American Brotherhood Weekend

ABW Lives with Gusto!
Reprinted with permission from Mister Marcus

In spite of heavy duty heat and humidity, it was a very cool transition into a revival of one of our most cherished leather institutions, American Brotherhood Weekend which took place in steamy New Orleans last weekend, July 10 to 14.

First off, congratulations to Randy Carmenaty of Los Angeles, the 2008 American Leather Man. To Joan Norry, the darling of Northern California (San Leandro), the American Leather Woman 2008 and to Chris Scherrer of Denver, the new American Leather boy 2008. The judges will be the first to admit that it was a very intense judging scenario. All the contestants had sterling credentials and obvious traits that would make a great titleholder. For the men, the other contestants were Alan Bowers of New Orleans and Gregg Lakota of Cincinnati; for the women, it was Lilith Gray of Dallas and for the boys it was boy Shane Lucas of Kansas.

Having had considerable judging experience myself, I can truthfully say this one was not easy. Each candidate had great track records in leather sensibilities, which, of course, includes public awareness, fund raising, the spirit and traits of leather and a whole lot of community support. But as everyone who has ever competed knows, only one can win and let the numbers fall where they may.

The new producers of ABW, Frank Nowicki, Dean Ogren, Paula Smith and Jazz Thomas really "put out" over last weekend. Shuttles brought guests to and from the airport to the magnificent Omni Hotel. There was food and camaraderie at every scheduled event. The locals went out of their way to make everyone feel welcome, including a Thursday night buffet dinner at the beautiful home of former Mr. Louisiana Leather Mark Steinbauer. It was a lavish spread with "adult beverages" for the judges, sponsors and contestants.

Friday began in earnest with a 9AM call for the interviews and other events for package holders. The food and drinks didn't stop coming at all the events. It was one of the most satisfying "you get what you pay for" for the package holders and there were no pushy/militant volunteers ordering people around. Billed on the concept of "family", former ABW titleholders were on hand and everyone pitched in to help the goals of this year's organizers come to fruition.

It was evident to all in attendance that this was indeed a "leather family" gathering; almost every contestant in their interviews, speeches and conversations forcefully stated that the reason they were entering this particular competition was because they identified with a "family" concept that more often than not stresses stronger bonds, stronger camaraderie and stronger support from fans, organizers and supporters.

ABW weekend was not a giant event this time around. But when the word gets out about what a great job all concerned did you can bet your boots that the next time around will be even better. And be the first to know that ABW 2009 will again take place in New Orleans. A city that offers a free-spirited ambiance that is hard to duplicate. The city seemed to be humming with tourists and the restaurants and bars were jammed all over with free-spirited tourists and natives enjoying themselves.

Both IML Gary Iriza and IMsL Hobbit Joost were in attendance and so were Int'l. Leather Sir Olivier Pratt and International Leather boy Sparky. They were all afforded "mike" time, including former American Leather Woman and formerly Int'l. Ms. Bootblack Leslie Anderson.

Frank Nowicki was the master of ceremonies for both segments of the competition and did a great job while Ultra Domme handily executed the auctions. Frank managed to throw out a few (well-deserved) "zingers."

Summing it up, the revival edition of ABW in 2008 was a smashing success with three dynamic people now owning the titles and the community looks forward to their appearance(s), their outreach and their opportunity to prove to the world that after all is said and done, it's "family" that keeps us all going. Whether you're in a group of only a few people or a much larger conglomeration, it is all the care for each other that keeps us together. With that thought in mind, we wish Randy, Joan and Chris a successful year with their titles. We hope to see them out and about and soon! And we hope to see you at ABW 2009 in New Orleans!

WEEKEND PACKAGES $99!

We're very excited to extend an invitation for you to join us NEXT YEAR in New Orleans for American Brotherhood Weekend 2009!!