I was given a drag show for a baby shower ... time to show the teen

I'm thinking it might just be time to dust off and pull out the old VHS player - yes, we still have one - and show the teen the tape of the drag show baby shower I was given by the owners and customers of O.Henry's in downtown Asheville 16 years ago about this time of year. I was one month away from delivery and the owner approached me about wanting to do something for the new little Hyorth to be. He wanted to put on a drag show.

Yes, a drag show. It were not a show full of the glamour girls in today's world of female impersonators, wearing sometimes fake and sometimes not fake jewelry, but always lovely, sparkly gowns and make-up that takes hours to get just right. No, the 'stars' at the Hyorth baby shower were crusty, older, passionate, hearts of gold who donned XXXL one tone dresses in either bright or neutral colors, depending upon availability or personality. There was no attempt at making the wigs look real. They were god knows how many years old and probably even passed around from one performer to another that very same evening.

To be fair, there were some other performers also, and they were a hoot. But it's the ug ... uh hum - not so beautiful drag queens I want to show the kid for a good laugh.

O.Henry's is the oldest gay bar in North Carolina. They were also one of the few pubs open in downtown Asheville when we first moved here. "Closest thing to a New Orleans bar Asheville has," is how my husband introduced me to the place. He worked at the newspaper two blocks away and knew it would be my/our kind of place. Full of characters with never-ending quips and totally interesting stories to tell. And sometimes retell. That was in 1985.

Once we owned our own business downtown, O.Henry's became one of our neighborhood pubs. It being a gay bar didn't matter. They didn't care we were heterosexuals; we didn't care they were homosexuals. We all were looking for the same thing: a few laughs, a cold beer, some interesting conversation and people who were happy to see you when you walked through the door.

Those 'queens' started Zach's college fund. Oh, yeah ... they're good people. Maybe I'll get the VHS revamped and post it on facebook ... Happy Birthday, Zach!