Happy New Year Arkansas! As 2024 is in full swing there are many exciting things to share with you. I left you hanging after December’s Edition of the Reading Raynebow as preparations for Miss Gay America were underway. Now let’s take a look at the time leading up to Miss Gay America and the adventures while there.
Early in December I had the honor of serving on the judging panel for the inaugural Miss Eureka Live Pageant and perform at Eureka Live. Owner, Anthony Christopher, and Show Director, Blaze Duvall, and their team had a dream; together they worked hard and pulled it off. From a stylish hot pink crown and jewels from Made for a Queen, to the love and support they showed to judges, patrons, contestants, and beyond truly made the atmosphere feel like home. The Miss Eureka Live Pageant consisted of 8 contestants from multiple states. Ava Rose Pain, Alexia St. Croix, Inertia the Movement, Robyn Davenport Fierce, JuJu Holliday, M’Shay Foster, Kris Kohl, and Fonda LaFemme graced the stage in Presentation, Talent, Evening Wear, & On Stage Question categories. They entertained a packed house all night long! Congratulations to each and every contestant who put themselves out there, and please join me in welcoming our FIRST Miss Eureka Live, Fonda LaFemme. If you find yourself in Eureka Springs, I highly suggest visiting Eureka Live and saying hello to Anthony and Blaze and their team.
December was moving quickly, and before I knew it, we were drawing contestant numbers for Miss Gay America. Thank you to my home bar, Club Kinkead’s, for setting up a Livestream and cocktail hour prior to the weekly drag show. I had told myself that I wanted a number ending in 7 as its always been lucky to me, and I hoped to be in Group 1 or 2. Needless to say neither of those things happened, but that’s because fate had something different in store. I ended up with #43 (4 + 3 = 7); that was Tatiyanna’s number the year she won, and at Polly’s Big Gay Bingo on Sunday night the first ball called was N43. As you can imagine I was soaring that fate was looking out for me and gave me what I didn’t know I needed.
After the contestant number drawing it was time for a drag show and surprise birthday celebration of my very own daughter, Cakepop Decanter Rayne. Happy Birthday Cakepop! I am so proud of you and the work and growth that you are putting into yourself and your craft. Never change! I love you! Be sure to follow Cakepop on social media and find her in a city near you!
As Christmas was approaching I joined Ella Rosa at C4 with an all-star cast and an original Christmas production written and produced by Ella Rosa, Jamie Wilson, Taylor Madison Monroe, and C4 Nightclub and Lounge. After a long night in Fayetteville it was immediately off to Little Rock for a charity event hosted by Attig Curran Steel Law Firm. Ella and I attended “The Gingerbread Ranch” Holiday Reading where we read stories, performed, and completed arts and crafts with families from around Arkansas. We raised money for Canvas Church Unhoused Holiday Food Program and we thank everyone in attendance and Attig Curran Steel Law Firm for being a supporter and ally for all of us.
JANUARY IS HERE and it’s GO TIME!!! The first two weeks of January were filled with list-making, packing, repacking, and rehearsals. I was also traveling back and forth to Little Rock for final fittings for my presentation gown, which was made by Savvy Savant, MGAR 2022 and owner of Haus Savant Designs, as well as making a trip to Memphis, Tennessee, to visit Handmade by Fendi LaFemme who made my custom talent costume. As the winter weather approached, nerves grew higher; my team and I decided to load up early and head to Little Rock to try to beat it. Remember that fate thing we talked about earlier? Well she had different plans as the gate to the storage unit that held all my props was frozen shut. Panic set in. Thankfully I had a team of supporters behind me that worked to get all things resolved. It is now Registration day and all the nerves and stress washed away when entering the auditorium with my new found sisters. My time at Miss Gay America was filled with ups, downs, and everything in between, and I could not be more proud and honored to have had the honor to represent my home state in my home state. Thank you for my team Logan Sloan, Toni Palmer, Mark Mitchell, Jacob Holland, and Melanie Masters for being the back bone and super stars for the week. You all had the hardest jobs: from managing my stresses to loading and painting props, the arctic weather, to running up and down multiple flights of stairs to allow me to have a few seconds in the spotlight. I mean it when I say you are loved, appreciated, and I could not have done it without you by my side since the beginning of this journey. Ultimately, I finished 29th overall and placed 7th in gown on Preliminary night. When preparing with my team we made a game plan of our goals, and those were 1.) Have fun & learn. 2.) Show improvement from MGAR. 3.) Feel proud and accomplished of what we did, regardless of placement. 4.) Support each and everyone around us. I can say with pride and confidence that we achieved just that and in my book, that is a win! To my MGA 2024 sisters, what a pleasure it was learning and growing alongside you, and I look forward to continuing to do so. Congratulations to our Miss Gay America 2024, Dessie Love Blake.
With Miss Gay America being over it is now time for Miss Gay Arkansas America Preliminary season. Miss Gay Sweetheart America 02/16, Miss Gay Central America 03/03, Miss Gay Hot Springs America 03/11, Miss Gay Capital City America 03/29, Miss Gay Little Rock 04/26, Miss Gay Fayetteville 05/05, and the return of Miss Gay Ft. Smith America 05/19. Each winner and First Alternate will move on to compete for Miss Gay Arkansas America 2024.
I look forward to continuing my travels throughout Arkansas and meeting each of you. As always, you are beautiful, you are talented, you are strong. Now show the world.