Summer's just getting started

Sac Queens—

We over-ordered the merch.

Way too much.

So now we are bribing you to take it off our hands: refer one friend for a shoutout in here, three for the Sip-and-Slay wine glass, six for the crowned Royal Cork Blocker that guards your leftover rosé like a family heirloom. Your referral link is at the bottom of this email.

You have to be subscribed, obviously.

Share the gay agenda, henny.

-Thomas & Tom

June 25–July 1.

Faces Thursday: Dance Party & Karaoke
Thu, June 25, 9 PM, Faces Nightclub (2000 K St)
The biggest dance floor in Lavender Heights opens the week with a dance party and karaoke, so warm up the vocal cords or just the cocktail order. No cover. Read more

Broadway Rave: A Musical Theater Dance Party
Fri, June 26, 9 PM, Harlow's (2708 J St)
Harlow's and Burwood Media throw a Broadway dance party where you belt the showtunes and dress as your favorite character, surprise guests promised. General admission runs about $21 to $25, fees included. Read more

Concerts in the Park: Season Finale
Fri, June 26, 6–9:30 PM, Cesar Chavez Plaza
The 33rd season of free Friday concerts closes out at 9th and J with Arden Park Roots headlining. Soak up one last summer night in the park, because the series goes quiet until next year. Read more

Fridays Are a Drag
Fri, June 26, 8 PM, Badlands
Suzette Veneti and Liz host a Friday night drag showcase at 2003 K Street, showtime at 8. The reliable warm-up before the dance floor fills in. Read more

Brookside Drag Brunch
Sat, June 27, doors 11 AM, show noon, Brookside Restaurant & Bar
DJP Productions brings a Pride Month drag brunch out to 9819 Horn Road in east Sac, with food, drinks, and a full lineup of performers. Doors at 11, show at noon, tickets on Eventbrite. Read more

HOMEGIRL: Pride Edition
Sat, June 27, 4–7 PM, The Golden Bear
Sister Crayon and Rituals of Mine take over the back bar at 2326 K Street for a Saturday afternoon Pride session of house, R&B, and 90s bangers. Daytime dancing, no apologies. Read more

Honeypot Vol. 17: Bear & Leather Night
Sat, June 27, doors 6 PM, Badlands
Badlands' bear and leather night at 2003 K Street, with sexy gogo dancers all night long. $5 cover before 9 PM, and $2 off cocktails if you wear leather or gear. Read more

Pride in the Vines at Old Sugar Mill
Sun, June 28, 11 AM–5 PM, Old Sugar Mill (Clarksburg)
A daylong Pride party among the tasting rooms at 35265 Willow Ave, minutes from Sacramento, with more than a dozen wineries under one roof, drag performances, food trucks, and live music. Sip, celebrate, slay, and have a sober driver. Read more

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
Sun, June 28, doors 4 PM, film 5 PM, Crest Theatre (1013 K St)
A big-screen revival of the 1995 drag road-trip classic, where three New York queens get stranded in a small Midwestern town and quietly change it for the better. Tickets $5, cash at the box office. Read more

Roscoe's Drag Brunch
Sun, June 28, 10:30 AM or 1:30 PM, Roscoe's (upstairs)
The weekly Sunday drag brunch upstairs at 2007 K Street, with $18 bottomless mimosas and two seatings that close an hour before showtime. Bottomless is a promise, not a dare, so pace yourself accordingly. Read more

The Darling Clementines Pride Party
Sun, June 28, doors 6 PM, show 7 PM, Harlow's (2708 J St)
The Darling Clementines bring a night of queer burlesque, drag, and variety acts to Harlow's. Doors at 6, show at 7. Read more

Pride Party: Fusion Dance Night & Potluck
Sun, June 28, 7 PM–12:30 AM, The Firehouse 5
The Firehouse 5 dance studio and Sammie Anne McKibben throw a Pride fusion dance party at 2014 9th Street, late-night potluck style. Bring a dish, bring your dancing shoes, the floor stays open past midnight. Read more

Trivia Mondays
Mon, June 29, 6:30–8:30 PM, Teneral Cellars
Free weekly trivia at Sac's queer-owned wine lounge at 1050 20th Street. The civilized way to start a week. Read more

Monday Showcase
Mon, June 29, 9 PM, Badlands
The weekly drag showcase with a stage full of fresh talent at 2003 K Street. Free entry and 30% off all cocktails all night, the cheapest good decision on a Monday. Read more

Tallac Tuesdays
Tue, June 30, 7:30–9:30 PM, Tallac Lounge (3982 60th St)
A long-running queer pop-up at a neighborhood dive east of Midtown, run by gay neighbors to grow visibility and a good time. Expect cheap drink specials, games, music, and a neighborhood dive that goes fully queer for the night. Read more

The Trivia Show
Wed, July 1, 9 PM, The Depot
Free weekly trivia at 2001 K Street, teams up to six, with prizes for the top finishers and rotating drink specials. Round up six friends and the one who insists they know everything. Read more

Hair dye fixes gray. It also gives you a bad smell, a hairline that looks painted, and roots that remain gray. Particle Anti-Gray Serum targets the root cause — restoring natural pigment gradually, hair and beard, no dye, no mess. Five seconds a day. Thirty-day guarantee. 20% off with code BH20.

