Yes, our toe-tapping bride with the wide stance is a graduate of the Larry Craig School of Dance and Social Graces (we knew you'd ask.) She's jitterbugging with joy because Fall Diversity Weekend is almost here!

November 1-4, 2007, GLBTi and PFLAG visitors of all ages will journey to our little village for a weekend of friendship and fun. This is the biggest and most beloved Diversity Weekend of the year with so many things to do and people to see (or should that be so many things to see and people to do?) Either way, there's plenty of activities to choose from. (Yes, Virginia. In this case--it's a choice.)

NEW! Surrender to your inner Diva and avoid the DUI. Affordable and elegant transportation is available from Eureka Springs Limousine. Just $15 bucks (plus tips) will get you everywhere you want to go on Friday & Saturday.

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After a harrowing taxi ride to the Hudson river, we board the boat for a dinner cruise of New York bay. This little excursion is sponsored by the gay parents group, so we know most of the people on board, at least by sight. We float up and down the Hudson river, then around to the East river, then out by Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

Wow! What an incredible experience. New York is beautiful by night. All the lights and great big buildings were pretty intriguing for us small town Midwesterners. After sunset the night was getting a bit chilly. It was quite overcast, and began to drizzle. It didn't matter. We were seeing New York from a totally different perspective. We were wandering around the deck with a friend named Andre, from southern California, when we neared the Statue.

****Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt this mess for a sightseeing suggestion from Tour Guide Yip.*****

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The 5th annual Mad Hatter's Ball will take place October 26, in the Crystal Ballroom of the Crescent Hotel. Check-in is from 6:30 to 7:30. The silent auction will get underway at the same time. There will be Hors d'oeuvres served and a cash bar will be open.

Hats required!

«After the ball is over» a War Eagle Mill breakfast buffet will be offered from 10:30 to midnight in the Crystal dining room.

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The 5th annual Mad Hatter's Ball will take place October 26, in the Crystal Ballroom of the Crescent Hotel. Check-in is from 6:30 to 7:30. The silent auction will get underway at the same time. There will be Hors d'oeuvres served and a cash bar will be open.

As expected most of the items in the silent auction are works of art donated by locals. Last year's selection was top-notch. I was lucky enough to walk away with a wonderful Jack Miller print and look forward to adding to my collection during this fun filled event.

The main festivities will begin at 7:30 and last until midnight with live music and dancing provided by the Big 'Uns (The Ed Nicholson Band). The silent auction will continue throughout the evening and there will be a «hat» contest.

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For a couple of weeks in 1994 gay people were given New York. Actually, we TOOK New York.

When Fred and I were active in a gay parents group, we would attend their yearly conferences in different parts of the country. In 1994 the conference was in New York City, coinciding with the Gay Games and the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion. Oh wow! This was going to be good! Gay people from all around the country – all around the WORLD – in the same place at the same time. We made our conference reservations and excitedly planned the things we would do in the city.

The parent's conference was held at a hotel in White Plains, just north of Manhattan. I arrived one day before Fred, and asked some other people about a good place to hook up with Fred when he arrived. The clock in the middle of Grand Central Station seemed to be the appropriate, easiest place for both of us to find. He could get there easily from the airport, and I could take a train from White Plains. I called Fred that night and told him where to meet me.

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A two-thirds majority of the Gay News staff was recently stricken by flu. We know America counts on the GLBT community to keep our less fortunately endowed brothers and sisters ahead of the cultural curve. So we're pleased to report that, by the time the first flu clinic in Arkansas opened, Gay News staffers were already rolling their eyes and flipping their wrists in a dismissive gesture. «Flu? Puh-leeze. That's so last week!»

We did our best to remain limply vigilant throughout the ordeal and, at first we thought it was the fever but no--now that the medication has worn off--we believe we're seeing the first signs of an unmistakable trend.

It started with a flurry of correspondence, blogs and posts on local bulletin boards. The message from new citizens and visitors: «Hey, where is the circuit? We've been looking high and low in Eureka Springs, and all we find is boring gay couples shopping for tchotchkes together and mixed groups of couples and singles, gay and straight, all hanging out together in the same places. Where are the wild, debauched, gay recruitment parties the religious right have been telling us so much about?»

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The third installation of art panels was unveiled this past Saturday in the parking lot on North Main known as the Artery. The four by eight foot painted and sculpted pieces are works rendered by Arkansas artists. The panels, 27 in number, cover an unsightly concrete wall turning the parking lot into an impressive outdoor gallery. The works will hang for one year, are available for purchase, and can be hung indoors or outside.

The theme for the third annual collaboration is «Icons from soup to saints.» Artists from as far away as Monticello, nearby Washington and Benton counties, and homeys from Eureka Springs interpreted the theme with vastly different views.

The images depict actual saints, pretend saints, favorite artists, pop icons, and the «I'll have to think about that one?» pieces.

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