Out on the scene: big, gay, softball weekend brings hundreds to Napa

Well the moment we--and most definitely I--had been anticipating finally came! The big gay softball tournament and players (very handsome players, and lots of them) were here! Napa's out and gay population was increased by the hundreds! I haven't gotten input from organizers yet, but it seems like this weekend's gay softball tournament, the Golden Bear Classic, went very well (maybe even a home run?). Hopefully it will be coming back next year bigger than before. I will definitely be nominating a couple people to the organizing committee, that's for sure.

Yes, there were really hundreds of sporty gay softball players running around Napa this weekend. Yes, a local business hoisted up a large, billowing rainbow flag. Yes, there where big, gay, after parties. Want to know more? Read on...

Not sure if it's a bad thing (or good), but local media (Napa Register, radio) didn't cover the event at all. (I say maybe good because who knows if protesters would have shown up and made it worse than just the rain...)

Firstly, make sure you got to see the pictures, here.

The weekend was a lot of fun and a huge opportunity for the City of Napa (that we hope we can be a part of helping Napa to fully embrace next year). It was our first year playing host city, so I'll cut Napa some slack--my friends and I, and the players we saw, had a great time--it can only get better in 2009.

I was very proud that more than a couple local businesses put up rainbow flag stickers in their windows:

• Downtown Joe's (Who also hung a large flag from the side of their building too! It's a shame the wind and rain hid it most of the time, TYPICAL!)
• First Squeeze (Who also catered the concessions at Kennedy Park)
• Loco's Tex-Mex (Dunno if they had rainbow stickers, but they also kept the hungry ones fed at Kennedy's fields)
• Uva (Stuck it right up there with their menu and b/w jazz photos!)
• Of course, Napa Billiards, who also hosted a big Saturday Night party (read more, below) and proudly displayed a large flag above their front door on Lincoln Ave.
• Cuvée went all out with a DJ & dance and disco lights (which to some is even more of a siren song to gay males than the rainbow flag)
  
• I heard that Billco and Small World put some up, but didn't see anything. Did you see any anywhere else?

Some other restaurants were kind enough to run specials, but with all the games and the rain delays I'm not sure how many of the players got to read the blog and take advantage of them:

• Stave Wine Lounge
• Smoking Cat. Cafe
• Gay Napa Getaways

Friday evening had all the players and teams gathering at Gaia in American Canyon (yes, I know it looks like a-i-a with a spiral next to it, but it's really Gaia) for reigstration in an upstais ballroom. The long hallway had 4 or 5 tables stretched down along the side with the usual registration materials and packets for each player and larger, gray bags for managers. Pretty standard, conference style action. It was entering the ballroom that was most exciting: there had to have been about 500 guys in there, from all over. We heard (they didn't have their uniforms on yet, just street clothes) they were from as far away as Washington State on one end of the coast and San Diego on the other. They were mostly around their mid- to late- twenties, but some were a little younger and some a little older. It was a mixed group (and I mean ethnicities: white, latino, black, asian, etc. ) but we also heard that each team is "allowed" a maximum of two "straighties". I'm not sure how they prove it either way (I still haven't received my gay I.D.), but the rule is hilarious and reminds me of that W&G episode where Jack is competing to get into the gay men's chorus against straight foe, Matt Damon.

So for the real dirt on the fun Saturday night: There was a big miscommunication and maybe due to printing delays (or whatever?) the program and the SFGSL website said that Saturday night's plans were TBA. But they forgot about the "announced" part, and so the only thing the players knew about was the big drag spectacular at Napa Billiards. That's definitely not a bad thing and a good amount of them showed up for the show. However, I know of a handful that stayed in the East Bay or SF and commuted, and others who struggled to find something to do or just stayed at the hotel in American Canyon. Meanwhile, the DJ and fabulous setup at Cuvée lay empty until much later on in the evening.

The 50 or 60 who showed up at Napa Billiards seemed to have a great time. It's fair to say that it's the most gay white boys that that place has seen in a long time. The girls did a great job with the show and balancing the English language music with their traditional stand-bys and Jenny Rivera. They took on pop acts like Rihanna, Brittney Spears and Gloria Estefan and then threw in a Liza Minelli singing New York, New York in a glittery gold leotard (with matching glittery gold top-hat and cane, of course!). The beers were selling like hotcakes (you get what I mean) beneath the arch of rainbow balloons, and the bartenders and staff tried to keep up with the very full house. I did see quite a few of the players not only admire, but tipping the dancers. I hope the bartenders got some lovin' as well. I know Fabian was looking forward to meeting some cute white boys.

