The month of May is right around the corner, and that means the beginning of a hot season for women in Provincetown, MA. Clear your calendar! The Women Innkeepers and Girl Power Events are bringing you a full summer schedule of women-oriented weekends.

All the single ladies are heading to P-town May 15-17 for Single Women’s Weekend. Jump in feet first with a whirlwind weekend of cookouts, cocktail mixers, speed dating, sexy games and dance parties, plus plenty of down time to spend with your new-found sweetie. Entertainment headliners include comedian Dana Goldberg and recording artist Lori Michaels.

Mix it up June 4-7, at the 3rd annual Women of Color Weekend. Join hundreds of lovely ladies for 4 days of parties, comedy, great food and fun in the sun.

Don’t forget your swimsuit for the annual Girl Splash Weekend, July 22-26! This sizzling women’s beach extravaganza is hitting the shore at Provincetown! Wine & tequila tastings, a romantic sunset cruise, whale watching, BBQs, plus comedy, entertainment and hot dance parties round out this spectacular weekend of fun in the sun!

Of course Provincetown is open to everyone, and the boys have plenty of parties to keep them busy this summer as well; check out David Flower’s events for starters.

Need a place to stay while you’re in Provincetown? Click here to browse Damron’s listings for P-town, including accommodations, bars, restaurants and more.

While some of us are grumbling about shoveling snow off the driveway, others are rejoicing at the inauguration of the gay ski season. January is just the tip of the iceberg, with ski events world-wide to keep you shushing in style. Skiing not your thing? Curl up in the lodge with some hot chocolate and watch the parade of ruddy-cheeked, adrenaline-pumped snowbunnies gliding on and off the slopes. Apres-ski is your chance to show off the cute new sweater you got over the holidays!

Park City, Utah will celebrate Utah Gay & Lesbian Ski Week January 7-11, 2009. Aspen’s sexy ski event, Fire & Ice (pictured above), runs from January 11-18. East Coasters should head to Stowe, VT January 28-Feb 1 for the annual Winter Rendezvous.

Winter is summer in the land Down Under, and Queenstown, New Zealand will be celebrating with Summer Camp New Zealand, January 10-18. Melbourne, Australia kicks off its annual Midsumma Festival January 13.

Looking for another way to escape the winter blues? Check out DamronVacations.com for the latest LGBT travel specials.

The White Party at Vizcaya is the crown jewel in a week-long series of events that make up White Party Week, November 26-December 1, 2008, in Miami. The annual event generates hundreds of thousand of dollars to benefit Care Resource, South Florida’s oldest and largest HIV/AIDS service organization.Leading up to the main event, look for lots of parties in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, including the Gods of War Leather Ball, the Heatwave Pool Party, and Poseidon’s Muscle Beach party, just steps from the Atlantic Ocean in South Beach.Pandora Events is keeping the ladies busy this weekend, too. Five days of hot women’s parties starts on Wednesday with Helena. The Women’s White Party, Aphrodite, happens Friday night, and of course the gals are welcome at the big Vizcaya party Saturday night.Visiting Miami from out of town? For great rates on air & hotel packages, book your trip at Damron Vacations!

CERTIFIED VACATIONS GROUP, INC.
SELECTED BY DAMRON COMPANY, INC.
TO OPERATE DAMRON VACATIONS
New LGBT brand features packages to hot spots in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Mexico and beyond

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (November 3rd, 2008) Certified Vacations Group, Inc. announced today that it has been selected by San Francisco-based Damron Company, Inc. to operate Damron Vacations, a new lesbian and gay vacation brand. Damron is a true pioneer of the lesbian and gay travel industry with 40+ years of expertise as publisher of the best-selling Damron LGBT Travel Guides. With the launch of Damron Vacations, readers who have grown to trust Damron’s guidebooks for the best vacation advice and information can now purchase travel packages featuring the best deals to Damron-approved destinations and resorts in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Mexico and beyond.

Gina Gatta, President of Damron Company, commented on the partnership, saying: “Certified Vacations was an easy choice. They’ve enjoyed a tremendous track record of success and innovation over the past 28 years, and they have a broad and dynamic product mix of resorts, destinations and air partners that meet our needs precisely. It’s an ideal match that we look forward to growing for many years to come.”

Damron Vacations offers lesbian and gay travelers the ease and convenience of one-stop travel research, planning and purchase. The best deals on travel to top LGBT-friendly destinations are paired with Damron’s unmatched insider information and reviews on attractions, restaurants, hotels and more to help lesbian and gay travelers maximize their vacation experiences. Both air-inclusive and land-only packages are available, offering exceptional flexibility. Air-inclusive packages feature a choice of 20 well-known carriers, including American Airlines, British Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines, United, U.S. Airways and more.

To best serve the needs of lesbian and gay travelers, Certified Vacations has established a dedicated Damron Vacations call center. For reservations and more information, please call 1-888-850-6585. Reservations can also be made online by visiting www.DamronVacations.com.

Fall weather may be creeping into some parts of the country, but Palm Springs, CA is sporting temps in the 90s and sunshine for days. If you’re not ready to submit to your sweaters, head down for Palm Springs Pride, November 1-2, 2008.

