Fourth of July Weekend, July2-5

First, the fabulous Sherry Vine performed on Sunday night (photo, left). Photo, right, causes Amanda to muse that, perchance, drag queens of all persuasions simply are not able to keep their mouths closed. No demure Mona Lisa's in this crowd. Could there be botox in their foundation?

We would like to toot our own horns regarding Friday evening's Poolside Karaoke. Granted Karaoke Hostess-with-the-Mostest Amy was on her game (as was faithful sidekick Barb). Granted Ms. Nature was on her best behavior and bestowed upon us a balmy evening with no humidity. Granted Chuck poured the nectar of the gods and goddesses. Granted we added cheap shots every time anyone sang Sweet Caroline (it was some specialty vodka with a similar name that Amanda cannot recall because, granted, she may have had one too many - did Amanda mention they were cheap?). But, it was our idea! (And, it was our idea, even in the face of numerous weather-related disasters over the last two summers - do you recall "Flick and Float I" when it rained, do you recall "Flick and Float II" when it was so cold you needed a blanket, do you recall the last two attempts at Poolside Karaoke when Ms. Nature felt precipitation was in the songbook?)

Heaven Leigh's Birthday Weekend, June 25-27
The old girl turned a million-and-one. There's lots of photos all over the web of the other performers in the show, and usually Amanda would just hunt them up and steal them. However, not a single photo of the Queen Bee herself has surfaced anywhere, and Amanda has received strict orders that, until a photo of Madame Leigh is available, no other photos shall be permitted to be posted. Something about not having false goddesses before her.

Who knows?

Everyone had fun, the weather was incredible. The Hot Tub was packed and folks played 2 am volleyball in the pool.

Unfortunately, Amanda can not share any pictures of the festivities for the same reason. Bitch has an ego as big as all outdoors (or as big as her bust, whichever is larger).

Show poster permitted by Her Highness, since she created it and is in it.

The new photos are here! But, most importantly, sit like a lady...

Men's Weekend, June 18-20
We include picture of Ryan Raz and a link to his award-nominated blog, because we still love his blue eyes and cowlick and because his blog is fun. Unfortunately, Ryan injured his knee shortly before his scheduled appearance and had to cancel. he wish him a speedy and complete recovery.

Fear not, Amanda's repertoire of cute, young things allowed her to secure the young services of young Justin Taylor (too many youngs? Amanda thinks not, since Justin hit the scene only a couple of years ago on 8teenboy - get it, 18 year-old boy).

Our tribute to Justin follow.


And our thanks to the folks at CircleJerkBoys.com. They sent us stuff to give away, because Ryan Raz is featured on their website. They were nice enough to let us still do it, even without Ryan.

Spring TG/CD Weekend, May 21-23 &
Pa Diversity Network Fundraiser
Really, so many girls arrive on Thursday, that we should change the dates for this weekend. Waiting for pics form Lin. She was supposed to bring them when she returned for Heaven's BD Weekend, but she forgot; so, it has to wait for our Summer TG/CD Weekend.
(It is a full 6 weeks since Amanda has attended to this page. She has no excuse. Okay, she has a million excuses. What she does not have is a good excuse. So, to get things up-to-date, she will attend to adding photos and hold back on the witty repartee. Okay, the repartee that is witty in her own mind's eye - heavily lashed as it is.)

Smoking Gun Comic Brad Loekle, May 14
Brad Loekle is one busy comic. He is enjoying two seasons of success with TruTV’s original series The Smoking Gun Presents, and is signed on board through season 4 of the series. For 3 years, he was a weekly guest co-host on Sirius XM Radio’s "Morning Jolt". He is a columnist for the Key West Gay Rag. Every Sunday night he holds court over NYC’s longest running weekly GLBT comedy show and the most popular comedy show in Hell’s Kitchen - The Electro-Shock Therapy Comedy Hour, which has been featured in the New York Times, Time Out NY, HX, Next, and countless other publications and websites. And, he films TV pilots. One day, when he's a big star, you can say you saw him here first. This is what he looked like tonight...

Click the pic to go to his main website, from whence you can visit him all over the web; but, remember, you saw him here first!

And, he does have a "Smokin' Gun"!
(We were also happy to host LG Camp again.)

Cinco de Mama, May 8
Mucho cudos to Miss Estella Sweet and her girls for a wonderfully entertaining show. Mucho grande cudos to her enthusiastic and energetic traveling posse, both in the Nightclub and after hours. Amanda appreciates a crowd that appreciates the party need not end at 2 am, just because the powers that be make us close the Nightclub. It's one of the unique qualities that make this such a special place for such special people.

