Duval Street

Posted Aug 13, 2005 by Baird Helgeson

Updated Aug 13, 2005 at 04:37 PM

The organizers of “Pride in Exile” knew what they were doing when they decided not to start any events before 11 a.m. Things got a little crazy last night at Aqua nightclub on Duval Street. Melanie Minyon, a drag queen from Tampa, did things on stage that we certainly can’t run on a blog, much less in a family-friendly newspaper.

Everyone on the trip seemed to shake the buzz from the nine hour drive from Tampa and replace it with a more fluid buzz by midnight. The buzz was more of a chemical frenzy by 2 a.m., when we lost track of the Tampa Bay crowd.

This morning’s planned historic trolly tour of Key West looked more like a hangover wagon. It’s a good thing they didn’t take attendance. I doubt they had 50 percent.

Mostly, people spent the day regrouping and refueling for tonight’s march down Duval Street. Oh, and the “Best Commissioner” contest. It had been called the “Best Bigot” contest, but organizers thought that was a little over-the-top, even for Key West.