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To Friday, March 5

The Laramie Project, play by Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project about the aftermath of Matthew Shepard's murder, presented by the theater departments of Cuyahoga Community College's Metropolitan and Eastern campuses, 8 pm, 2 pm matinee on February 28, $10, $2 discount with Cleveland LGBT Center Pride Card, Metro Campus Theater, 2900 Community College Ave, Cleveland; 216987-4211.

Saturday, February 27

Bowling for Equality, annual fundraiser for the Human Rights Campaign, $20, $75 per team of five, Mahall's Lanes, 13200 Madison Ave, Lakewood (Cleveland); http://cleveland .hrc.org.

Purim Celebration, with show presented by the Chevrei Tikva Chavurah, "What Every Queen Should Know," optional $12 dinner at 7 pm, show 8 pm, Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple, 23737 Fairmount Blvd, Beachwood (Cleveland); RSVP to Cathy Lipton, 216464-1330 ext. 126.

Baldwin Wallace Choruses Concert, joint performance by the men's and women's choruses, 7:30 pm, Plymouth Church, 2860 Coventry Rd, Shaker Heights (Cleveland); 216921-3510, www.plymouthchurchucc.org. Sunday, February 28

The Issue of Marriage, panel discussion with LGBT members of Plymouth Church on the impact of marriage on their lives, part of the fith anniversary celebration of Plymouth becoming an "Open and Affirming" congregation, 9:30 am, Plymouth Church, 2860 Coventry Rd, Shaker Heights (Cleveland); 216-921-3510. Variety Show and Raffle, to benefit the Cleveland LGBT Center, Union Café, 2814 Detroit Ave, Cleveland; 216-357-2997.

Friday, March 5

Mark Moffett Scholarship Concert Part 2, benefit for LGBT music students' scholarship fund, hosted by Ho-Lotta Bassoon and Dina Blowyourhorn, 8 pm, $10 suggested donation, Weigel Auditorium, 1866 College Rd, Ohio State University, Columbus; 614-247-7036, http://music.osu.edu.

Finegan

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almost three decades, and remains protective of her. "It was a nice evening. We parked the car and sat in the parking lot talking for awhile."

Later, the friends noticed Mary Ann's pickup truck and saw her walk toward the bar. "I knew she was probably looking for me," the survivor recalled. She left her purse in her friend's car and went to talk to 'Finy' while her dinner companion went inside the bar.

"We all called Mary Ann 'Finy,'" she noted.

The two walked to Finegan's truck and got in. "Mary Ann was a great listener but she had a hard time expressing herself." That night, she seemed kind of upset, like she needed to talk.

They talked for a while and Finegan started the truck to move to a parking spot closer to the bar, according to early police reports of the incident. Before she could park, a man suddenly opened the passenger door, put a gun against the survivor's chest while climbing in and told Finegan to drive "or I'll kill her."

One, two, three

Finegan had two vehicles, a faded red 1969 Ford pickup truck she used primarily for her part-time antique business, and a white Corvette she bought new.

"She really liked her cars but she loved that Corvette," the survivor remembered. "Maybe she drove the pickup that night because she didn't like to drive the Corvette when she'd have to park it in downtown Cleveland."

"I've wondered if this could have happened to us if she had driven the Corvette, because it only seated two. He couldn't have gotten in because there wasn't any room, you know?"

He ordered Finegan to drive, telling both women repeatedly not to look at him. He asked if they were lesbians. They said they

were.

Friday and Saturday, March 5 and 6 "Vox on the Red Carpet," show-stopping songs from award-winning movies, plays and TV programs performed by Vox, the auditioned ensemble within the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus, 8 pm, Van Fleet Center, Columbus Performing Arts Center, 549 Franklin Ave, Columbus; www.cgmc.com, 614228-2462.

Saturday, March 6

Tunes from Toons, 10th annual fundraiser for the Red Ribbon Connection, cocktails 6 pm, dinner 7:15 pm, show 8 pm, McKinley Grand Hotel, 320 South Market Street, Canton; 330455-3835, 330-417-5329.

HotChaCha, with special guests Uno Lady, Fangs Out and Miss Argyle, 9 pm, the Nickel, 4365 State Road, Cleveland; 216-661-1314, www.myspace.com/thenickelbar.

Sunday, March 7

Exploring the Meditative Life: Walking Meditation, series exploring different techniques and paths to inner peace, led by Mary Alice Mastrovito, 2 pm, $15, $40 for series of three workshops, Liberation UCC, 13714 Madison Ave, Lakewood (Cleveland); 216-521-5556, www.liberationucc.org.

Oscar Party, benefits Pride Youngstown, red carpet smack talk welcome, come dressed as your favorite Oscar winner, $3, Utopia Nite Club, 876 East Midlothian, Youngstown; www.prideyoungstown.com,

prideyoungstown@gmail.com.

Tuesday, March 9

Plexus, LGBT chamber of commerce networking meeting, this month featuring Cleveland International Film Festival preview in the Omnimax Theater of the Great Lakes Science Center, 601 Erieside Avenue, Cleveland; www.thinkplexus.org.

Thursday, March 11

Kent State LGBTQ Student Center grand opening, lesbian pioneer Dolores Noll honored with first Trailblazer Award, 4 pm, KSU Student Center Room 204, Risman Drive, Kent; mmerryma@kent.edu, 330-672-0315.

He directed them to drive down into the Flats, past the busier part that made up the area's nightlife at the time, far away from the bars and restaurants. He told Finegan to stop at an isolated spot.

Once stopped, the assailant ordered the women to remove their pants. When the survivor hesitated, he told her she had until the count of three or he'd shoot Finegan.

