Celebrate All Hallows Eve at the Wicked Manors Block Party

Greater Fort Lauderdale’s Gay Mecca WILTON MANORS
will be the Scariest and Most Fabulous Spot In Town.

Dust off those wigs and over-the-top costumes, it’s time to celebrate the most ghostly of holidays … Halloween. Join us in Greater Fort Lauderdale for the hottest party in Florida – the Wicked Manors Block Party on Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. This year’s theme, “The Silver Scream” will feature classic horror films from the past with party-goers in more eclectic and eccentric costumes than anywhere in South Florida. Female impersonators, contests, food vendors, bars and themed booths will fill “The Drive” with lots of good old Halloween fun. Looking to play some tricks or get some treats then come to one of these devilishly fun events or contests:
Schedule of Events

5 PM: Trick or Treat on the Drive

Get in the Wicked Manors spirit and trick-or-treat the entire length of the Drive from 5 PM to 7 PM. Participating businesses will offer special “treats” for the kids and adults and be on the lookout for your favorite storefront decorated in the spirit of Halloween!

7 PM: Wicked Manors Block Party Begins

Party the night away with a fabulous DJ and other live or (undead) entertainment.

Pet Costume Contest: Don’t leave the pets at home! Dress up your dog, costume your cat, masquerade your mouse! Furry friends can win big in this contest! Prizes will be awarded for large and small breeds.

Best Wig Contest! New for ‘08, this hair raising contest will flip your lid!

Celebrity Look-A-Like Contest: Has anyone ever told you that you look like Marilyn Monroe or maybe Hugh Grant? Here’s your chance to dress like a diva, wear movie star make-up, be a Britney (or not). Celebrate your inner celebrity and join the fun.

Drag Queen Walk Off! Bring out the high heels for this one! A quick walk down the runway, past the crowds and back to the stage – FIERCE!

Costume Contest: The prizes get bigger and the judging gets tougher! Can you be the scariest? Or even the best?

Winners announced throughout the evening and at 11 PM, we crown the Lord and Lady of Wicked Manors!

For more info check out www.WickedManors.com

Rain Fails to Dampen Spirits at Wilton Manors Gay Pride Celebration

By Georgia East |South Florida Sun-Sentinel

WILTON MANORS – Huddled under a tent with her partner, Donna Fearon was determined not to let rain spoil her fun at the Stonewall Street Festival on Sunday.

She came out to celebrate gay and lesbian pride. In the 30 years she has lived in the region, there has been a lot of progress, she said.

“People are feeling more open to be themselves and show affection,” Fearon said. “There’s no gawking. Pretty soon there will be no need for gay clubs. Everyone will be together.”

Fearon was among thousands who braved heavy downpours and strong winds to come out to this weekend’s ninth Stonewall Street Festival in Wilton Manors. For the first time, the festival was a two-day event, with a parade along Wilton Drive on Saturday night and a community festival with an array of vendors and entertainment on Sunday.

Bobby Kyser, one of the organizers, said over the two days the event drew close to 40,000 people. The rain didn’t curtail any of the festivities.

“I come for the camaraderie,” said Jonathan Winters, of Wilton Manors, a masseuse and kickboxer who tries to attend every year.

The festival marks the anniversary of the June 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. After Judy Garland died, some members of the gay community met at the Stonewall Inn in New York City to mourn the loss of an icon. Police raided the bar and the patrons fought back over three days of rioting. The riots served to galvanize the gay community, said Bill Greeves, with the Stonewall Library and Archives in Fort Lauderdale.

“We were just damn mad and not going to take it anymore,” he said about the discrimination then.

On Sunday it was like a reunion. Families clogged the street with strollers and shared hugs and updates with their friends.

“I like the fact that there are so many babies,” said Holley Mosley, of Fort Lauderdale. Mosley and her partner brought their 2-week-old son, Thomas, to the festival.

In addition to the small-business vendors and community outreach organizations, political candidates were out in full force, with rainbow buttons and the word “pride” all over their literature.

“I know some of the politicians here aren’t gay,” said Chris Hassett, of Fort Lauderdale. “But at least they came. At least they know we exist.”

Georgia East can be reached at 954-356-4629 or geast@sun-sentinel.com.

Thank you for visiting our blog! Come visit us!
Bill and John

The Cabanas Guesthouse

Fort Lauderdale Area Nude Beaches

Haulover Beach
Get Map

Although not actually in Fort Lauderdale or Broward County, Haulover Beach is a favorite spot for many gays and lesbians. The northern part of the beach is clothing optional (nude). If you prefer to stick with family, go to the northern part of the clothing optional area. No matter where you go, you will be welcome, as everyone here seems to have a live and let live attitude.

Haulover beach is located just about 1 mile south of North Miami Beach Dr (State Route 826) on Collins Ave (State Route A1A) Driving time from Fort Lauderdale is approx. 35 minutes.

