Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

After months of waiting, the Carnegie's Center for Literacy and Learning finally held their annual fundraiser. This year the theme was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, based on a novel by a Kentucky-raised author, Hunter S. Thompson. In order to make the party resemble the atmosphere of the novel, the entire building was transformed into a 1970's Vegas hotel.

Libby and I with one of the drag queens.

On Friday, November 6, a group of us went up to the Carnegie Center to begin setting up the decorations and rooms for the party. We set up tables and chairs, decorated prize wheels, organized the bars, and even blew up plastic palm trees and cacti to give the rooms more of a Vegas-feel. Because this was really my first chance to work with the organization, I was not sure what to expect; however, I was pleasantly surprised by how welcoming and warm the workers and other volunteers were. I personally set up with the director of the Carnegie Center and he was very enthusiastic about the organization and the upcoming event. Everyone seemed a little stressed with so much to prepare, but also excited for the event to finally occur. It was a long day of running around and doing whatever task needed to be done, but I could tell how much the workers appreciated having us there to help and was happy to assist in any way I could. 

                      A snapshot I took of the crowded food room at the event. The line was always out into the hall, but the food was well worth the wait.

Saturday, November 7, was the night of the main event and the building was buzzing with enthusiasm and excitement as final preparations were being made. Upon arrival, I discovered that I would be helping out in the food room along with Libby. At first, we were directed to bus tables after guests left and help the caterer with whatever he needed; however, most people cleaned up after themselves and the caterer was pretty much set. We kept an eye over the room and helped out whenever necessary, especially with the older guests. We also were in charge of taking out the trash when the bins got full, which was not the highlight of my night. It was so interesting to simply sit and observe the guests as they mingled and enjoyed the entertainment. I loved looking everyone's 70's outfits because many guests went all out with the theme. 

One of the most interesting parts of the night was definitely the drag show. Around 7:45, guests gathered in the main lobby to watch three drag queens lip sync along to popular songs. I had only seen drag queens in movies so it was very entertaining to finally witness it in person. The guests appeared to love this little show and flocked to the queens for pictures after their performances.

This is a short video of the drag show that occurred. 

Although it was a long wait, I am glad I stuck with the Carnegie Center and helped out with this event. Everyone involved was so passionate about the Carnegie Center and supporting their work which made the event even more exciting. It was also great to see all of our work and effort we put into the set up come to life at the actual event.