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June 2008

Welcome to the June 2008 edition of the Southern Spurs newsletter! We look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming Georgia Gay Rodeo Association events!

From the President

Howdy everybody! Has it been warm enough for y'all?! Well, hopefully the weather will cool down a bit, but it's going to be a scorcher of a month for GGRA in any case. It's Pride season, and we're gearing up for some blazing hot fun!  

We had a blast on our recent Trolley Bar Crawl through gay Atlanta. We premiered our brand-new, handsome GGRA banner and let it fly as we commandeered the bright red tourist trolley and loudly announced that GGRA was back and celebrating! It was great sitting back and riding from watering hole to watering hole, adding new folks to our merry band along the way. We ended up getting joined on the tour by folks at 3 different bars for the remainder of the night, and we expect some of them to become permanent members. Scores of folks along our path know that the Rodeo Association knows how to have a good time.
 
We also recently launched an online clothing and merchandise store through web retailer Café Press. There are many different GGRA t-shirt styles and other options on there. Go to www.cafepress.com/ggra to check them out. And be sure to order soon so that you get your GGRA t-shirt in time for Pride! Buy a second one for 2-stepping. Heck, there are several different styles, so get yourself a third - you deserve it.

Pride weekend is now only a few weeks away. You've probably heard that it is going to be later this year - July 4 weekend. The Pride Festival is also moving from Piedmont Park to Civic Center. Yes, it's different, but it's still vitally important for us as a resurging organization to show up there in force and let everyone know that GGRA is in the house and that we are moving toward having another kick-butt rodeo next year!

GGRA is now an official member organization within the Atlanta Gay Sports Alliance (AGSA), and we're going to be partnering with the other AGSA groups for Pride activities. We will be marching right behind the other AGSA groups, and our GGRA floatwill have a nice anchor position within the sassy athletes' throng.  We will also have a booth at the Festival all weekend, so we'll need folks to volunteer to help us run that too. Our Festival booth is going to be beside the other AGSA teams' booths, which will guarantee that we'll be in a popular section where there's a lot of activity. We're going to be sending out requests for volunteers. Please sign up to help us at Pride!

Our Pride Committee has come up with a theme for our Pride float that is in keeping with the general theme of 2008 Atlanta Pride (Pride's overall theme is "Your Vote, Your Rights, Your Future") but still maintains our Western image. Our theme is Equality Mountain, a riff on Brokeback Mountain, and the idea is "Creating a Future Where Brokeback Mountain Would Have a Happy Ending." We are going to show 2 same-sex couples (hopefully one m/m and one f/f) from our group, both getting symbolically married in front of a backdrop that recalls Brokeback Mountain.  We think it's a positive message that really resonates in 2008, with the recent California same-sex marriage decision and all. If you would like to assist the Pride Committee realize this theme to its fullest, we'd love to have your help. Please email me at president@georgiagayrodeo.com, and we'll get you on board.

Atlanta's Pride is the single largest GLBT gathering in the South. It is our best chance to make an impression on folks from all over the South who come into town for it. We hope you'll come out and march to show your support of GGRA and have a real impact on the larger community.

Please don't forget to renew your GGRA memberships (or finally join for the first time!) while the Membership Special is still in effect. Up through the end of Pride weekend, all new and renewal memberships are just $20 each! Many long-standing members haven't renewed in over a year, and the time has come to GET 'ER DONE & RENEW before the end of Pride this year.
 
Finally, mark your calendars for the GGRA Miss Cow Patty competition on July 19 at the Stage Door in Tucker. It's going to be a riot, it's a fundraiser for a good cause (our rodeo and our charities), and if you don't show up, our fabulous but fearsome emcee Miss Uma Stephens may just hunt you down and do very unpleasant things to you. Please, please, don't let that happen.

I look forward to seeing y'all over the next several weeks!

Brad Bruner

Vice President's Report

Howdy to all cowboys and cowgirls, and their fans, of the Georgia Gay Rodeo Association from your Vice President.
 
This month, and the beginning of next month, our biggest focus will be Pride. We hope to make a strong showing this year and hopefully show everyone in the community that we are more than alive and well. This year, we are marching at the end of the AGSA (Atlanta Gay Sports Authority) group and we hope to make a big splash. At the same time, we will need your help. Putting a float together is no easy task and manning the Pride booth also requires time and assistance. The theme of our float will be simple, yet on the Pride theme of "Your Vote, Your Rights, Your Future." Therefore, if you would please volunteer some time and assistance into these events, we will truly appreciate all you can do. Please e-mail us at our yahoo group e-mail or to me personally at: vicepresident@georgiagayrodeo.com.
 
