PLACES OF INTEREST

by

MARIANNE FERRARI

"FAIR GAMES"

Worth seeing for its own sake, the Knoxville World's Fair offers a unique opportunity for gay travelers: A trip that combines exceptional sightseeing with a good taste of gay nightlife in various cities.

The Fair's Eastern Tennessee location puts it within a day's drive of cities as diverse as Chicago, New Orleans, and Washington, D. C. But you can break up a long day's drive on the freeway with stopovers at gay spots along the way to make it more adventurous. Here are some sample trips:

Between New Orleans and Knoxville (eight hours) is Birmingham, where Belle Watling's (2327 Morris Ave.), long one of the most beautiful discos in the South, has recently opened in a new location. On the way back, stop in Jackson at the C.O.A.D. Disco (2912 Old Canton Road), the highlight of Mississippi.

From Chicago (10-1/2 hours), Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Louisville are all easily reached, and any of those cities offers a wide choice of gay bars.

On the way from Washington (nine hours), is Roanoak, Virginia, with one really hot spot, The Park (615 Salem Ave., SW). But you can take the longer, more memorable way home through Atlanta, Charlotte, Durham, Raleigh, and Richmond, with a number of gay places which are chronicled in the Places of Interest map guide.

If you come from the west, you'll drive the length of Tennessee with a chance to sample gay life in Memphis and Nashville, as well as the sightseeing West Tennessee has to offer, such as the Elvis Presley Home in Memphis and Nashville's

Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame, not to mention Music Row, where country music is made.

Even though the Fair has been averaging well over the 40,000 people: per day originally projected, everyone arriving in Knoxville this summer has been surprised to find no traffic jams and little difficulty in getting hotel rooms. The manager of The Eleanor, Knoxville's gay guest house, reports that he has not yet turned anyone away.

Lines at pavillions are long, but not impossible: Usually about a 30-40 minute wait. But, at the China Pavillion, where ancient artifacts (including pieces from the Great Wall) are displayed, and at the Peru Pavillion, where the exhibit of Inca gold has been compared to the King Tut treasures, you may spend up to 90 minutes in line.

Cultural exhibits are proving more popular than displays of technological wonders which more closely follow the announced energy theme of the Fair.

An admission of $9.95 per day gets you into any and all pavillions, but does not include any food, of which much is available in many ethnic varieties and price ranges. Some pavillions provide special entertainment which requires a free ticket that must be obtained in advance. The nightly finale is a fireworks display that lights up the sky each evening at 10:30.

Even if you stay for the fireworks, there will be plenty of time to hit Knoxville's three gay bars, which are enjoying a noticeable, though not overpowering, influx of outof-towners. The most popular, the Europa, may move soon, so call first. Upstage 54, famous for drag shows, has a mixed male/female clientele with some non-gays. Wednesday nights find mostly women there. The newest place in town is the Badlands, a men's levi bar.

The (gay) Metropolitan Community Church of Knoxville assures us that it is holding regular Sunday services at 4:30 p.m. and welcomes outof-town gays. Lesbians visiting Knoxville will be interested in the potlocks held by the East Tennessee Lesbian Alliance, which also runs the Tennessee Lesbian Archives. Call 992-8423 for both. (You may also want to see the Kentucky Lesbian Collection in Louisville on your trip in-call 502/634-1869.) Sefore leaving Knoxville, you can: Titillate yourself with a tour of the Blunt Mansion and James White's Fort; attend the nearly continuous Bluegrass Festivals you'll find listed in the daily paper; visit the Appalachian Museum of Music and Culture in Norris (16 miles); camp it up in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (40 miles); do the resorts in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge (38 miles); see the Atomic Energy Museum in Oak Ridge (25) miles); or go boating and water skiing in the lakes of the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Gay places in nearly 500 cities are listed in Places of Interest, the gay map guide to the U. S. A. and Canada, available for $7.25 at many locations, or, for $8.25 from Ferrari Publications, P. 0. Box 16325, Phoenix, Arizona 85011.

Stonewall Features Syndicate,

1982

SEPTEMBER 12

We Are Family

WILDWOOD LAKE

N.O.C.I. PICNIC

The long awaited "We Are Family" picnic is finally upon us, Sunday, September 12th, to be exact. This years picnic at Wildwood Lake on route 252 in Columbia Station is expected to draw some 3,000 people. In addition to the swimming, water slides, dancing, etc. etc., the NOCI picnic committee has engaged Jerry and Lola to appear at the picnic while Chaps has announced that Lisa, who will be appearing at the club the night before, will also perform her hit "Jump Shout" at the picnic.

KEM

OUNK

DUNK

EMI

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PHOTOS BY T. HARREL

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