Miss Sweet et al, we can't wait for your next visit!

Men's Fetish Weekend, April 30-May 2
Amanda, a pretty person herself, is always taken aback when pretty people are nice. After all, pretty has it's perks, and being moody, occasionally bitchy and usually superior and self-serving are several of those perks (again, Amanda, as a pretty person herself, merely speaks from personal experience). The point of this rambling diatribe is not to justify such behavior, since the pretty people, of whom Amanda counts herself a member in excellent standing, need not justify; we need only be pretty. That said, our host Fyerfli was an absolute delight to experience. Handsome (the masculine form of pretty), personable, approachable, clever, witty, urbane with a dash of self-deprecation; altogether charming. And then, when he jumped out of one of the MouseTrap windows into the pond, thinking it was the parking lot, we were in love. And, as the photo would suggest, willing and able to bend over backwards.

We were also in love with the crowd, in general. A wonderful bunch of guys by day, a sleazy bunch of pervs by night. Again, we were in love. Of course, what happens in the Hospitality Suite stays in the Hospitality Suite.

A most sincere Happy 50th to Bobby!

Ladies 2000 Spring Fling Weekend, April 23-25
Check out the new Ladies 2000 logo (click on it to visit their website). And they brought along the nicest weather on Friday afternoon and Saturday day; perfect for sitting in our treehouse and making new friends. Weather was not a factor for late Saturday afternoon and evening, as the MegaParty powered up at 5 pm with a...PowerBar! Dance music, free food, karaoke and a live performance by our new best friend, Christine Martucci (our previously scheduled guest was unable to join us) took the event over the top...in the standard Ladies 2000 good way.

Easter, April 2-4
We know photos were being snapped throughout the "all Scarlett Lettah, all the time" weekend - both the Easter Charade Drag Show on Friday and her classic Lucky Bunny Lotto on Saturday; but, do you think we can locate the photographer? Amanda throws herself on the mercy of anyone in the audience with a camera. Meanwhile, we'll add the Easter Charade logo; 'cause we think it's so damn clever. Nice to have you back, Miss Visa D'Klined. Nobody does inappropriate like you.

Photos courtesy of Miss Lin Rodham.

Bears & Big Guys, Mar 19-21
What an incredible bunch of nice guys! (Amanda was going to call them unpretentious, but thought that might sound, well, pretentious.) Most everyone single (and them some) joined the Congregate Dining experience and filled the restaurant with laughter. Butch, who was celebrating a birthday, filled his roster with complimentary (and very well-received) massages . And the weather.... Saturday afternoon was perfect for sitting outside, chatting and absorbing plentiful rays of spring sunshine. One could feel the seasonal blues melt away.

Saturday evening, Miss Chantel Curtis and dancers Kevin and Captain turned it out. Captain, who saved our hides several weeks ago when he filled in for a last-minute cancellation, brought his A game (and we thought he was unstoppable last time). We'd not seen it before, but when he did a headstand and a series of upside-down crunches and leg splits, then piled on a pelvic thrust or ten.... Rest assured that Amanda will be working that into her very own repertoire as soon as she can master the headstand (okay, and develops the abs needed to do the crunches and the testosterone needed to make the pelvic thrusts worthwhile).

This page is sometimes the last to be updated, so we'll post our stock photos of the performers and follow-up with performance pics at a later date. While Amanda has carried on about the men, please note that Miss Chantel Curtis was delightful and talented and (certainly her last number) a tad edgy. Just the way we like it! Click on her photo to keep up with her (and the boys) on MySpace.

The action was fast and furious and Amanda is afraid the performance photos were, as well (read, they came out blurry). However, we were able to rescue two photos depicting the above-noted athleticism of Captain.

Relax, liquor control board. While it doesn't appear like it, Captain was wearing a G-string.

A final shout-out to our good friends at MenOver30.com for the freebies and to Barry of Raven's Eden for the Temptations Table in the Nightclub.

St. Pat's Celebration, Mar 12-14
Lasses Scarlett Lettah, Jessica Stone-Hart and Layla LaDiva - guided by Miss Athena Knight - paid high tribute to Celtic Woman with their presentation of Isle of Promise. A sincere, soulful and inspiring collection of songs replete with accomplished performances, costumes, makeup and set. We loved the poster, so we archive it here.

And the leading ladies...



Photos compliments of Rich Johnson.

