Durham’s bawdy Beaver Queen Pageant goes virtual in the age of the coronavirus
Durham’s Beaver Queen Pageant is swimming into uncharted waters.
The beaver-loving, tree-hugging, vaudeville-style contest will become an online reality competition documenting the race for this year’s crown.
“It hits somewhere between ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos’ and ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’” said Rickie White, executive director of the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association.
The pageant raises thousands of dollars for the association by encouraging spectators to “bribe” the judges to vote for their favorite contestant.
For 15 years, the event has put a uniquely Durham spin on the beauty-style pageant. Contestants wear costumes inspired by beavers and other creatures (a bee, platypus, penguin) and compete in wetlands-wear, talent, and stage-presence portions of the event.
In 2010, I even competed as Scarlett O’Beaver, taking home the crown with the help of my Beavettes. My back story had me fleeing Tara and starting a Big Beaver Brothel, boasting the cleanest wetlands in the South.
And, yes, my formal wear ensemble included curtains.
The double entendres fly at the family-friendly show, normally held in the Duke Park meadow the first Saturday in June. Past themes have included “Damilton,” “Dam It’s the ‘80s,”and “Saturday Night Beaver.”
This year’s pageant, “Beavers In the Stream,” will play out as a virtual competition to give the stay-at-home crowd some homegrown entertainment.
“Having the pageant in the Duke Park meadow with the crowd, staging, and decorations is magical,” wrote Greg Palmer, a 2013 winner as Furrah Gnawsett-Major. “We’re hoping to transform some of that into people’s living rooms and dens.”
The online platform also opens up the pageant to contestants from across the Triangle and the world, really.
“Protecting wetlands is important everywhere and going global can only be good,” wrote Joanne Andrews who won in 2015 as Mz. Polly Nator. “We are one planet!”
The pageant grew out of a successful neighborhood fight against a road project that threatened wetlands and beaver habitat.
It is put on by Beaver Lodge Local 1504, a revolving door of creative volunteers, and the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association. They explored how to respond to COVID-19, White said, and listed the reasons for the pageant, in order of priority: building community, raising awareness of the creek and fundraising.
“We all agreed that we wanted to focus on those first two this year,” White said.
The association set aside the $35,000 fundraising goal, about 10% of its budget. But votes still can be bought online for $5 a piece.
Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association
The Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association works to protect and restore the watershed and creek, one of the most polluted in the Triangle. The creek flows into Falls Lake, a source of drinking water for Raleigh and surrounding areas.
The association has acquired more than 450 acres that include five public nature preserves. I walk to the 17-Acre Wood Preserve almost daily. It lies just outside downtown, off Guess Road between Northgate Mall and Interstate 85. It has a mural, a boardwalk, areas to explore in the woods and a paved path along the creek.
Lately, amid the stay-at-home order, I take my 4-year-old son there to race sticks in the creek, look for bugs and smell honeysuckle.
With a little bit of imagination, we are climbing volcanoes (mounds of dirt), bouncing on horses (fallen trees) and continuing the (imaginary) fight against all bad guys for hours.
“It feels really good to be able to provide a space that is a refuge to people in a difficult time,” White said.
Advice from the queens
Reigning Queen Genie Tailyah is leading the lodge in the move online.
Last year, she added beaver teeth and a tail to her flowing pink and red “I Dream of Jeanne” costume and danced to Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in A Bottle” with custom lyrics:
“If you want to vote for me, Baby, there’s a price to pay/I am a genie and a beaver. You have got to bribe a judge today.”
Jill Anderson, who plays Genie Tailyah, said anyone who wants to dress up, have fun and help a great cause should apply.
“Someone who is creative-leaning,” she said. Somebody who is OK standing in front of a crowd dressed in a costume, she said.
New timeline
Contestants have until May 18 to enter.
They must describe their beaver persona and submit two videos: one explaining their beaver back story and a talent video.
A pageant committee will announce six finalists May 30.
The talent competition will be released June 6, and a Question and Answer episode will follow the next day.
The coronation, which will also recognize best tail, best talent, Miss Hygieniality and any other award the lodge makes up, will be held June 13.
For more information go to www.beaverqueen.org.
Previous queens advise would-be contestants to embrace their character and celebrate their individual beaver spirit.
A talent can be anything. Beav Aldrin performed an aerial routine on silks. Furrah Gnawsett-Major played the “Star Wars” theme on the clarinet while Hula hooping.
“This is your chance to do that crazy thing you’ve always wanted to do,” wrote Ray Lingle, who took the crown in 2011 as Fur Pelton John. “Play on your strengths, and try new things.”
This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 6:05 AM with the headline "Durham’s bawdy Beaver Queen Pageant goes virtual in the age of the coronavirus."
