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Red Sea Voyage
Portland prepares for the most elaborate
party yet
by Tony LeTigre Photos by Marty Davis
In the book of Exodus in the Old Testament, Moses leads the
Israelites out of slavery in Egypt by parting the Red Sea at
God’s command. On the night of April 12, a different kind of Red
Sea will drown the Kalberer Warehouse in Northeast Portland.
It’s the biggest voyage yet for the Red Dress Party, now in its
eighth year. While last year’s party at Southeast Portland’s
AudioCinema, “Velvet Rope,” invoked the vintage glamour of
golden-age Hollywood, “Red Sea” aims for the feel of “an
underwater Poseidon adventure,” in the words of Reid Decker,
president of the Red Dress board.
Two years ago, the “Red Planet” party, held in one-quarter of
the Kalberer Warehouse, attracted 1,600 guests and raised more
than $25,000 for local charities. This year’s party will convene
on the other side of the building and will take up half of the
massive facility. Also, for the first time this year, hot local
act Storm Large and the Balls will perform. It’s another step
forward for a party that has consistently grown year after year
since its inception in the cramped basement of a North Portland
home back in 2000.
Moses might not be on hand to divide the ocean of crimson
frocks, but the Portland Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will
work the front door, as they did last year. Rest assured they
will do their usual fabulous job of making sure your coats are
well-tended in your absence and guiding you in and out of the
water. Of course, you must be wearing a red dress, in some shape
or form, to make it through the gate.
Leading the list of key sponsors, as it has now for five
consecutive years, is Chameleon Restaurant and Bar. Gay owner
Pat Jeung, one of Portland’s most eclectic and skilled chefs,
will provide more than $9,000 worth of food in the form of a
lavish buffet for the party’s VIP ticketholders. Whereas some
sponsors deduct their costs from the amount they contribute,
Jeung’s gift is pure charity, done simply out of desire to
support the community. “Chameleon doesn’t solely cater to the
gay community, but it is a good cause and something I feel good
about supporting,” he says. This year the gourmet seafood items
he provides, such as oysters and mussels, will be especially
fitting in light of the party’s aquatic theme.
“Red Sea” intends to convey to partygoers the sense of
meandering through the inside of a wrecked cruise ship in the
Indian Ocean channel, en route to Egypt. “I’m envisioning
mermaids dancing with Cleopatra and Shirley Winters circa 1972
from The Poseidon Adventure,” says Decker. The goal is to make
it feel like “simply hanging out at your best friend’s house
party,” albeit an extremely large house party where cocktails
are included in the ticket price. (Speaking from past
experience, this author would add a warning: Beware the perils
of the open bar!)
As with all Red Dress parties, guests will also enjoy hosted
food, special red cocktails and music on two dance floors. DJ
Harmonix (www.demandharmonix.com) will headline on the main
dance floor, with additional dance floor support by DJs
Gregarious and Paula B. In addition to Storm and the Balls,
which will take to the stage at 9:30 p.m., the party will boast
various artistic entertainers including fire spinning by Peach,
body painting by Pashur and the aerial agility of Benn Mendoza.
Leading Up
“Red Dress Party Week,” as the days leading up to the big night
are called, will kick off April 7 with dinner and cocktails at
Mint/820, 816 N. Russell St., where master mixologist Lucy
Brennan serves up some of the city’s finest specialty drinks,
such as avocado daiquiris and beet martinis. Ten percent of the
proceeds will be donated to the Red Dress Party and its
beneficiaries.
This will be followed by Salon Q, a monthly social network
gathering for the queer community, taking place 7 p.m. April 8
at Gilt Club, 306 N.W. Broadway.
Bernie’s Southern Bistro, which has supported the party for six
years, will host a party from 4 to 10 p.m. April 9 at 2904 N.E.
Alberta St., with 15 percent of the proceeds donated to the
cause. Make dinner reservations by calling 503‑282‑9864.
Finally, Gilt Club will again host a party April 10, with 20
percent of the proceeds going to the party. Call 503‑222‑4458
for reservations.
Fond Recollections
Catherine Brown is, in the words of Decker, an “all-star
volunteer” for the Red Dress Party. As someone who has been with
the event since its inception, she provides an excellent
firsthand perspective of how it has grown each step of the way.
“The first party was basically just me and all my gay friends,”
she recalls. “It was in the third year that we moved the venue
and turned it into a nonprofit.”
Brown has been key in the unglamorous but critical bureaucracy
involved in throwing an event of this size: obtaining the
necessary permits, appeasing the fire marshal and so on. She is
also part of the construction crew: designing, planning and
building the set. “Each year we take the elements left over from
last year and reincorporate them,” she says.
This year’s design, she says, is the most elaborate yet. The
party will occupy 24,000 square feet, and 2,200 revelers are
expected—1,000 more than last year, because of capacity
constraints at AudioCinema.
“We’ve really pushed the limits to create the feel of underwater
environments,” Brown says. “We have sea anemone beds,
a jellyfish bar, and we’ve incorporated a lot of color into it
this time, to make it feel like you’ve crashed on a coral reef.”
It is, indeed, a long way from the basement where it all
started. Brown recalls the first year they provided
entertainment for partygoers. “It was myself and a few other
people on stilts,” she laughs. “And you had people walking
through the party with Jell‑O shots on trays, like the cigarette
girl at the theater.”
Brown says the main thing the party has meant to her is the
amazing expansion of her friendship group through the years.
“It’s the work we do together. The party itself is such a rager,
and then you share anecdotes about everyone, and there’s the
cleaning up afterward. You see a ring that got thrown away, and
you reach into a can full of swill to grab it.”
The eighth annual Red Dress Party starts 9 p.m. April 12 at the
Kalberer Warehouse, Northeast 10th Avenue and Flanders Street.
Tickets are $50 from
www.reddresspdx.com.
Tony LeTigre had an awful lot of fun marching with the Red Dress
Party crew at Portland Pride 2007. E‑mail him at
anthonyletigre@gmail.com.
This Year’s Beneficiaries
Since its inception, the Red Dress Party has raised more than
$87,000 for local charities. Proceeds from this year’s event
will be donated to three nonprofit organizations:
- Esther’s Pantry: Founded in 1985
to provide financially challenged people with HIV/AIDS
access to food and personal care items, Esther’s Pantry is a
vital community program that has served thousands of people
during its 18-year history. It was named in memory of
Chester “Esther” Brinker, one of the first people in
Portland to die of complications from AIDS. Esther’s Pantry
is a program of Our House of Portland (www.ourhouseofportland.org),
a charity that is transforming and streamlining health and
housing services for people with HIV/AIDS.
- Senior Housing and Retirement
Enterprises: Founded in 2001, SHARE (www.sharepdx.org
) is dedicated to developing affordable housing options for
sexual minorities and their allies in the Portland
metropolitan area. Through affordable housing, it will
affirm the health and needs of this special population and
ensure that queers spend their elder years in safety and
comfort surrounded by a supportive and active environment.
- Outside In: A social service
agency dedicated to serving low-income adults and homeless
youth, Outside In (www.outsidein.org)
began in 1968 and has continually revised services to meet
changing client needs. Services include a community health
clinic, risk education and a program designed to help
homeless youth obtain independent living.
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