Whatever happened with Cuvée not being advertised, we tried to do our best to get the word out and handed out tri-fold brochures with the lounge/restaurant's picture and address and let them know that there was a full bar and DJ waiting.

By the time the drag show ended it was 12:30ish, my small group headed over to Cuvée which was its usual quiet (but nicely lit and comfortable) self. The DJ left because none of the players arrived early on (and imagine that we had thought Cuvée was going to be THE place to be!), but by that time, they were looking for more to do and harder alcohol. There were a couple players at one of the tables, and slowly the lounge became lively with about 20 or so of them showing up later on. Eventually they (God bless 'em) outlasted me and my small group of friends--drinking, toasting, and shaking their booties to the Madonna and other gay favorites that the manager managed to pipe into the lounge through the ceiling speakers. Not exactly a raging dance hall, but still they seemed to be enjoying themselves quite a bit. MANY special thanks go to the Napa Valley Unity League for sponsoring the DJ. It's such a disappointment that the word didn't go out. Like I said, I'm trying for the organizing committee next year, so it can only get even more fabulous.

The actual softball games were a lot of fun, but not much to write about (I'm definitely not a sports writer, so if there's any of our dear readers who had some opinions about the games, PLEASE write in). Most disappointing was the dang rang on Saturday morning which caused about 2 hour delays and (we heard) flooded out the fields at Harvest Middle School. Not sure how the directors handled that situation, we were pretty much at the Kennedy Park Fields for most of the action. There were exciting rivalries and great plays, tight pants and home runs...but pretty much gay softball looks like all other softball. Well, okay, maybe you wouldn't see this except at a gay softball tournament:

Sunday's fiesta was more like a day-long picnic, and trickled along during the second half of games happening that day. In fact, it seemed like the picnic was about 2-4 teams at a time while everyone else was playing games or elsewhere. It was cool seeing the players multiple times (at Friday night's registration cocktail party, at the drag show, at Cuvée, at the games on Saturday) but I think I would have felt really like a lurker if we had popped up at the barbecue as well. Hopefully for next year, instead of continuing to be just spirited and observant outsiders, we can get a group to take some field trips down to some SF home games this year, build up a cheering section and then we can be legitimate groupies for next year's tournament.

We do have some other recommendations for next year:

• Napa needs to plan and coordinate it's business support, get the word out better, get a real "rainbow flag" campaign going and help educate businesses on how to live up to what that flag means (Joe's was supportive with the flags, but then Saturday night had an Elvis impersonator singing live. Not exactly very inviting to the gays.
• Saturday night's event(s) need to be communicated well and planned together. We could have easily advertised both Cuvée's DJ/dance and the drag show together and given the players and teams a real reason to stay in town. If they stay downtown next year, we could plan a street party even (to give credit to the Downtown Association, this idea was on the table for this year, but the City wanted the party to quiet down early, so the organizers decided to try something else).
• Concierge desks: help the players and fans really take advantage of the Valley. Have information desks at each of the tournament sites. Have real, gay locals staff the tables and tell our visitors where the best of the best is in the Valley. Let them know where we love to go eat and drink, be merry and have a fabulous gay time in Napa.
• It would be amazing to see the Mayor write an exciting and truly real welcome letter to the tournament participants. Not only for the players sake, but also for the (invisible) gay community (and her constituents) that live here all year long.
• We (The Valley's Other Fruit) should keep in mind that most of the players won't have online access while they are here so we should print out our recommendations (a bookmark? a small postcard with supporting businesses and our best bets?) and also get The Fruit's info out to the registrants right from the beginning.
• Hopefully our "Best of" will become a yearly info guide with tons of input (nominations? voting?) from locals. Maybe we'll even get into KVONs or North Bay Bohemian's future guides as well (neither currently feature any LGBT recommendations)
  

Ours is definitely not the last word, so please write in to tell us if you had any run-ins with some softball hotties or saw the rainbow out and about where you'd least expect it. Did you attend any of the women's games or did large numbers of gay players turn Henry's into a one-night gay bar? What was your experience of Napa's big, gay, softball weekend debut?