House of LeMay

The House of LeMay[1][2] is a drag performance team founded in the early 1990s by Bob Bolyard[1][3] (Amber LeMay) and Michael Hayes (Margaurite LeMay). The other regular member of the team is Johnnie McLaughlin (Lucy Belle LeMay). The House of LeMay is based in Burlington, Vermont, but in their act they say they are from "The Hot Dam Trailer Park in Beaver Pond, Vermont".

House of LeMay
Headquarters
Burlington, Vermont, U.S.
Websitehouseoflemay.com

Work

The House of LeMay performs throughout the year, and they often raise money for charitable causes. They organize and host the annual "Winter is a Drag Ball",[4] one of the largest drag balls in New England. This event raises thousands of dollars for the Vermont People With AIDS Coalition, and sells about 1000 tickets each year. Members of The House of LeMay have also performed repeatedly in Provincetown, Massachusetts at the annual drag brunch, a fundraiser for Help Our Women. More than once, The House of LeMay has been a part of a public school fundraiser for the drama department at Edmunds Middle School.

The House of LeMay is the subject of the 2008 documentary, "Slingbacks and Syrup". This documentary explores the first 15 years of The House of LeMay, and illustrates how they rose from being an unknown act to widely accepted members of the community.[5][6] "Slingbacks and Syrup" had its world premiere at the Vermont International Film Festival in 2008.[7][8]

The House of LeMay appeared on Logo (TV channel), when the gay travel show Bump![9] visited Burlington, Vermont. This episode is a part of Bump! season 4, and first aired in February, 2010.

In 2020, Bob Bolyard and Russell Dreher created Amber Live!, a streaming talk show featuring Amber LeMay as the host of the show and featuring interviews with new guests each week. In addition to Amber LeMay, Russell Dreher appears as cohost and Stephen Lanza appears at the end of each show as Rocco Zamboni. Notable guests include David Zuckerman the Lt. Governor of Vermont, Mike Houston from Orange is the New Black, Fracois Clemmons who played Officer Clemmons on Mr. Rogers Neighborhood for 25 years, and Francis Legge from Master Chef Season 5. Famous drag queens who have appeared on the show include Miss Richfield 1981, Dixie Longgate, Sherry Vine, Mangela Lansbury, and Sherry Poppins.

Awards

In 2009, the Honorable Bob Kiss, Mayor of Burlington, Christopher Neff, Executive Director of Outright VT, Mark Redmond, Executive Director of Spectrum Youth & Family Services, Phil Fiermonte of US Senator Sanders' office, and the staff of the RU12? Community Center gave The House of LeMay a certificate for the "Vermont GBLQT Lifetime Activism and Performing Arts Achievement Award for Outstanding leadership and commitment to bettering and entertaining the community."

Lucy Belle LeMay has repeatedly won awards in Provincetown, MA at the annual Drag Bingo fundraiser. She was named "Best Drag Queen" in 2001, and won "Biggest Hair" in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2007. In 2008, Margaurite LeMay won "Most Outrageous Drag Queen" at this event.

In 2009 and 2010, the House of LeMay won a Daysie award for "Best Vermont Blog, non-political," from Seven Days, the newspaper that runs the annual awards.[10][11]

In 2011 at the 13th Annual Queer Community Dinner in Vermont, The House of LeMay was named the recipients of the 2011 Queer Volunteer of the Year award.

References
  1. Resmer, Cathy (September 27, 1995). "The Babes of Beaver Pond". Seven Days. Vermont. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2006.
  2. Introducing the House of LeMay, Tammye Nash, Dallas Voice, November 19, 2008.
  3. Bob's Your Everything, Alice Levitt, Seven Days, November 12, 2008.
  4. Slideshow: Winter is a Drag Ball 2009, Seven Days, February 16, 2009.
  5. Burlington Beauties, Erin Trahan, New England Film, January 1, 2009. Archived March 8, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  6. Edge, Boston, MA, December 3, 2008.
  7. VTIFF Website, 2008. Archived May 8, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  8. VIFF Moves to Palace 9, Seven Days, October 15, 2008.
  9. Bump! Website, 2010.
  10. Seven Days, Cathy Resmer, 2009.
  11. "Green Mountain Daily and House of Lemay Take Top Honors in 2009 Daysie Awards, Philip Baruth, Vermont Daily Briefing, August 7, 2009". Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
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