Parking: $4.00 for cars and motorcycles at 2 large lots across from beach on west side of Collins Ave – A1A (Park in the north lot if possible – it is closer to the gay beach)
Food: Usually vendors on weekends, or Marina at south parking lot. No glass bottles or containers are allowed.
Facilities: Beachside restrooms, outside shower, lounge chair and umbrella rentals.
Lifeguards: 9am to 5pm daily
Pets: Pets are not allowed on the beach or within the park.

Thank you for visiting our blog! Come visit us!
Bill and John

The Cabanas Guesthouse

Rain Fails to Dampen Spirits at Wilton Manors Gay Pride Celebration

By Georgia East |South Florida Sun-Sentinel

WILTON MANORS – Huddled under a tent with her partner, Donna Fearon was determined not to let rain spoil her fun at the Stonewall Street Festival on Sunday.

She came out to celebrate gay and lesbian pride. In the 30 years she has lived in the region, there has been a lot of progress, she said.

“People are feeling more open to be themselves and show affection,” Fearon said. “There’s no gawking. Pretty soon there will be no need for gay clubs. Everyone will be together.”

Fearon was among thousands who braved heavy downpours and strong winds to come out to this weekend’s ninth Stonewall Street Festival in Wilton Manors. For the first time, the festival was a two-day event, with a parade along Wilton Drive on Saturday night and a community festival with an array of vendors and entertainment on Sunday.

Bobby Kyser, one of the organizers, said over the two days the event drew close to 40,000 people. The rain didn’t curtail any of the festivities.

“I come for the camaraderie,” said Jonathan Winters, of Wilton Manors, a masseuse and kickboxer who tries to attend every year.

The festival marks the anniversary of the June 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. After Judy Garland died, some members of the gay community met at the Stonewall Inn in New York City to mourn the loss of an icon. Police raided the bar and the patrons fought back over three days of rioting. The riots served to galvanize the gay community, said Bill Greeves, with the Stonewall Library and Archives in Fort Lauderdale.

“We were just damn mad and not going to take it anymore,” he said about the discrimination then.

On Sunday it was like a reunion. Families clogged the street with strollers and shared hugs and updates with their friends.

“I like the fact that there are so many babies,” said Holley Mosley, of Fort Lauderdale. Mosley and her partner brought their 2-week-old son, Thomas, to the festival.

In addition to the small-business vendors and community outreach organizations, political candidates were out in full force, with rainbow buttons and the word “pride” all over their literature.

“I know some of the politicians here aren’t gay,” said Chris Hassett, of Fort Lauderdale. “But at least they came. At least they know we exist.”

Georgia East can be reached at 954-356-4629 or geast@sun-sentinel.com.

Thank you for visiting our blog! Come visit us!
Bill and John

The Cabanas Guesthouse

Shopping

Shopping in Gay Wilton Manors and Gay Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Presented by: The Cabanas Guesthouse

Thank you for visiting our blog! Come visit us!
Bill and John

The Cabanas Guesthouse

Gay and Gay Friendly Places To Dine

Gay and Gay Friendly Places to Dine in Gay Fort Lauderdale and in Gay Wilton Manors
By: The Cabanas Guesthouse

The Following Restaurants are Not Gay Owned or leased but are more gay-friendly than others in that they advertise in Gay Media:

Dinner and Show Clubs

Thank you for visiting our blog! Come visit us!
Bill and John

The Cabanas Guesthouse

Wilton Manors in New York Times!

A Gay Boomtown Is More Mainstream And Less the Cliché
By GINIA BELLAFANTE

Presented By: The Cabanas Guesthouse In Wilton Manors

By the mid-1990’s, this small, once comfortably middle-class city just north of downtown Fort Lauderdale had its share of woes. Crime, drugs and prostitution blighted various neighborhoods. The local Piggly Wiggly supermarket needed security guards before it shut down completely.

Then in 1997 George Kessinger converted a boarded-up bank in a derelict strip mall into a gay bar, and things began to change. Boards were removed from other storefronts in the mall, and more gay-oriented businesses opened — a bar, a coffee shop, two men’s clothing stores.

Soon homes that would not sell for $80,000 or $90,000 even in a frenzied market moved briskly for $300,000 to $400,000, as gay men and women priced out of South Beach, Key West and Victoria Park in Fort Lauderdale moved to the more affordable bungalows of Wilton Manors.

Now, the city is thriving. It has a higher proportion of same-sex households than any other city in the country except Provincetown, Mass., and Guerneville, Calif., in the Sonoma wine country, according to a new study of census data. to San Diego but couldn’t afford it.

You can read the full New York Times article HERE.

Thank you for visiting our blog! Come visit us!
Bill and John

The Cabanas Guesthouse