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Agents had been inside the bar since about 10:30 p.m. According to the HPD, undercover agents had been sent to the bar after receiving civilian complaints of "lewd actions" and public intoxication. Some earlier and subsequent raids were actually marked as a pride week event, with customers showing up just to be a part of the raid.ġ980's Houston Gay Pride Week was slated to be held from June 20 to June 29, and one scheduled event was a softball game between the Houston Police and Fire Departments and the Montrose Sports Association. One well-known raid occurred in the early morning hours of June 20, 1980, as patrons celebrated Houston Gay Pride Week's third annual pre-opening celebration in Mary's - for three consecutive years prior, police raids on gay bars in Montrose had been held the week before pride celebrations began, one of which was at Mary's in 1979. Jpolice raidĪt that time, police raids on gay bars were common.
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In 1978, the bar's license to sell alcohol was revoked by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission due to continuous code violations, including the sale of alcohol to minors, but acquired it again shortly after by listing Farmer as a business partner instead of an owner. Balls was given his own bar stool at the main table. Balls, after he began living in the area around the bar and fell out of a tree outside. The bar also adopted a cat mascot, which they named Mr. Unlike other local gay bars, Mary's never adopted a dress code. In Mary's early days, it became tradition for patrons' underwear to be hung from the rafters, until the state health department required the bar to take them down in the late 1980s. Mary's was bought by Jim "Fanny" Farmer in 1970, with Cliff Owens becoming co-owner sometime in the late 1970s. Joe Anthony had bought the property, which was a bar named Tommy's, and refurbished it into Mary's.
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Montrose was at that time becoming a prominent gayborhood in Houston, and was the first gay bar to open on a main road, as well as to have windows. Mary's was opened in 1970 at the corner of Westheimer and Waugh Drive in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston, Texas. Mary's became a landmark and catered to virtually every aspect of the LGBT community. A statue of an angel, which had been there since the early days of the bar and which artist Steve Swoveland restored, stood inside Mary's and became a centerpiece for those paying their respects to the victims of the crisis. Mary's also included a backyard patio and garden, known as the Outback, that had been planted in remembrance of HIV/AIDS victims the profits from vegetables grown in this garden, along with drag queen tips, were often donated to charity. Mary's included a jukebox and its bar tops were decorated with pictures of its patrons. Early advertisements also referred to the bar as "Mary's, Naturally". "I will miss all my Guava family and all the memories we made.In its early days, Mary's employed go-go boys, and originally featured a neon sign that read "Mary's Lounge" in the front of the building, which was gone by 1979.
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"Working at Guava Lamp for the past 21 years has been one of the highlights of my career," said Kara Dion, a well-known Houston drag queen and host.
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It was also the original location for the Pride Superstar singing competition. Several of the city's most popular LGBTQ+ entertainers passed through its doors and onto its stage. Guava Lamp also hosted weekly open mics, drag shows and theme nights. For the last 22 years (15 of those years at the Waugh location), we cheerfully celebrated countless nights of karaoke, talented entertainers from across the country, as well as many special occasions," the statement read from owner Woody Gould. "We have had the privilege to serve and entertain Houston's diverse and expansive community. It quickly drew saddened comments and memories from patrons. The announcement was made Thursday evening on the venue's Facebook page. Guava Lamp, the welcoming gay bar located near Allen Parkway, has closed its doors. A patron passes doormen Ryan Zuchero and Tim Newton at the Guava Lamp located at 570 Waugh Dr.Friday June 17,2005.