The theme of this year

If anyone had told me five years ago that I would voluntarily be out of bed, showered and dressed by 7:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning because we were going to drive up to the Russian River for a T-Dance, I would have thought them daft. So why then was I in fact up, showered, dressed and waiting on my front door step for my friend to come pick me up this particular Sunday in August?

Lazy Bear Weekend.

Actually, for Sunday Furry Sunday, the big T-Dance of sorts which was one of the closing parties for this year’s Lazy Bear Weekend.

Not being a bear myself, nor an otter, nor a cub, a few of my friends wondered why I was going all the way up to the river just for a T-Dance. My answer was simple — DJ Rotten Robbie.

In May of this year, I went to a dance party which was, in part, a benefit for one of my favorite agencies in San Francisco, Under One Roof. If that wasn’t enough of a reason to go, the party was going to be held at the site of the legendary Trocadero Transfer — SF’s mythical, magical gay disco. The clincher was the fact that the party was being put on by WHITE LIGHT PRODUCTIONS, the folks who host the incredible “Remember The Party” events at the old Trocadero Transfer.

DJ Rotten Robbie was going to be spinning music for the 80’s-themed party “Flashdance SF.” I need little encouragement to go to a party at the old Trocadero, and even less encouragement if it is a throw-back night to the 1980’s (I still contend that 1984 was the best year for music ever).

But I digress…

At the party in May, DJ Rotten Robbie blew me away. It was a spectacular event for a incredible AIDS agency hosted by a brilliant team who have yet to throw a bad party at the old Troc (ps: their next party at the old Trocadero Transfer is October 12th!). From opening song to closing song, it wasn’t just a great time, it was FUN! And it was a lead-up event for the up-coming Lazy Bear Weekend.

Sorry, no more digressions…

So, when my friend told me that it was Rotten Robbie DeeJaying the Sunday T-Dance up at the River, I needed no convincing. The drive up to the Russian River was gorgeous. Being a city mouse, I rarely get the chance to travel up north but am reminded every time that I do manage to break out of the 415 area code of exactly how stunning the Northern California coastline and communities are.

We got to Guerneville in time to not only get an amazing parking spot right across the street from the venue but also grab a quick breakfast at Pat’s Cafe (the steel-cut oatmeal was excellent). Walking to the event, camera in hand as always, I had this feeling of being back in time and snapped this one photo.

The event, held at a private resort which used to be part of Fife’s, went off without a hitch. It was an awesome afternoon (and I have the ridiculous farmer’s tan to show for it). The men of this year’s Bare Chest calendar were pouring beer, the swimming pool on the site was always hopping with bears, cubs, otters and even folks like me, and flaggers and fanners could be seen spinning all over the grounds.

As for the music, I was not disappointed. DJ Rotten Robbie spun a fantastic set (the party ran from 11 am to 6 pm). For me the highlight of the day had to be Heaven 17’s “Let Me Go.” What can I say? I am a creature of the New Wave/Punk era… He really played to the crowd who in turn were dancing, laughing, singing along and having one hell of a good time. From what I read on the Lazy Bear recap for the event, attendance at the Sunday T-Dance was up 27% over last year.

You can bank on me once again being awake, showered, dressed and sitting on my front stoop at 7:30 am next year around this time as I plan on going back to the Russian River for this party. It was that good.

One closing photo says it all for me.

mikey

We can hardly believe it either, but August is already here and Labor Day weekend is approaching. The summer is almost over! But fear not, there is plenty on tap in the next couple of weeks to keep our LGBT readers busy.

Sporty types may be dreaming of gold with the Summer Olympics in Beijing, but when the Games are over, soccer-loving lesbians “and those willing to be mistaken for one” will be heading to Seattle for the 18th installment of FOB, or Festival of the Babes. Head up to the Emerald City for a hard-charging Labor Day Weekend full of soccer, dance parties, and cleat-wearing Babes.

Also happening in Seattle that weekend is Gender Odyssey, the national conference focused on the thoughtful exploration of gender. Look for workshops and guest speakers by day, play parties and cabaret by night. Open to transmen, transwomen, genderqueer, intersex, their allies, and everyone in between!

Culture Vultures in New York City should check out the Howl Festival in Tompkins Square Park, September 5-7, 2008. The Allen Ginsberg poetry festival kicks off the event on Friday, followed by art throughout the park on Saturday, plus bands, spoken word and hip hop performances throughout the weekend.

Women from the Sunshine State and beyond will be flocking to Key West for WomenFest, September 2-7, 2008. Besides bikini-clad babes, you’ll find dance parties, drag shows, live music, comedy, films, snorkeling charters and tons more! Check out the events schedule online and do not forget sunscreen!

Need a hotel or bar or restaurant in Seattle, New York City, or Key West? Check out the Damron listings to get all the info you need to plan your trip.

FINALLY, a week in Ptown for women in the SUMMER! Lynette Molnar and Girl Power Events invite you to Girl SPLASH in Provincetown, July 19