Well, you may be noticing that this month’s issue is a little thicker – 8 pages thicker to be exact. Yes, we broke the 48 page barrier! As they say, "It’s not the length but the girth that counts." Ouch, hopefully that doesn’t leave stretch marks!
That’s not the only expansion we’ve undergone this month. We’ve also secured a number of new distribution locations. A few months ago we sealed a deal with Xtra! West so that our magazines can be distributed on the lower tier of their racks in places we can’t get into with our regular distributor. This month we inked a similar deal with Fast Forward, and the next several months will be a transition as we update our distribution list to include even more locations that we couldn’t get into before. It’s indeed a very exciting prospect for us!
Apollo Western Cup was a blast this year! They get more and more people coming out for their events every year, and they were happy to report that this was their best turnout ever. Once again we ran around to all the events and took pictures. Steve was a judge for the Apollo Idol Karaoke competition, and we were blown away by many of the finalists. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners, both in sporting and singing!
We spent a night at Chateau Lake Louise for the Powder and Pride ski weekend that happened April 1st-3rd. Though we’re not skiers ourselves, as a sponsor of the event we wanted to be sure we were there to take photos and attended the dance. It truly was a treat for us to get away from Calgary – a much needed change of pace. We still had the magazine to work on while we were there, but at least we had a beautiful view of the mountains and some time for relaxation. Personally, I stuffed myself at the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, as I simultaneously smacked Steve’s hand away from the more fattening foods. Yes, I can be such a bitch, but I was happy to see myself finally put on a couple of pounds. Steve appears not to have gained any, though I have yet to verify that on the scale.
The results are in! Flip to page 28 to see the winners of the GayCalgary.com Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards for 2004! Thanks once again to all those who took the time to fill the survey out, and Congratulations to the winners!
Bar Banter
This is certainly the year of change, and we’re all learning to expect the unexpected. Indulge closed their doors on the 12th of last month due to their landlord forcing them out of their lease. If that wasn’t sad enough, the Verge has closed down much earlier than anyone had anticipated. Our jaws dropped when we heard the news at Solar Café, as a lesbian stand-up comedian made a disheartened reference to its absence.
Where are the ladies to go now, you ask? Naturally, good old Money-Pennies is still going strong. Indulge is planning to reopen once they find a new location, so stay tuned for updates. And believe it or not, Metro Boyztown is no longer a private men’s club as they’ve started giving memberships to women! The year of change I tell you!
Rumor Mill
When we first started out, because of the amount of advertising Detour was doing with us, the popular rumor was that Detour owned part of the magazine. Naturally this was not true, and we quickly proved it wrong with our feature article on Metro Boyztown and the Rekroom in the very next issue. History repeats itself however, and it seems that because of Twisted Element’s extensive advertising, we are believed to be owned by them now. With the sudden influx of advertising from Metro Boyztown, we sure seem to be changing hands a lot!
Seriously though, we have never received a bid from any outside company. As a community magazine, it’s important for us to remain as neutral as possible. To be owned by one of our advertisers would be a major conflict of interest, and we would never allow that to happen. We’re here to support the community as a whole, wherever our support is welcome.
In the News
Tuesday April 12th is the scheduled date for the vote on Stephen Harper’s amendment to the Equal Marriage Bill, demanding that it exclude same-sex couples. Even if you’re indifferent about the idea of gay marriage, losing this battle may lead to further roll-backs in gay rights.
It’s particularly concerning when you hear about companies like Famous Players Theatres receiving death threats for running equal marriage advertisements – the very same ones that we’ve been running in our magazine and on our terminals for the last several months.
There are organized people out there who would gladly take everything away from us again, and we can’t let their voices be stronger than ours! Visit www.equal-marriage.ca for more information on what you can do to help.
Highlights this Month
Notice I didn’t say "It’s been a busy month" this time? I’ve decided to stop. It goes without saying, especially as we start ramping up to our usual summer festivities.
It’s Coronation Month once again! Cast your votes for Empress at the Backlot on Saturday April 9th, any time between noon and midnight. Candidates this year are Argintina Hailey-Would and Lady Ashley – good luck to both of you! Coronation will occur on April 16th. Our events calendar has more information about this event as well as the in-town and out-of-town shows.
La Fleur is hosting their grand opening party, where they will have a silent auction to raise money for Beswick House. See their ad on page 43 for more details. Technically they’re already open so go check them out – they’re an amazing flower store! Now you’ll have no excuse this Mother’s day, May 8th.
Sponsorship
We’re proud to host Pride Calgary’s official Pride Guide for the second year in a row! Once again you’ll be able to find information about Pride events and the parade route in our May and June issues. June is now designated Pride Month, and will kick off with the Fairy Tales Film Festival, end with the ARGRA Rodeo, and have the official Pride events in the middle; Pride Dance, Parade, and Street Festival happen over the weekend of the 11th. Visit www.pridecalgary.ca for more information.
Related Articles
Contributor Rob Diaz-Marino | Steve Polyak |
Locale Calgary |
Topic Publisher's Column |
