Fall Diversity Weekend is just around the corner Nov. 4 and 5, and drag comedy legends Jackie Beat and Sherry Vine are bringing their award-winning “The Dirty 30” tour to Eureka Springs on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Aud.
“They are coming off a European tour,” Jay Wilks, director of Out in Eureka, said. “It takes anywhere from three to six months to plan each Diversity Weekend since booking great entertainment takes more than a phone call. We have to work with the city, venues and businesses to have everything coordinated well in advance before the event starts. It is a volunteer job and Out in Eureka relies on business sponsors to help bring these events to Eureka Springs three times a year.”
Diversity in the Park entertainment starts at 10 a.m. with musician Erin Detherage, who has opened for Hank Williams Jr., Justin Moore, and Toby Keith. She has also appeared at the AT&T Stadium performing for the Dallas Cowboys pre-game shows three years in a row. She was previously nominated as Guitarist of the Year for the Arkansas Country Music Awards. After the Public Display of Affection at 12.30 p.m., Drag in the Park will start at 3 p.m.
The Official Drag Queen Bingo will take place on Saturday, Nov. 5 from 5:30 – 7 p.m. at Brews with prizes donated from local businesses. Ladies Meet and Greet at Missy’s White Rabbit lounge also starts at 5:30. All of the Out in Eureka sponsored events are free to attend and are family friendly.
Attendance varies but, for example, for Spring Diversity 2022, 660 rainbow leis were passed out at the PDA in Basin Park. “We ran out of them so that’s just the numbers for those who were in the park at that time,” Wilks said. “Major factors affecting attendance are the economy and weather at any time of the year.”
It is likely to be a big weekend for the lodging, restaurant, retail, and tourism businesses.
“We always hope that it is a big weekend for everyone,” Wilks said. “There will be a lot of great entertainment at local venues, from Drag shows to live music at The Aud. Every Diversity weekend we see an increase in new visitors to Eureka Springs. They hear about town from friends, family or may have read one of the many great articles that have been written about Eureka Springs.
“They know they can come here and be who they are, and that town will embrace them. They can meet other people who at one time were struggling to come out. I have met many parents and grandparents who bring their LGBTQIA+ youth, most under 18, to Diversity Weekends to show them that there is a place that accepts them and allows them to love who they are without being bullied.”
Based on surveys, the events have drawn visitors from all over the U.S. and Canada, and even a group from England that changed their road trip route to come to Eureka Springs for Diversity Weekend after reading several articles.
This will be Wilks’s 12th Diversity Weekend in Eureka Springs, although five weekends were not held in the past two years because of the pandemic. Wilks was named one of Advocate magazine’s 50+ Champions of Pride from Around the U.S. for his work planning three Pride celebrations each year.
Entertainment for Spring Diversity 2023 has already been booked and will be announced shortly after Fall Diversity. For information on Diversity Weekends, visit Outineurekasprings on Facebook.
So Pride of Jay Wilks