A smattering of ghoulishly queer weekend Halloween happenings

The weekend before All Saint’s Eve is nearly upon us so if you aren’t ready yet you really only have a precious 2 or 3 days to get together a costume that is interesting, sexy and comfortable. Good luck ladies and gents…For a complete list of gay Halloween happenings Just Out’s calendar is always a great resource. Me, I’m more of a person with all kinds of favorite playing, bias and irreverence. Therefore the short list of events I will lay out for you a just what my own eyes stop over on any queer Halloween get out list.

Friday

Since Halloween really isn’t until the next Wednesday Friday night’s pickins are on the slim side. You can, however, get into the ERoom for free with a costume, C.C. Slaughters hosts the monthly Oregon Bears party, which I guess is sorta dress up with a lumberjack theme every month, and the completely non-Halloween related but very lesbionic Catie Curtis performs at WOW Hall in Eugene (she’ll also be at Mississippi Studios Saturday but we’ll all be running around in costume won’t we?).

But there is one big queer party on Friday that seems fascinating.

Girls on Gay presents A Halloween Temptation at The Viewpoint (8102 NE Killingsworth) featuring three stages of sexy, professional exotic and erotic dancers; interactive competitions; wonderful giveaways; blood martinis and other ghoulish drink specials; and prizes for the sexiest, scariest and most creative costumes.

Now, I have to admit to some amount of trepidation about heading out to a strip club on 82nd as a female-bodied individual but gaggles of lesbians at a sponsored event is probably the safest time to do it. And I can certainly appreciate the fun in an evening of sleazy entertainment. So shuck away your tendency to listen to that prudish voice in your head and enjoy a little skin with like minded ladies. 8:30 -2a, $7.

Saturday

Start your morning off like a kid with a haunted theme invading the Saturday morning cartoon blitz at the Waypost (3120 N Williams). What better than the buckets of candy you ate back when you were a tooth-rotting tot, however? Buckets of beer instead…and at noon no less!

For the over 36 ladies crowd the Hot Flash Halloween Dream party gets down in Old Town at Barracuda (9 NW 2nd Avenue). I always did that was an odd marriage of venue and event but it seems to be working I suppose. There will even be go-go dancers and queer hip hop artist Kritik. But the best part? It’s 5-9p so your weary old bones can be in bed at a decent hour.

I know you really don’t want to go all the way across the Columbia River for an event but how can you turn down the first-ever transgender pumpkin-carving contest, Jackie O’Lantern Contest in Vancouver? You really can’t. All entries will be auctioned off during the Lips Cabaret Show. Proceeds benefit Esther’s Pantry, Martha’s Pantry and Q Center. (6 pm entry submissions, 7 pm judging, 8 pm auction, 9 pm show. 106 W Sixth St. $5.)

For those with dark and erotic inclinations you have a couple options. Darklady’s Haunted Gothic Wedding Polyween at Jupiter Hotel (800 E Burnside) or the 7th annual Portland Erotic Ball at the Crystal Ballroom (1332 W Burnside). Both appear to be big blowout functions with equally inflated ticket prices but I guess sex sells. I’m guessing that Darklady’s will be a bit scarier and more S&M, which is certainly in keeping with the season. However, for those with broader sexual and silly Halloween yearnings the Crystal sounds like the better bet featuring all this:

Pepe & the Bottle Blondes, Shel Bailey & the Big Package, Basic Fix, Rose City Sirens, snake girls, fire dancers, sword swallowers, zombie go-go performers, exotic dancers and female impersonator Sasha Scarlett hosting “Portland’s Biggest Costume Contest” for cash and prizes totaling $5,000

But what I, personally, want to attend is the seemingly mundane Double Down. I can find no explicit theme or even plea for costumes but lately the homo scene down at Holocene has been pretty off the hook. And while it might be frustrating not to be able to move, or to wait 20 minutes for a drink surely this portends a turnout full of exceptionally crazy queers in a host of debauchery-inspiring costumes ready to dance until their false eyelashes come off.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be making it down there. There are several house parties (which I wouldn’t want to advertise without permission) happening up in my own N/NE hood. I’m imagining that my pals will want to ride bikes through our own queer streets to show off our Village People charm. I could, of course, opt to to to DD on my own but without the rest of the VP crew I would just be another adorably hot, angelic-looking little sailor. Wait…that’s not bad actually…

So in all your wanderings make sure to send pictures of your party pals, costumes, tranny pumpkins and the like and I will make sure they make it out front. I can’t wait to see what PDX queers can come up with…