Overheard Tampa Bay: Coco, start your engines!

Overheard Tampa Bay: Coco, start your engines!

Coco lands on Drag Race
Former Flamingo Resort show cast member, Miss Gay America 2010 and current Las Vegas performer Coco Montrese has another impressive title to add to her already expansive resume: RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant! The performer, who graced the cover of Watermark back in 2010 after her MGA win, announced that she will participate in the upcoming season of the popular reality drag season when it premieres on Logo this January. The fifth season of the wildly popular Logo competition will debut in January, and 14 contestants will compete not only for the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar,” but $100,000!

Whether or not Montrese wins the upcoming season, the performer has already solidified her place in drag superstar history. She is currently a member of Frank Marino’s Divas Las Vegas at Imperial Palace (soon to be renamed The Quad), where she impersonates the likes of Janet Jackson and Rihanna.


This marks the first season that there hasn’t been a Tampa Bay or Orlando-based queen on the series. However, that doesn’t mean Florida’ isn’t represented. Jade Jolie of Gainesville, Serena ChaCha of Tallahassee and Roxxy Andrews of Orlando are all on the upcoming season.

Quench announces address, DJ
More details are slowly trickling out about the new LGBT bar opening in Largo this December. Quench Lounge finally announced its physical address on its Facebook page, putting to rest rumors that it was replacing the now-closed Christopher Street Bar that was located in the same plaza at the corner of Ulmerton Road and 66th Street. The new bar’s address is 13284 66th Street and, according to its website, combines four spaces within the strip mall to make a sizeable bar. The bar has also announced its house DJ: Bruce Devery. Devery was the resident DJ at Christopher Street before it closed this summer and has also worked at The Flamingo Resort in St. Petersburg.

Meet and greet in St. Pete
The Tampa Bay community finally got a chance to meet the new executive director of St. Pete Pride. The Board of Directors held a meet-and-greet event at the Queen’s Head Pub along the city’s Grand Central District on Nov. 13 to give community members and leaders a chance to chat with Eric Skains, who took on the role in September. Skains is the former executive director of Pride Houston and interviewed for the St. Pete Pride position after former St. Pete Pride executive Chris Rudisill stepped down after the 2012 street festival. Both sides of the bay were represented at the meet and greet, with leaders from the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, GaYbor, Stonewall Democrats and Una Voce: The Florida Men’s Chorale and more on hand to wish Skains well. Those who missed a chance to meet Skains will get another chance next week, when St. Pete Pride hosts its annual Red & Green Holiday Party at Sunken Gardens on Friday, Nov. 30. Details and tickets are available at StPetePride.com.

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