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Baton Show Lounge

Drag club in Chicago From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Baton Show Lounge
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Baton Show Lounge is a Chicago drag club founded in 1969. It is the venue for the Miss Continental pageant.

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History

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Baton Show Lounge was founded in 1969 in River North.[1][2][3] The first venue's address was 436 N. Clark St.[4] The name was inspired by Flint's time in the Navy as a drum major.[1] He would attract crowds by baton twirling and roller skating on the street.[1]

The early days of the lounge were marked by police raids.[5]

The venue moved to its present address at the Uptown Broadway Building in Uptown at the end of 2018 due to rent hikes.[4] The new venue provides a capacity of 195 seats with an additional disco and bar room.[4] Grand opening of the new location was on April 10, 2019.[4]

Miss Continental

Flint organized the first Miss Continental Pageant in 1980.[4] He started the competition as an inclusive pageant for all female impersonators, including those who have taken hormones or had surgical enhancements.[6][3]

Dance Divas benefit

Since 2008, Dance Divas is a group that has held a benefit show for Chicago Dancers United at Baton Show Lounge.[7] Proceeds help members of the arts community with health expenses.[7][8]

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Uptown Broadway Building, home to the Baton Show Lounge

Notable performers

Notable guests

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The Queens, a documentary directed by Mark Saxenmeyer, premiered in 2020 and focused on the 2011 Miss Continental competition.[10][11][4]

The cast appeared on several shows, including: Phil Donahue, Maury Povich, Oprah, Sally Jesse Raphael, Jenny Jones, People are Talking, 190 North, and ABC 7 New Year's Eve Celebrations.[2]

References

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