MICHAEL MEHL (San Antonio, TX)
Cornyation 1989 – Last Call (Of The Wild)
FOTOSEPTIEMBRE 2024 Online Gallery

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1989 was the last year Cornyation was held in the ballroom of the Bonham Exchange, San Antonio’s iconic gay nightclub. It was a memorable, wild, multi-day, free-for-all. It was also in 1989 that Ann, I, and our friend and designer Curt Slangal joined the Cornyation family, where we remained until 2001.

The theme of Cornyation 1989 was The Court Of Mythology. Tom McKenzie was King Anchovy XXXIV, with a costume and set design by Brad Braune (RIP). Ann Kinser (of the house of Van Vechten) personified Queen Pandora And Her Boom Box (representing the Last Temptation Of Christ) wearing a magnificent costume by Curt Slangal; the first of many impressive, clever designs that cemented Curt’s reputation as a top Cornyation designer throughout the ensuing decade. Also in the mix in 1989 was Gretchen Shoopman, Empress Of The Court Of Mythology, with a spectacular Majestic Theater costume designed by Robert Rehm (RIP), who was by many accounts the most significant Cornyation designer of his era. Susan Yerkes was Queen Draco The Dragon, with a design by Oscar Morales; Georgeann Simpson was Queen Of The Bachantes, with a design by Pat Wells; Stefania Baldesarelli was Queen Of The Fanatic Fatima, with a design by Amy Scheinman; Julianne Rasmussen was Vice Empress Of Mythology, with a design by Wayne Beers and Michael Bobo. Many other performers, designers, cast and crew contributed to that last wild ride at the Bonham Exchange. Bob Jolly (RIP) was the MC, and Ray Chavez was (and in 2024 still is), Cornyation’s indefatigable Producer and Director. In 1990, Cornyation found a new home at Beethoven Hall, and, with a somewhat toned-down demeanor, assumed its rightful place in Fiesta history.

Special thanks to Amy Stone for her book (Cornyation, San Antonio’s Outrageous Fiesta Tradition, Maverick Books/Trinity University Press) where she presents plentiful, well-documented information on the history of Cornyation.

All Copyrights Michael Mehl

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