Iconic Portland Drag Club Darcelle XV Is at Risk of Closing | Eater Portland
"I note that a beloved, longstanding Portland drag club, Darcelle XV Showplace, is at risk of shutting down due to poor attendance during its usual peak season. One of the club’s co-hosts and performers, Kevin Cook (who performs as Poison Waters), told reporters that summer is normally the busiest time of year but this season has been an outlier, and with fall approaching it's unclear how long the club can sustain itself as operational costs have skyrocketed; Eater reached out to the club for comment. The threat of closure comes a little over a year after the March 2023 death of Walter Cole (Darcelle XV), who at 92 was the oldest working drag queen in the United States and had owned the club since 1967; when she bought it it was a neglected bar called Demas Tavern in Old Town Portland that she transformed first into a popular lesbian bar and then into the home of the longest continuously running drag show in the country. On July 24 the club posted a plea on Instagram—“The time has come to make difficult decisions regarding the future of Darcelle XV Showplace... Please come support our club, attend our shows, plan your celebrations with us and help spread the word far and wide”—directing supporters to make reservations or simply come in for a show (no fundraiser has been set up), and fans pledged support and asked about donations; on July 26 a Facebook update thanked the community for an outpouring of love while reaffirming the ongoing need for support. In recent years other longstanding Portland queer bars have closed or nearly closed, including Crush Bar (which had a close call), Rebel Rebel, the Queen’s Head, and the Roxy." - Rebecca Roland
