The End Of A Tradition!

All good things must come to an end, so they say…

Drag volleyball on Labor Day Weekend in Rehoboth Beach comes to an end
"Congratulations on being Poodle [Beach’s] longest running sitcom, competitive volleyball match, fashion, cheerleading competition, dance off, variety show and RuPaul palooza! You nailed it!”
LGBTQ Nation
By Ed Gunts
August 25, 2022


A highlight of Labor Day Weekend in LGBTQ-friendly Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, has come to an end. Since 1988, a drag volleyball game has been held on Poodle Beach nearly every year on the Sunday before Labor Day. But this year, organizers posted a message on Facebook saying it’s over.

“Hey fans! Some sad news to share,” the message began. “Due to numerous circumstances, it seems as if our last Drag Volleyball game in Rehoboth has already been played. We are sorry to disappoint you and put an end to this Rehoboth end of summer tradition. Thanks for all of your support throughout the years.”

The game traditionally drew a large crowd to the south end of the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, the Mid-Atlantic resort where President Joe Biden has a vacation home.

Much of the attraction was that members of the two teams chose themes that were kept secret until they appeared on the beach – the Madonnas, the Chers, the First Ladies. Each player had a drag name and dressed up.

[…]

As with the annual High Heel Drag Queen Race in Washington, D., C., it wasn’t just a gay thing – the audience included a wide range of spectators. People came early to claim a good spot on the beach. During breaks in the game, players would sing, dance, and put on skits. The score of the game didn’t matter as much as hearing the songs and gawking at the elaborate costumes.

[…]

The game had been canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also was canceled in other years, including 2005 and 2016, due to weather conditions, and one year when the players took a break. (The first year, one team of guys in drag played a team of lesbians, but after that, it was two teams of guys in drag.)

The straight public is fascinated by drag, the few drag shows that I have been to half of the audience seemed to me to be straight cis-gender (Drag is not my cup of tea, I’m just not a fan of drag, nor for that matter karaoke, nor stand up comics (except for a small hand full of comics.)).

The end was a natural ending,

According to one insider, the game wasn’t canceled by any political pressure but because one of the teams decided to drop out. It wasn’t a complete surprise: the players had warned in a 2019 social media posting that their 2020 match would be the last, but then it wasn’t held due to the pandemic.

As I sit here in sight of the Pilgrim Monument in P’town… This is you chance P’town for drag volleyball! How about a tournament during Carnival Week? Take over the tradition!