Saturday, the luck of the Irish landed our contestants a bar tab, a dinner for two and a cat-o'-nine tails. Guess which winner was most popular after hours at Melz Place? Ouch!

March Madness, Mar 5-7
Karaoke Amy was firmly at the helm and manager Jayson kept the action moving as we mounted our first-ever Singing Bee Contest on Friday. We've got one or two bugs to work out, but it will definitely be back on the calendar. Thanks to Tom (pictured) and Mindy and Jon and Joey and Bryan for participating. Congrats to Lance.

Saturday night at midnight, manager Jayson pulled the magic string and let loose the prize-filled balloons (okay, there was a magic string malfunction and manager Jayson ended up attacking the bag of balloons with a broom handle, like it was a pinata; bottom-line: the balloons fell).

Single Men , Feb 26-28
Frankly, Amanda, flinches at certain words - best, worst, always, never, bend over and grab your ankles (okay, maybe not so much flinches, as moans).... Anyway, the feedback on Saturday's performer was uniformly positive and the "b" word was used more than once to describe his choreographed and energetic turns on the stage and in the cage.

As a testament to the effectiveness of good cardio training, he was still up for a good time after hours.

Circumstantial evidence suggests he was still up for a good time after after hours. The Captain's a keeper.

We resurrected "You've Got Male" and it garnered enough participation to extend it to Saturday night. Go figure.

Mardi Gras, Feb 19-21
Let it be known to all men, Amanda loved the Chicken and Shrimp Creole and the Fried Cajun Lump Crab Cakes! Hail, Chef Jimi! His ass should be on a Mardi Gras float somewhere.

That said, we all missed Miss Visa D'Klined. Unavoidable circumstances kept her from performing. Fortunately, a bevy of her BFFs stepped up to the plate and delivered a home run of a show (Amanda is feeling a tad butch today; must be time to shave the pits, again). Photos (in no particular order and, unfortunately, not a complete album):

And some of the cute faces at our first Spectrum Party...

We'll trot out "Going Rouge" at a later date. We promise.

Saturday, we celebrated Mardi Gras in full swing with our Annual Tits, Pecs and Buns Contest. Enough contestants in each category to give away the max prizes - just the way we like it.

Charmed Life Valentine's & Presidents Weekend, Feb 12-15
Several days before the weekend, Mother Nature dumped about 9 inches of snow on us (Manager Jayson will tell you 12 inches, but he's always been one to exaggerate depth [and length]). Fortunately, Amanda has no such need for hyperbole. Anyway, we had a couple days to clear it all away, so the roads were safe and the skiing was awesome.

Friday, on the heels of an incredible article in the Pocono record (thanks to the hard work of promoter Gil Coronado of Pure Content Pictures [201-424-8914]), we screened the award-winning documentary Charmed Life, starring NYC drag personality Sweetie and directed by Katherine Delaney, who hosted a Q&A after the show. Star and director in photo.

Saturday, after an award-deserving Menu for Lovers in the Restaurant (thanks to the hard work of Chef Jimi Riley), Sweetie performed LIVE in the Dance Club. We also worry about performances on Saturdays, because lots of folks come with dancing foremost on their minds; but, Sweetie held the crowd throughout and the crowd still wanted more.

Sunday, we celebrated Presidents Day with our annual "Dead Presidents in the Cage" - 30 seconds of sexy dancing in the cage earned a sealed envelope containing a dead president (i.e., a bill of some denomination).

NJLG Havurah Winter Getaway Weekend, Feb 5-7
We were delighted to welcome back our good friends who, in years past, have had a number of memorable snow encounters during their annual trek to the Mountain. This year, however, it was the snow that never came. Predictions had the white stuff starting on Friday evening and lasting through most of the day on Saturday. Nary a flake fell. Go figure.

Acoustic duo Jeff and Karen joined us on Friday with their show "Jersey Fresh". We love the Jeff, we love the Karen. It's tight harmonies and lots of fun with playful music you can recognize and dance to - as some folks did! Click on the pic to see where they will be performing next.

Saturday night, DJ Mary led us through a Classics Dance Party. More music even Amanda could recognize and boogie to (not only "boogie", but ending a sentence with a preposition?).

If you'd like more information on NJLG Havurah, click on the logo

Regina Sayles Birthday Bash
Frozen Guns and Hoses
Home for Lost Boys
Jan 29-31
Where to begin? Ohio, ESU, Regina was high school homecoming queen, The Regina Sayles Project, and we photoshopped away her beauty mark (visible in photo on right). Those were the answers to the Regina Sayles Birthday Bash Quiz. Lemon Drop Shooters were the birthday toast - Regina's favorite (in case you're looking forward to next year's trivia contest). Great crowd, great music and a great time. Amanda was going to crop the following photo, but she noted the artistry - not only in the lighting, but in catching Regina's reflection in the mirror, so we left it alone. Masterpiece recorded by manager Jayson.