Also, as your Royalty board chairperson, please get the word out that we are going to start putting those events together after Pride. So if you, or anyone you know is interested in running for Mr., Miss., Ms., or MsTer GGRA, for the 2009 Southern Spurs rodeo, start getting your presentation(s) together as those events will be coming up around early October of this year. Members MUST be in "good standing" at least 90 days before running for royalty, so make sure you have your dues paid up; and if you know someone outside the organization who is interested in running, have them join as soon as possible. Please contact me at the same e-mail address above if you have any additional questions.
 
Finally, I want to remind everyone that our bar night at the Atlanta Eagle is coming up on Friday, June 20th. You don't have to spend the whole night, so please join us for an hour or so and have a beer (or drink) or two. Those members who have come out in the past, have found it very relaxing. We are in the MAIN back bar with lots of air conditioning, and so we make it a good time to sit back and talk while our bartenders serve the drinks to our group and others that frequent the bar. The tips we receive go towards the organization. Yee-haw!
 
Will Fernandez
Vice-President

Rodeo Director's Report

What and exciting time for GGRA!!  We have so much going on especially with Pride just around the corner.  I will be putting together the schedule for help in the booth along with Brad.  Please give one of us a call if you would like to volunteer to help.  Pride has always been a good time for GGRA and I'm sure this year will be no different.

I am still working with the Georgia International Horse Park to finalize a contract.  We have the dates; we just have details to sort out prior to signing the contract with them.  We are now looking for a host hotel.  If you have any ideas or leads on a good hotel please contact James Bowman or me.  We also will be putting together our bid to IGRA to present at Convention.  I would love to see a large GGRA group in New Orleans this October.  We can show IGRA that we are still here and strong as ever.  From my understanding the rooms are going fast, so make your reservations soon.

The Rodeo needs your help!!  The biggest focus right now is on sponsorships and fundraising.  It takes a good deal of money to put on a rodeo and the only way is through sponsorship/fundraising.  If you are interested in serving on the Rodeo Roundtable as Assistant Director - Sponsorship/Fundraising please contact me.  This is a Committee within the Rodeo Roundtable, not just one person.  Any and all help is greatly appreciated.  If you have any contacts/leads on potential sponsors please let me know.
 
Sam Polk, 2008 Rodeo Director
rodeodirector@georgiagayrodeo.com

Come to the Trailer Park Social that is the "Miss Cow Patty Contest" on Saturday, July 19 at Stage Door

Howdy YA,
 
I am so happy to inform ya that MISS COW PATTY will be held on July 19, 2008 starting at 8:00pm at STAGE DOOR in Tucker. The theme is a TRAILER PARK SOCIAL.

So bring out the best campiest trailer park drag you have to compete to win this year Miss Cow Patty 2008. There are a few categories that help us decide the winner.

Non-Judged

• Presentation: this is where the audience gets to see you first so think of something fun and trailer park trashy to wear to say HI to the nice folks

Judged

• Evening wear: think, now what would the hooker down in lot 69 wear, and you have your evening wear!
• Talent: five minute max with a one minute set up and one minute break down time)
• Question and Answer

Go to www.georgiagayrodeo.com to download the entry form along with the rules of the contest.

Remember this is a fun camp event with all money raised going to help bring Southern Spurs Rodeo back in 2009 along with our two charities, PALS Atlanta and Grady IDP.

Treasurer's Report

Financially, not much has changed for GGRA since my last report in the April newsletter. GGRA has about $9,000 in its bank account. We've had a couple of membership renewals and expenses of $224 for the new GGRA banner and $150 for the trolley ride. 

Now's the time to join GGRA for only $20... offer ends soon! 

Hey Cowboys and Cowgirls! It's Membership time here at the GGRA ranch. If you have not renewed your membership now is the time to do so. If you haven't yet joined then here's your chance. We are discounting membership up until Pride weekend. You can renew or join the GGRA for only $20. Take advantage of this limited time offer while it lasts! We've even made it easy to join online using PayPal: http://www.georgiagayrodeo.com/member.html

We have some exciting events planned for this next year. Please check our website often as we are constanly updating it to reflect current events. Further, we have The Southern Spurs Rodeo to plan for and we need everyones help.

Look for us at Pride in the booth and in the parade. See you all there!