CircuitMOM Productions throws an outdoor ice skating party Feb. 9 near Wrigley Field
Thu. February 6, 2020 2:30 PM by Ross Forman
denali foxx
photo credit // joe lewis creative
Drag queens, gay hockey players and renowned DJ highlight Boystown Ice Follies at Gallagher Way
The CircuitMOM Takeover Series is expanding yet again – to steps away from the famed marquee at Wrigley Field, on ice, on a winter afternoon in Chicago.
CircuitMOM Productions presents Boystown Ice Follies at Gallagher Way, an outdoor skate party & drag show on Sunday, Feb. 9. The three-hour festivities start at 2 p.m., followed by an after-party at The North End (3733 N. Halsted Street).
You can bet there will be plenty of Adam Rippon wanna-be's and no doubt a fair share of Frozen references and Elsa's frozen fantasies.
"It is the dead of winter and the (Chicago) gay community has condo-fever, so why not take over the ice rink outside of Wrigley field for a daytime event? Let's come together, lace up some skates and twirl around the ice for a few hours," said Matthew Harvat, the real-life CircuitMOM.
"Kevin Richards from the Northalsted Business Alliance approached us with the idea of partnering on a Boystown ice skating party, so CircuitSON Edwin Martinez got the ball rolling, looking for talent and developing the idea."
The concept quickly ballooned into "ice follies fabulousness," Harvat said.
Boystown Ice Follies will be a skating – or at least an attempt at skating, for some – version of Sunday Funday, with a live DJ, hot drinks, cold beer/cocktails and drag entertainment.
Some of the stars on ice will be Denali (@Denali Foxx) and host Alexis Bevels, plus members of the Chicago Gay Hockey Association (CGHA).
Boystown Ice Follies is part of Chill Out Weekend with Boystown Soup & Sip.
"We know there are tons of figure skating dreamers out there (who) will be showing off," Harvat said, laughing. "I own skates, but it has been a long time since I have put them on and ungracefully crashed into walls while knocking innocent people over with my panicked, semi-upright, arms-clearing-merchandise-off-of-store-shelves Bambi-style of ice skating. The only thing I should be lacing up these days is a corset for a stage show.
"But from the safety of the DJ booth, I can watch everyone else show off their sequin-covered skills as I sip my spiked cider and play the tunes."
Harvat added: "We've been emailing Mother Nature since before Christmas for great ice skating weather (for this) event. We need it to be cold enough for solid ice, yet warm enough to get people out of hibernation to come show off their skills (at) the first gay ice skating event in and around Boystown."
Harvat said he plays to spin fun, thematic dance remixes as the sound bed for ice skating drag queens and more.
"Hopefully tons of queens and kings from Boystown will come show off their 'Blades Of Glory' he said.
Denali is a professional ice skater, Harvat said. "As for Alexis, I know she can rock out on a pair of roller skates, but since ice skating is a little different skill set, as long as she balances the size of her wig with her hip pads and stays near the walls for support, I think she should do fine.
"We are so lucky to have Alexis Bevels for the event. She's a busy gal around town, but she made time for us and certainly will bring her glamour, quick wit and sparkle to the party."
Ice skates will be available for rental and the ice rink is open to the general public during the party, intentionally.
"We would not want someone to make a trip all the way to Wrigley Field and be turned away. Plus, how often do people get to see professional ice skating drag queens performing, have a live DJ playing music and the gay hockey league doing casual hockey drills on the ice?" Harvat said.
"Hopefully this will be the first of many gay events at Gallagher Way. It is such an amazing outdoor space that is screaming for more gayness and sass. This first event will be so much fun to see all types of people coming out as a community to skate."
Martinez has tackled expanding CircuitMOM through MOM's Takeover Series, "to include more events that might be of interest to more tastes," Harvat said. "We work hard to be inclusive to everyone, no matter what sort of event we produce, but you have to get them through the door to actually experience our brand.
"By creating decidedly different event types and themes, we hope to engage new people each time because we want to appeal to as many people as possible. By offering a variety of themes, locations, times and styles of events, we hopefully can engage more types of people to join us for some music, making new friends and fun.
