The sweet taste of Fruitcake

A daytime view of Rumpspankers

Last Friday our Nopo prayers were answered when Fruitcake, a new queer dance night, took over Rumpspankers on Northeast Dekum. And if the packed house and slew of bicycles parked at the door is any indication, a repeat performance is most surely in order.

I had my doubts about the space. As adorbale as it is, Rumpspankers is also quite tiny. But the cramped atmosphere only served to lend the crowd intimacy. Seldom was I claustrophobic and I did not even have to wait particularly long for a drink, which is quite refreshing considering the interminable line at much bigger clubs such as Holocene.

DJs Freddie Fagula, Nolita and Ladyboy kept the music danceable but not boring, interspersing songs ranging from popular dance hits to Michael Jackson 80s classics to an array of more underground tracks. And the small dance floor was continually bumping. Yet, though the tables had been pushed aside there was still room enough to lounge and chat on the plush couches near the bar.

Small enough to feel like a house party but big enough to be a veritable who’s who of the Portland dyke scene, Fruitcake has succeeded in feeling like a big deal on the very first night. Even local superstar Beth Ditto, of The Gossip, was in attendance.

But she was not the only heat in the room. As the night cooled, the dancing frenzied and the windows began to fog, North Portland queers rode that party train into the spring night in a way that starts Pride season off just right.