"He went, "one, two, three' and fired, just that quick," her companion recalled, before giving the survivor a chance to comply.

The bullet killed Finegan instantly, and she slumped over the steering wheel. The gunman then made the other woman get out of the truck and forced her to walk to a nearby area with tall grass and weeds and raped her at gunpoint. As soon as he finished, he stood up and shot her, first in the neck and then her chest, leaving her to die as well.

"She's a strong woman with a tremendous will to live,” her companion added. “It had rained later that night, kind of a light drizzly rain and she kept, little by little, taking in a bit of water, a few drops every once in a while."

"I never lost consciousness," the survivor recalled. "I wouldn't let myself go to sleep."

"All our friends [at Isis] just thought we disappeared," she continued. Her companion waited until the bar's 2:30 am closing time for the women to return. "I was a little pissed when they didn't come back. I was supposed to stay over [at the survivor's

Friday, March 12

•

February 26, 2010

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Transformational Movement as Prayer, exploring the idea of movement as a form of spiritual practice, led by Roger Sams, $15, 7 pm, Liberation UCC, 13714 Madison Ave, Lakewood (Cleveland); 216-521-5556, www.liberationucc.org.

Sunday, March 14

Exploring the Meditative Life: Drawing as Meditation, series exploring different techniques and paths to inner peace, led by Mary Alice Mastrovito, 2 pm, $15, $40 for series of three workshops, Liberation UCC, 13714 Madison Ave, Lakewood (Cleveland); 216-521-5556, www.liberationucc.org.

Tuesday, March 16

Saturday, March 27

Health Fair, presented by the Wellness Project HIV and AIDS Ministry, 10 am, Mt. Zion Congregational United Church of Christ, 10723 Magnolia Drive, Cleveland; thewellness. project@yahoo.com; 216-791-5760.

Feed the Gays, second annual art show presented by Cleveland State University's GLASA, benefits scholarships for LGBT students, $5, 5 pm-10 pm, Union Station, 2814 Detroit Ave, Cleveland; glbt@csuohio.edu, 216-687-9265. Sunday, March 28

Tegan and Sara, lesbian twin sisters from Canada, with Steel Train, 8 pm, $25-$30, Lakewood Civic Auditorium, 14100 Franklin Blvd, Lakewood (Cleveland); www.ticketmaster.com.

Insight Monthly Dinner Meeting, premier Cleveland area LGBT personal, social and busiHighlights of upcoming weeks

ness networking organization, reservation and information 216-556-0576.

Sunday, March 21

Exploring the Meditative Life: Sitting With a Question, series exploring different techniques and paths to inner peace, led by Mary Alice Mastrovito, 2 pm, $15, $40 for series of three workshops, Liberation UCC, 13714 Madison Ave, Lakewood (Cleveland); 216521-5556, www.liberationucc.org.

Thursday, March 25

Top 10 Things Lesbians Should Discuss With Their Health Care Providers, presentation by Dr. Melanie Leu of MetroHealth's LGBT Pride Clinic, lunch provided, 12 noon, Spartan Room, Thwing Center, 11111 Eulcid Ave, Cleveland; www.case.edu/provost/ centerforwomen.

Friday, March 26

For a Full Year of Events:

GAY PEOPLES

For a detailed list of events extending months into the future, see our web site: www.gaypeopleschronicle.com

Saturday and Sunday, April 10 11 "Too Marvelous for Words," the North Coast Men's Chorus presents tunes from the American songbook, 8 pm Saturday, 3 pm Sunday, Waetjen Auditorium, Cleveland State University Music Bldg., 2001 Euclid Ave, www.ncmchorus.org, 216-556-0590.

Thursday to Sunday, April 22 to 25

CLAW, ninth yearof the Cleveland Leather Annual Weekend, events held at host hotel Wyndham Cleveland and bars across the city; 216-812-3304, www.clawinfo.org.

Friday to Sunday, April 23 to 25

SynergyFest, inaugural multi-sport festival for the LGBT community and its allies, sports include volleyball, darts, billiards, tennis, flag football, running, soccer, crew, racquetball and squash, produced by the Cleveland Synergy Foundation, registration in the lobby of the Renaissance Hotel, 24 Public Square, Cleveland; www.synergyfest.org.

-Compiled by Anthony Glassman

Chronicle.com

home] and I'd had a little too much to drink. So I drove to her house and waited in my car. I remember waking up in her driveway around 6 am, realizing her purse was still in my trunk and thinking: Something's wrong."

She was pretty sure her friend would never just leave, not without her purse and keys. "I thought, 'I should go look for them.' But I had no idea where they were and just figured they went to Mary Ann's. That wouldn't have been unusual."

"But still," she continued, "I started calling around trying to find them when the police call me. She [the victim] had asked them to contact me because she didn't know what had happened to me either, if I was okay, you know? I went to the hospital right away and when I got there, they asked me not to tell her about Mary Ann. But she knew. The first thing she said to me, the very first words out of her mouth were, 'He killed Mary Ann.' She already knew."

News reports say that a security guard making his rounds about 15 hours after the attack discovered the red Ford pickup.

"I don't know who he found first but he thought he heard a cat crying in the weeds and went to investigate and found her,” said the companion. "She was bleeding profusely but was conscious. She had a collapsed lung and couldn't speak very loudly. But she was alive."

The secluded industrial area was isolated no more, as police officers and EMS workers arrived and took charge of what was now a

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horrific murder scene.

Today, this place, identified in police reports as 2531 West 4th Street, is still a desolate field, just down a hill from new houses at West 6th and Starkweather in Tremont. Coincidentally, a one-block street linking it to the Cuyahoga River is called Mary Ave.

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