"We always have some form of dancing at our events ... this will be our first time to have ice dancing and it is shaping up to be spectacular."
For more information about Boystown Ice Follies at Gallagher Way Chicago, go to: www.icefollieschicago.com
CircuitMOM Productions presents Boystown Ice Follies at Gallagher Way, an outdoor skate party & drag show on Sunday, Feb. 9. The three-hour festivities start at 2 p.m., followed by an after-party at The North End (3733 N. Halsted Street).
You can bet there will be plenty of Adam Rippon wanna-be's and no doubt a fair share of Frozen references and Elsa's frozen fantasies.
"It is the dead of winter and the (Chicago) gay community has condo-fever, so why not take over the ice rink outside of Wrigley field for a daytime event? Let's come together, lace up some skates and twirl around the ice for a few hours," said Matthew Harvat, the real-life CircuitMOM.
"Kevin Richards from the Northalsted Business Alliance approached us with the idea of partnering on a Boystown ice skating party, so CircuitSON Edwin Martinez got the ball rolling, looking for talent and developing the idea."
The concept quickly ballooned into "ice follies fabulousness," Harvat said.
Boystown Ice Follies will be a skating – or at least an attempt at skating, for some – version of Sunday Funday, with a live DJ, hot drinks, cold beer/cocktails and drag entertainment.
Some of the stars on ice will be Denali (@Denali Foxx) and host Alexis Bevels, plus members of the Chicago Gay Hockey Association (CGHA).
Boystown Ice Follies is part of Chill Out Weekend with Boystown Soup & Sip.
"We know there are tons of figure skating dreamers out there (who) will be showing off," Harvat said, laughing. "I own skates, but it has been a long time since I have put them on and ungracefully crashed into walls while knocking innocent people over with my panicked, semi-upright, arms-clearing-merchandise-off-of-store-shelves Bambi-style of ice skating. The only thing I should be lacing up these days is a corset for a stage show.
"But from the safety of the DJ booth, I can watch everyone else show off their sequin-covered skills as I sip my spiked cider and play the tunes."
Harvat added: "We've been emailing Mother Nature since before Christmas for great ice skating weather (for this) event. We need it to be cold enough for solid ice, yet warm enough to get people out of hibernation to come show off their skills (at) the first gay ice skating event in and around Boystown."
Harvat said he plays to spin fun, thematic dance remixes as the sound bed for ice skating drag queens and more.
"Hopefully tons of queens and kings from Boystown will come show off their 'Blades Of Glory' he said.
Denali is a professional ice skater, Harvat said. "As for Alexis, I know she can rock out on a pair of roller skates, but since ice skating is a little different skill set, as long as she balances the size of her wig with her hip pads and stays near the walls for support, I think she should do fine.
"We are so lucky to have Alexis Bevels for the event. She's a busy gal around town, but she made time for us and certainly will bring her glamour, quick wit and sparkle to the party."
Ice skates will be available for rental and the ice rink is open to the general public during the party, intentionally.
"We would not want someone to make a trip all the way to Wrigley Field and be turned away. Plus, how often do people get to see professional ice skating drag queens performing, have a live DJ playing music and the gay hockey league doing casual hockey drills on the ice?" Harvat said.
"Hopefully this will be the first of many gay events at Gallagher Way. It is such an amazing outdoor space that is screaming for more gayness and sass. This first event will be so much fun to see all types of people coming out as a community to skate."
Martinez has tackled expanding CircuitMOM through MOM's Takeover Series, "to include more events that might be of interest to more tastes," Harvat said. "We work hard to be inclusive to everyone, no matter what sort of event we produce, but you have to get them through the door to actually experience our brand.
"By creating decidedly different event types and themes, we hope to engage new people each time because we want to appeal to as many people as possible. By offering a variety of themes, locations, times and styles of events, we hopefully can engage more types of people to join us for some music, making new friends and fun.
"We always have some form of dancing at our events ... this will be our first time to have ice dancing and it is shaping up to be spectacular."
For more information about Boystown Ice Follies at Gallagher Way Chicago, go to: www.icefollieschicago.com