WEEKLY EVENTS

SUNDAY BINGO AT 801 BOURBON

Beginning August 28th and every Sunday through October 16th, the notorious upstairs BINGO at 801 Bourbon Bar, hosted by QMitch, will equally benefit the 2016 King and Queen FANTASY FEST Candidates.

Be sure and arrive early for the best seating around 4 p.m.

Campaign proceeds benefit AIDS Help, serving Monroe County for 30 years.

AQUA IDOL AT AQUA NIGHTCLUB, 711 Duval, 6:30 p.m.

‘Aqua Idol’ is now for the benefit of your King and Queen Candidates of FANTASY FEST 2016. Join them and their singers from August 30th through October 18th…vote with your dollars in the tip buckets every Tuesday at6:30 p.m.

Campaign proceeds benefit AIDS Help, serving Monroe County for 30 years.

CANDIDATE EVENTS

CHRISTOPHER ROUNDS FOR KING

Sunday, August 28th, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., enjoy CHRISTOPHER’S KING-SIZE TEA (DANCE) at La Te Da, 1125 Duval.

ALL-CANDIDATE EVENT

Come to the Bottlecap 1128 Simonton, on Friday, September 2nd, between 5 and 8 pm. and caucus over cocktails with the Candidates for King and Queen of FANTASY FEST 2016…

Kristen Livengood for QUEEN

Kristen Livengood was sitting at trivia night when someone suggested she take a stab at running for Fantasy Fest Queen. A couple of beers later, she was calling to be a part of the 8-week campaign raising money for AIDS Help. “It’s always something I considered running for,” she says, citing her days working for the late Tom Oosterhoudt at Conch Color. “But, I just didn’t think I would do it with a four and a nine-year-old at home.” Born and raised in Marathon, she married into a Key West family and resides on Big Pine Key with her hubby, daughters and two chickens. When she isn’t event hopping for her job at The Key West Weekly, she’s out spearfishing. She hopes to bring renewed awareness to HIV/AIDS up the Keys, especially since AIDS Help is a Keyswide organization…and there have been 22 new cases in the Keys since January. Last year, there was only one new case. “Until there is a vaccine or a cure, we need to be vigilant in preventing new cases by continuing to promote safe sex and testing, and, of course, caring for those who have been affected by it,” Kristen says.

Tommy Ryan for KING

Thomas Ryan is widely known as ‘Tommy’, which sounds like a kid’s name. This ain’t no kid. The Brooklyn-born Tommy Ryan is a father of three, a US Army Veteran and was a New York Fire Department first responder on 9/11. He was, at that time, the only out FDNY firefighter, although he’d marched, in uniform, in the city’s Pride Parade in 1999 and had persuaded the department to recognize FireFlagEms as an official support organization for LGBT firefighters. “Chaplain Mychal Judge was our official source of ministry for the FDNY. He rushed to the WTC site that morning to pray, entering the lobby of the World Trade Center North Tower. Flying debris killed him and his body being carried out was a famous 9/11 image. My eulogy for the chaplain was included in a PBS special.” All of this, Tommy explains, acquainted him with media attention. Both OUT and The Advocate cited him. Local New York City TV came calling, as did ‘Nick At Night’ with Linda Ellerbee and Rosie O’Donnell. Tragedy has again put him in the forefront. He identifies his King Candidacy as a response to the PULSE nightclub tragedy in Orlando and the “senseless 49 deaths as a trigger for my own PTSD”. More infuriating was his attempt to donate blood in the immediate aftermath “and my help being turned away because I’m gay. We may have gay marriage (Tommy’s getting married in September to Jon Baird) but clearly more education is in order!” What followed 9/11 was about the community giving back, and now “it’s my turn,” Tommy notes. “It’s why I spoke to schools in New York, Georgia, Ohio and Massachusetts about 9/11. It’s why I went to Louisiana after Hurricane Rita to help rebuild. It’s why I’m doing the Smart Ride in November. Now, it’s my royal mission to spread Wings of Hope to AIDS Help and my community.”

Jane Rohrschneider for QUEEN

Jane Rohrschneider, when announcing her intentions of running for Queen of FANTASY FEST 2016, humbly claimed that “I’m not that interesting or fascinating, I’m not especially musical and I don’t have any money.” This, from a woman who holds degrees in art, art history and sculpture; can identify obscure plants from time spent with the Key West Garden Club; designs and maintains websites; is a divemaster; serves as 3rd year Commodore of the Key West Community Sailing Center and was instrumental in its recent reciprocal agreement with a Cuban sailing club; and whose mosaic work, chosen by jury, not only serves as the vibrant entryway of AIDS Help’s Poinciana Royale community but is also on display at the CVS on Front and Duval Streets and in private homes throughout the Keys. Oh: she also sits dogs. A Canadian native/American citizen, Jane became acquainted with Key West in 1990 during vacations here with her late husband, eventually relocating fulltime by 1996. It was during her time as an administrative assistant the Truman’s Little White House that she became personally acquainted with AIDS, when a fellow employee’s son fell ill and died within a year. Two decades later, she’s frustrated by the complacency surrounding transmission and infection. “If there’s one goal of my campaign, it’s to stress safe sex…that caution is still necessary in relationships, dating, hooking-up. Raising awareness for eight weeks is as important to me as raising money.” Expect Jane’s campaign fundraisers to eschew the passive and embrace the active. After all, her slogan is ‘Jane of the Jungle’. “I may not swing into a fundraiser on a rope, but I’ve always been a little bit of a tomboy,” she notes. “I can’t wait to meet everyone and tell the story of AIDS Help.”

Christopher Rounds for KING

Christopher Rounds is fast approaching his 20th anniversary as a Key Wester, calling this home since the purchase of his first house in 1997. Bringing considerable chef’s skills from Maryland, his community impact was immediate, and his acquisition of Antonia’s on Duval put him at the forefront of local cuisine as a Keys celebrity chef. In late 2013, Christopher and life/business partner Patrick Hegarty sold Antonia’s to take on a much bigger project: the restoration of La Te Da, originally built in 1892, to its glory days. Before and since, Christopher has always donated venue, food or staff to a variety of social service agencies and fundraisers in the lower Keys, including an annual dinner for AIDS Help volunteers, “but I’d been toying with the idea of running for King for years. It seemed logical, especially with La Te Da’s historical ties to Fantasy Fest, but the restoration and ongoing upgrades have been my priority”. Hegarty’s encouragement and the AIDS-related death this year of a good friend brought clarity to his 2016 commitment. “I know firsthand how much AIDS Help does. Raising as much money as I can for their education, outreach and prevention programs is my own way of honoring the passing of a great man. People who know me know I don’t do anything small…I’m hands-on and ever-present on the La Te Da property…I guarantee my King Candidacy will be the same!”