The Welcoming Committee is already in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle. This Thursday, for Caps v. Stars, they’re organizing a night out to the game. The cost is $50 (info on added discount below) and that comes with a free t-shirt. From Molly at their HQ:
While we are well known for our Guerilla Queer Bar (GQB) night in which we takeover typically straight bars and clubs with hundreds of our members, we have expanded our offerings as we discussed to include sporting, cultural, nightlife, and travel experiences. In DC this summer we attempted our first concert takeover in which we brought 44 of our members to the Verizon Center for the Ariana Grande concert on July 25th. We also hosted a U-street bar crawl in August selling about 140 tickets and a very successful Pride GQB pre-party.
The basics (details are here):
For more information on The Welcoming Committee, how they got started, and where they’re headed, check out this Forbes article. They have 4,000 DC members and nearly 40,000 nationwide. CYA Thursday!!!
Also that night, there will be another group of boys coming to Verizon as well, although perhaps more accurate to say “boiz.” And maybe some “ladiez,” too! Organized by local pal Kevin Morris, with the tiniest of help from us, about 50 or so GLBTQXYZ hockey fans will be on hand to watch the wee Martin St. Louis and his gang get handed their lids by a resurgent Caps squad.
Craig and I have debated the size of the gay hockey fan base – real and potential – for years. Heck, a few weeks ago we even did a science to try and settle the issue. A few years back, we purchased a block of about 40 tickets and sold them all, and this year apparently was no exception.
Personally, I think the appeal of hockey (*coughKeslercough*) is obvious no matter who you are. We’ll have a good bunch at Verizon for the Bolts and maybe in a year or so we can bring in numbers that will rival the National’s Night Out. Anyway, we’ll post much more from tomorrow’s frolic later in the week, including some ideas about more, and potentially even larger gatherings of the flock. In the meantime, if you think you can join us – there may be a spare ticket or two – or if you’d just like to meet up with us tomorrow, drop us a line. We’ll see you in section 411 tomorrow night to light up Bolts!
It’s not often you get to participate in a first. Your first kiss, your first house, your first Thanksgiving meal you prepared yourself. While they’re often just the first of a sting of others to come, you always have a special place for your first.
Which makes it all the more important that on Saturday, December 3rd, you should grab your sweeetie and your friends and friends with benefits and anyone else around and join the PuckBuddys at Verizon Center for the Caps/Sens game.
Why, you ask? What’s so firsty about this game? Because December 3rd marks the first-ever Washington Capitals Night Out. Your very own PuckBuddys have joined with TeamDC to create a night for all the Caps LGBT fans. Many, if not all, of the blocks of tickets we’ve purchased up in the 411 are already sold, but there could be other seats to be had. Craig says he thinks we’re the only gayboys there on any given night. I think he’s completely wrong – and now’s your chance to prove it.
We can’t guarantee dancing boys (or girls), a t-shirt from Slapshot or a blast from the burrito cannon, but it will be a good time seeing our Caps crush the Canadian invaders.
And there may be a surprise or two. Team offices have been very helpful in making this happen. But remember: this isn’t about politics, gay or otherwise; this is about hockey – Washington Capitals Hockey. So cross your fingers and drop us or a line and see if there’s any tickets left in the block. But otherwise, let’s fill Verizon Center with MOAR RED, and maybe a little pink and purple, too.
It’s nearly impossible to watch a Caps game without beer.
Well, OK. It’s nearly impossible for ONE of us to watch a Caps game without beer. (HAHA, Doug like beer!) And judging from the number of people willing to flush $8 away for swill at Verizon, we’re not alone.
So it was an epic face-palm moment for us when we first put this equation together: Hockey + beer + gay = Nellie’s. What took us so long?
For those tragically unaware, Nellie’s is Washington’s first gay sports bar. (Or…you know…first ‘official’ sports bar. I mean have you seen the crowd at the First Down? Yeesh.) It’s locally owned, welcoming of fanboys gay and straight, and run by Doug Schantz – a class-act who’s built a real neighborhood spot you genuinely want to hang out at.
Schantz loved the idea of partnering in some form with us’uns, and agreed to have his #2 create some Caps-inspired drinks. In turn, PuckBuddys next season aims to partner with Nellie’s for a Caps Night Out (Red, Meet Pink!) and in what’s left of the season will be holding several Caps viewing parties at Nellie’s. All we had to do was test the drinks. Oh, twist our arm.
A recent Saturday noon found the Nellie’s staff restocking from last night and prepping for the weekend crush, and the seats mostly empty. At the bar we found one of Nellie’s original employees and now manager Matt Gillette (who just may be the best a man can get.) Matty’s a sports fan, a performer, and knows his way around a cocktail shaker. Ahem.
Here’s his Caps creations – and the names and recipes as best we can remember. We had to do a lot of tasting to get it right.
#1 – The Ovechtrick: in shaker with ice add 1pour Stoli Raspberry, 1pour Bailey’s Irish, some Patron Cafe, Creme de Cacao and hit of Chambourd. A really great warmer that makes a White Russian actually tasty.
#2 – The Nicky 19: in tall glass w/ice and lemon, 4 counts Absolut Ruby, 1pour St. Germain (really tasty elder flower essence), splash of soda and cranberry juice. This is going to be lethally good on a Spring afternoon or Summer evening. Mmm, gonna have to taste that Ovechtrick and Nicky 19 back to back…just to make sure.
#3: The Mikey G: in shaker with ice add…um, some…Captain Morgan’s, we think, some…more?…Rumple Minze, splash of, what, is that like 7-Up, and…uh, where are we again? This is a spicy, minty kick in the pants that somehow doesn’t taste of rum at all.
So next time the Caps are out of town, and you feel like a good beer – or something with a bit more oompah – head to Nellie’s. We’re in and out – and plan on gathering for a Caps viewing on Friday, March 18, 7pm. Caps v. Devils – some whompin’ an’ a stompin’.
We’ll be the two guys…one with a beer. Or a drink.