffrey: I’ve been with this subject for a long time. When I was coming out one of the first things I did was read his book “The Celluloid Closet” and that really opened my eyes to a whole history of films I didn’t even know existed. It tied my love of film with my new identity. I ended up being able to work on the documentary version of “The Celluloid Closet” back in the early ’90s. I had an incredible experience working on that film and through that process got to know Vito even though he had just passed away. The filmmakers had all of Vito’s original research materials for the “Celluloid Closet,” and they had extensive interviews with him. I got to understand his place in the history of the gay movement. I had known about his position as a film historian and scholar but I didn’t know until working on the “Celluloid Closet” how important he was to the movement.

Fenuxe: What do you hope viewers will take away from this film?
Jeffrey: Vito was somebody who lived very bravely, very passionately, very honestly, and I think any audience regardless of orientation can relate to Vito’s struggle to be who he was and fight injustice. My main goal is to make sure Vito is not forgotten and to make sure he was put back in his proper place as one of the founding fathers of the movement. I’m also hoping people get to see this film to understand the previous generation’s struggle to create the world we live in today, which is a world where we can be openly gay.

Fenuxe: You’re also working on a documentary about Divine. How’s that film going?
Jeffrey: It’s called “I Am Divine,” and we finished shooting. We’re getting ready to go into editing. We have interviews with John Waters and many of the people Divine worked with in his films—his very close friends, his mother before she passed away. It’s in the works but we need help from the community to get it up on screen. You can make donations at http://divinemovie.com.