January 2002

By Barry Jones

Happy New Year to all!!!!
I had a great time this new years eve, much better than last year. It was a very busy holiday season this past December with a multitude of fundraisers and parties. I was so looking forward to January to just do nothing, but it seems it was impossible due to various winter parties that were going on and February also looks like a very busy month.

Mardi Gras
LIGALY (Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth) first fundraiser in a long time and I'm sure it will become an annual event Mardi Gras 2002 will be held on Saturday, February 16th (2002). It is the “don’t miss” event! The crew at LIGALY (David, Rob, Yvonne, Brenda, Louis,) and the fabulous Ms. Lenore have been working hard on this party. There will be a cocktail hour, open bar, buffet, DJ and a live performance by Pandora's Vox. The event will be held at Island Hills Golf and Country Club in Sayville. My sources tell me that there will be some surprises also throughout the evening and possibly important announcements. Tickets are $50.00 per person and Visa, MasterCard and Amex are accepted. All proceeds benefit programs and services for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth and their families. I hear it is close to a sell out so please call (631) 665-2300 to purchase your ticket.

Miss Auntie M’s Pageant
The very next day is The Miss Auntie M's Pageant at The Vanderbilt. Hosting this event is the multi talented Ariel Sinclair. I usually have to wait for the summer to see Ariel at the grove. It is very very rare that she does benefits on the mainland. The evening planned very carefully consists of a cocktail hour, an open bar, entertainment and dancing. This event is a fundraiser for Auntie M’s Helping Hands a not for profit fundraising organization that disperses money to local community grassroots organizations that are not fully government funded. For more information please call 631 789-4458.

Dock of the Bay 2002
I am proud to announce the date of Dock Of The Bay 2002. It will be held on Sunday, August 18th at the Long Island Maritime Museum. This fundraiser benefits GALFOLI (gay and lesbian foundation of Long Island) a fundraising organization that provides funding for gay and lesbian 501(c)(3) organizations here on Long Island. GALFOLI recently dispersed two additional grants to LIGALY and The Gay and Lesbian Switchboard of Long Island. This years honorees’ will be announced shortly as will other information about additional programs. If you would like to volunteer for this event please call (631) 665-5034 or go to WWW.GALFOLI.ORG.

New Century Singers
I received an e-mail recently from Carolyn Kane of The New Century Singers. It seems in the December Socially Speaking I wrote about the Winter Ball and some of the attendees’ and failed to mention The New Century Singers. Well I do apologize for the oversight. Though I haven’t had the opportunity to experience this talented group of people. My sources tell me that they are the best. They were founded in 1995 and have been doing holiday and pride concerts ever since. Their artistic director is Ms. Elaine Kirkland who leads the chorus of 32 singers consisting of members and friends of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Look for them in this years Long Island Pride Parade Sunday June 9th in Huntington. I will keep you updated on their concert dates.

Support the Gay Dems
Bill Borman, Chairman of the Nassau County Lesbian and Gay Democrats and Vice President of GALFOLI is involved and supports so many other organizations I cannot keep up with him. This gentleman is a powerhouse of energy It is very difficult to reach him between meetings and his love of traveling. Anyone that knows him loves and respects him and supports whatever he is involved with. So that’s why I am asking everyone to attend The Nassau County Lesbian and Gay Democrats fundraiser slated for April 21 at Rattlesnake Jones restaurant in Merrick. There will be special political guest speakers, entertainment, food, and raffles. The Nassau County Lesbian And Gay Democrats are a very visible organization whose purpose is to promote political understanding and action within the Democratic Party around issues of concern to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. If you would like more information or would like to get involved with this organization please call 516-294-3366.Please mark your calendars for this and the above-mentioned events.

Please email me at SocialSpeaking@licktheweb.com, if you have any comments about this column, questions about any of the people or organizations mentioned or would like an event covered.

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