Burlesque pageant: Night of fun, LGBTQ education

A night of glitz, glamour and entertainment is what organizers have planned for this Saturday’s drag show charity event.

The annual talent pageant, formerly known as the Mr., Ms. and Miss Gay Merced Pageant, will take place at Merced Women’s Clubhouse, 707 West 22nd St. This year, the event will draw people from Merced, Stanislaus, Tuolomne and Calaveras counties, making it the first 3M Quad County Pageant.

Rick Regur, co-organizer of the 3M Quad-County Pageant, said he expects this year’s show to be the largest one yet. As of Wednesday, the show had lined up 27 performers and five contestants who will compete in the pageant.

The show, presented by the Modesto-based Owl Empire of Stanislaus County Inc., will have a burlesque theme.

Regur said attendees can expect a wide range of talent to take the stage.

Pageant participants will present themselves in casual and formal wear. They will read a paragraph from a short essay they are required to write that answers the question: “How can you raise awareness and reach out to your communities dealing with bullying within the LGBTQ community?”

Contestants will also show off their talent with a number of their choice.

Regur said people will enjoy such acts as a fire-breathing performer and a drag king dance tribe, which is made up women who perform dressed as men. The show will open up with a “Lady Marmalade” number.

“There is just so much that will go on that night,” Regur said. “It will blow your mind.”

Regur said that anyone is welcome to participate.

Organizers said Saturday’s event will also serve to raise awareness about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender issues. The goal, he said, is to educate people who may have questions about the LGBTQ community.

“There’s definitely work to be done here,” Regur said. “People forget about it, so we need something like this to bring awareness.”

Regur said the event has received a lot of support from students in the area. By Wednesday, the event has sold 126 tickets.

To compete, contestants must submit an application, pay a $25 fee and prove with a valid ID that they are 18 or older and live in one of the four counties. The funds that the contestants raise go to a charity of the winner’s choice.

This story was originally published June 4, 2015 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Burlesque pageant: Night of fun, LGBTQ education."