Risk-Free & 20% Off Today

After this week.

Drag Queen Bingo at Mango's
Thu, July 2, 7–9 PM, Mango's (1930 K St)
A night of drag and eight games of bingo hosted by DoMe Moore, presented by the Sacramento Rainbow Chamber. Doors at 6, only $20 cash to play. Read more

Liquid Therapy
Fri, July 10, 5:30–7 PM, Badlands
Outword Magazine's monthly happy hour returns to melt you into summer, hosted by Fred Palmer. Read more

Rainbow Chamber Lunch & Networking
Tue, July 21, 11:30 AM–1 PM, 6301 S Street
The Sacramento Rainbow Chamber's monthly lunch, an afternoon of good food, real connections, and new business. Tickets $25, register through the Chamber. Read more

California State Fair Pride Day
Sat, July 25, Cal Expo
The Sacramento Rainbow Chamber takes over the fair for a full day of queer programming, with a Sacramento Sirens cheer performance, the Gay Men's Chorus, a wine garden meet-up, Drag Queen Bingo, and a disco dance party. Details and tickets through the State Fair. Read more

Dugout Divas: Uncorked, Lakeside Edition
Sat, Aug 8, 5:30–9 PM, private lakeside residence (Sacramento)
Wine, sunset, great food, and a great cause: the Dugout Divas throw a private lakeside fundraiser with a blind wine tasting, a tri-tip and baked chicken dinner, and a silent auction. Proceeds send local LGBTQ athletes to compete through the team's scholarship and tournament fund. Tickets from $75 early bird, advance purchase required. Read more

NorCal AIDS Cycle Beneficiary Celebration
Sat, Aug 15, 6 PM, Bear & Crown (Old Sacramento)
NorCal AIDS Cycle hands out the proceeds from its 2026 ride to local beneficiaries on the back patio of the Bear & Crown. Food and drinks available for purchase, RSVPs appreciated, with a short easy ride earlier in the day. Read more

Dashin' Down the Delta
Sun, Aug 16, Sacramento
Sacramento's newest summer tradition, a costumes-first run-walk where the wig matters more than the clock. Build a themed group, match the shirts, and register now. Read more

Boas & Bow Ties Gala (save the date)
Thu, Oct 22, 6 PM, Sacramento
The Sacramento Rainbow Chamber's annual queer gala, where bow ties go on and boas come out. Far out, but worth a calendar hold. Read more

James Dahlen

James Dahlen has been part of the Sacramento Gay Men's Chorus since 2014. He spent eight years as its president and now, as executive director, runs the business side of the whole operation. Ask what SGMC does that a regular chorus cannot and he does not hedge: “our superb musical quality” paired with a love of “the campiness and humor of it all.” They are having a blast up there, and you feel it. If you caught Rhinestone Cowboy at The Sofia last weekend, you know the arc, the laugh and the ugly-cry and the standing ovation inside 90 minutes, which he credits to artistic director Alex Heetland.

What keeps him in it is bigger than the show. “It's more important for us to be here than ever,” he says. “We give a voice to the voiceless.” In a year with no shortage of strife, he sees the job as bringing joy and love out loud. But his favorite part is smaller. It’s seeing when a shy new member who, a few months in, has found their groove and a roomful of friends who love to sing. “It's literally my favorite thing about this chorus.” You can catch SGMC next at the California State Fair's Pride Day on July 25. 

Fast Break Tech

Not every queer-owned business is a bar. Some of them quietly keep the rest of us online. Fast Break Tech is the Sacramento IT company that just celebrated 26 years in business, and that kind of longevity says everything. Founder Steven Walker has been fixing computers since the day he broke one: at 12, trying to clear a virus off the family PC, he formatted the C drive and wiped his mother's work documents. He has spent the rest of his life making sure that does not happen to anyone else.

The name, Fast Break Tech, has a fun backstory worth sharing. Before the company there was Fast Break Snacks, the high-school vending-machine business Steven ran on McDonald's money, named after the Reese's bar. The tech grew from there: solo around 2000, incorporated in 2005, now 400-plus clients (4,000 computers) and a full bench of technicians working out of a shop on Exposition Boulevard across from Costco.

Steven also serves as president of ESA, the Executive Services Alliance, a Sacramento nonprofit that connects local businesses with trusted advisors. Twenty-six years and counting, he is still showing up for this city's homes and businesses. Congratulations are in order. Find them at fastbreaktech.com.

From the inbox. Reader submissions, thank-yous, celebrations, or anything fun or noteworthy. Lightly edited for clarity, not for vibe. If you have a shoutout, just reply to this with your submission for next week’s newsletter!

Three things before we go:

See you next Thursday.

— Tom & Thomas