MINNEAPOLIS – The eagleBOLTbar was awash in leather the weekend of November 20-22 as kinksters near and far gathered for the Mr. Minneapolis Eagle 2016 Contest Weekend (#MME2016)!
The weekend kicked off with “Greet the Meat” where judges and contestants were introduced to the audience. Ren Rushold – Mr. Minneapolis Eagle 2015 was treated to a special presentation by Mr. Twin Cities Leather 2015 Steven Patton of the “Top Ren” list – highlighting 10 hilarious and heart-felt moments during Ren’s title year.
The judges for #MME2016 were: Ren Rushold – Mr. Minneapolis Eagle 2015, Patrick Smith – International Mr. Leather 2015, Girtha Rotunda – The Ladies of the Lakes, Mission House of The Sisters of the Perpetual Indulgence, Brian “Bolt” Donner – Mr. Tri-State Leather 2014, Riches – Great Lakes Ms. Leather Pride 2014, Sir Tug Whitehead – International Leather Sir 2015, Elizabeth Soleayst – PEPRMNT Moderator, and Sir Ivan Nunez – Great Lakes Leather Sir 2015.
Four contestants took the stage (in order of the numbers they drew): Russell Waisanen, Dominic Meizo, Travis Lenander, and Midnight.
Private interviews with the judges took place late Saturday morning followed by Titans of the Midwest presenting Kink U @ MME which featured presentations on pressure points and lubes as well as a selection of toys available courtesy of The Smitten Kitten.
Saturday night the contest kicked off with a video introduction about the Mr. Minneapolis Eagle legacy – featuring the 71 men who have carried the keg over the years in the quest for the sash and recognizing the contributions of judges, the eagleBOLTbar staff, volunteers and, of course, the audience, who have made this event possible year after year.
The contest featured three categories: The Keg Walk and On-stage Question to show off physique and stage presence, 90 second Speech on a topic of the contestant’s choosing, and Fantasy where contest goers saw a kinky construction worker fantasy, an empowering journey of self-discovery, a Star Trek scene, and steamy three-way!
Ren Rushold gave an emotional and powerful step aside speech – speaking from the heart about his year, high points and low points and culminating with the audience joining Ren in making a pledge to stop the infighting and drama because “We are here for the hot sex, we are here for family, we are here to build a community!”
All four contestants returned to the stage. Travis Lenander was named first runner up and Russell Waisanen was sashed as Mr. Minneapolis Eagle 2016!
Other events over the weekend included a Victory Brunch, Sunday Football and Halftime Underwear Auction and GearTunes beer bust. The new Mr. Minneapolis Eagle named The Aliveness Project as beneficiary of the $375 raised at the auction.