Click any pic and visit Regina's website, MySpace or Facebook - or catch her tweets here.

Delighted to welcome back our badge-wearing friends from NYC and beyond. And always thankful for their pledge to protect and serve.

In their sophomore appearance at Rainbow Mountain (and, indeed, some of them look like they could be sophomores - in high school!), the models from HomeforLostBoys.com were on hand to socialize, model, dance and plug their website. They also sold a number of autographed prints. It's an interesting group and an interesting website, and you can take a tour for free.

Adam Sank's Broken Hearted Tour & PALS, Jan 15-17

Of course, our collective heart goes out to hot, gay comic Adam Sank; who moved from NYC to San Diego to follow his new boyfriend - a petty marine officer - only to have his heart broken in twain. Perchance the cockles of our collective heart are a tad less sympathetic as said broken-hearted comic regaled us with the tales of how his tale made its way back east, turning his romantic tragedy into a comedy tour, replete with eager groupies at every turn. Amanda assumes we were not a sufficiently sympathetic audience, as rumor has it said sexpot comic required additional afterhours pampering at the hot tub. Please note this is a completely unsubstantiated rumor - which is why it's a rumor. Click a photo to go to his website or MySpace. From there, you can find his Facebook and Blog and Youtubes. Perhaps, you can become BFFs!

Saturday, our friends from PALS joined us for their monthly meeting and potluck, followed by marathon karaoke. PALS is the local gay group.
Click here for additional information.

Rescheduled Customer Appreciation Party and
Annual Employee and Friends Talent Show, Jan 9

What is going on when we think of single-digit temperatures as good weather? After snow aborted our attempt at our Annual Holiday Customer Appreciation Party and Employee and Friends Holiday Show in December, we boldly rescheduled for January - only to be held in the grip of an arctic blast. Amanda surmises the crowd agrees that anything that isn't snow is better than...well, snow. Ms. Nature must not be a big fan of free booze and food and entertainment.

And free booze and food and entertainment there was aplenty. Dan presided over the Open Cosmo and Draft Beer Bar and Chef Jimi supplied scrumptious munchies. However, finger food is no match for free booze, so most guests and all of the performers were feeling...well, festive by the time show time rolled around.

Amanda remains in awe of folks who can display their talents openly (as opposed to hiding them under the bushel basket of anonymity that on-line blogging permits). The evening's show was delightful and Amanda would be remise if she did not mention Athena Knight, Anastasia DeLaRox, Marie Annette, Ike, Scarlett Lettah and The BAG-(Barb, Amy, Glenn)-uettes, the last of whom presented their tribute to the holiday-themed, highly-stylized, costumed, precisely choreographed performance of their rhyming counterparts at NYC's Radio City Music Hall. Ah, the classic march (and fall) of the Wooden Soldiers! So right, and yet, so terribly wrong. 2010 resolution for Miss Amy: right/left recognition.

New Years Eve Celebration, Dec 31 - Jan 3

Once again, Mother Nature showed us our place. We awoke on New Year's Eve day to freshly-fallen snow, which continued to accumulate for a couple more hours. Then, we pulled on our snow heels (like you would pull on your snow boots) and ventured out to clear the myriad of paths, walkways, patios, decks, porches and parking lots. Next, Mother Nature's heavenly rays beamed down upon us, completing our work (we must say, we're not certain about the look of all the new asphalt, but it cleans up so much better that the old flagstone). We were pleased with our efforts (isn't pride one of seven deadly sins we've celebrated in the past?).

Slow forward to about 7:30 pm - enough time for all of our scheduled guests to arrive safely and enjoy an incredible New Year's Eve Bacchanalia. Then, what a surprise, more snow! Which continued, unabated, until around 3 am. Not enough to stop the stouthearted from venturing out to the nightclub (and even the hot tub), but certainly enough to give many pause when considering the journey.

Unfazed, the celebration must go one! The two-and-only Rainbow Mountain matrons (Amanda means no disrespect, she was just searching for an "m" word to go with "mountain") Carol Ann and Heaven Leigh were on hand to dance and sing and ring in the New Year in high fashion.

Did we mention snow?

The morning after the night before. And did we mention to thank Syler for all the great photos?