Drag Race Pub Crawl

Sat., Aug. 22, 5-10 p.m., $10 donation, starts at Woody's Bar & Restaurant, 202 S. 13th St., 215-609-5122, phillygryphons.org.

by Lauren Fleming

[ lgbtq ]

When members of the Philadelphia Gryphons Rugby Team talk about drag racing, they're being tongue-in-cheek — speed demons in pimped-out cars aren't their concern. What they're referring to isn't any less of a spectacle, though: To fund the gay-friendly team's trip to the 2010 Bingham Cup, they're throwing a gender-bending pub crawl.

"The Bingham Cup is something we always try to participate in, but we need to raise money for," says team member and event organizer Cris Alicea. "Other teams have done similar events in the past, and we thought it would be a fun way to promote our team." And since it's been two years since Gryphons has competed in the Bingham Cup, the team is even more intent upon attending the upcoming showdown.

The crawl will kick off at Woody's Bar & Restaurant, where the team and its supporters can chug discounted drinks before heading to other pit stops, which include Camac, The Bike Stop and Tavern on Camac.

Alicea hopes that the display of athletes in makeup and RuPaul duds will elicit more than laughs, though those are appreciated, too. "We're a lesser-known team in the area," he says, "so we'd really like to use it not only to support our funds, but recruit players and familiarize people with the team."

Sat., Aug. 22, 5-10 p.m., $10 donation, starts at Woody's Bar & Restaurant, 202 S. 13th St., 215-609-5122, phillygryphons.org.