Mr. Minneapolis Eagle 2002

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #179, April 5, 2002)

Wayne Butzer, owner of popular uptown coffeehouse Vera’s Cafe, recently won the title of Mr. Minneapolis Eagle 2002 in an extremely close competition that finally needed a tie-breaker to determine the winner.

This year’s Mr. Minneapolis Eagle Contest, held Sunday night, March 3, was the finale to a weekend of events at the Eagle. On Friday night all the previous Mr. Minneapolis Eagle titleholders presented an event to raise funds to provide this year’s titleholder with a new leather title vest, and on Saturday afternoon the judges had their private interviews with the contestants. Saturday evening’s meet-and-greet was a chance for the community to interact with the contestants, and for the judges to observe how well they interacted. (The four judges for this year’s contest were Sam Carlisle, president of the Atons; Rik Stokes, president of the Black Guard; outgoing Mr. Minneapolis Eagle Steven Due; and your humble columnist.)

Sunday evening’s contest attracted seven fine contestants (Butzer, Scott Kelley, Andrew Bertke, Paul Finer, John Rankin, Ross Cascio, and Ryan Douglas) and an audience that was ready to enjoy watching the competition and cheering for their favorite contestant. Dan Bergman, who did such a great job emceeing the contest last year, was back again and kept things moving at a good pace.

The evening’s first judging event was the traditional “keg walk,” in which each of the contestants got a chance to show off their physique by carrying a beer keg through the audience to the stage, where they were then introduced. The questions-and-answers judging segment was next, with each contestant being asked the same serious question (“Who is the leather community?”) but a different humorous question. Some of the more memorable responses:

• Kelley’s humorous question was “Which Republican would you like to get into a dungeon and why?” His answer: “G.W. Bush—to prove he’s queer.”

• Butzer answered his question, “What is the most unusual place you’ve ever had sex?”, by describing an encounter in the back seat of a red Chevette—with the other gentleman’s girlfriend in the front seat, watching.

• When Douglas was asked which Disney character he thought he most resembled, he answered without missing a beat: “Pinocchio—and I’ll let you figure out why.”

In the final judging event of the contest, the Erotic Reading, seduction tales seemed to be the order of the evening. Bertke read a story about a seductive car-washing episode, and Finer presented an Olympic athlete seduction scene. Butzer shared his experiences the first time he attended a party hosted by the Atons of Minneapolis. Douglas played with the audience as he presented a truck-breakdown fantasy, which somehow gave him the opportunity to spray the audience with a very large squirtgun. No one seemed to mind getting wet.

When the final scores were tallied, Minneapolis Eagle owner Ed Hopkins and the judges got a shocking surprise: there was a tie for first place. With four judges, four judging events, and seven contestants it didn’t seem possible, but there it was. A tie-breaker round of scoring was conducted among the four judges, and after those scores were tallied the winners were announced: Bertke took second-runner-up honors, Douglas was first runner-up, and Butzer became the new Mr. Minneapolis Eagle 2002. He now goes on to represent Minnesota’s leather community at the International Mr. Leather (IML) contest in Chicago over Memorial Day weekend.

To everyone attending Black Frost 25 This Weekend: Welcome to the Twin Cities

And Congratulations to the Black Guard of Minneapolis on their 25th Anniversary!

A toast to The Black Guard of Minneapolis: “Then . . . Now . . . And Forever.” Make it a great weekend—and a safe one.

Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)

Atons Leather/Levi Dinner

Saturday evening, April 13; location and time still to be determined

Presented by the Atons, open to all. Call the Atons HotLine for reservations or more information.

Atons Bar Night at The Minneapolis Eagle

Friday evening, April 19; The Minneapolis Eagle

Another event to get everyone warmed up for the Atons 30th-anniversary run, coming this July. Call the Atons HotLine for more information.

PHOTO: Eagle_Contest_25.psd

New Mr. Minneapolis Eagle Wayne Butzer and Minneapolis Eagle owner Ed Hopkins.

PHOTO: Eagle_Contest_23.psd

Mr. Minneapolis Eagle 2002 Wayne Butzer.

PHOTO: Eagle_Contest_20.psd

New Mr. Minneapolis Eagle Wayne Butzer, center, flanked by second runner-up Andrew Bertke (left) and first runner-up Ryan Douglas (right).

PHOTO: Eagle_Contest_12.psd

Contestant Andrew Bertke presenting his erotic reading as part of the Mr. Minneapolis Eagle 2002 contest.

PHOTO: Eagle_Contest_11.psd

Contestant Scott Kelley presenting his erotic reading as part of the Mr. Minneapolis Eagle 2002 contest.

PHOTO: Eagle_Contest_09.psd

Contestant Ross Cascio greets the crowd during the “keg walk” segment of the Mr. Minneapolis Eagle 2002 contest.

PHOTO: Eagle_Contest_06.psd

Contestant John Rankin during the “keg walk” segment of the Mr. Minneapolis Eagle 2002 contest.