GayDays.com has announced that it is hosting a benefit for Orlando Youth Alliance—a Central Florida support and social group for LGBT, questioning and allied teens—at this year’s Gay Days celebration.

The Lush-A-Licious Wine Tasting will be held on Wednesday, June 3, from 5-9 p.m. at the Regal Sun Resort (GayDays.com’s host hotel) at 1850 Hotel Plaza Blvd. in Lake Buena Vista, adjacent to Downtown Disney.

Participating wineries include Risque Sommelier, O’Brien Estate, Eagle Eye, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Bennett Lane, Judd’s Will, Inman Family, La Fenetre, Bouchaine, Wine Guerrilla and Leona Valley Winery.

Guests will dine on appetizers provided by the gay-owned and -operated Funky Monkey Wine Company of Orlando. There will be live entertainment as well as an art show. Additionally, Scott Joseph, the out former Orlando Sentinel food critic, will make a guest appearance.

Tickets are available to those 21 and older at GayDays.com, and are $20 in advance or $30 the day of the event. Ticket holders receive 10 wine tokens to enable sampling from all the participating wineries.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit GayDays.com or call 407-896-8431.

Watermark contributing writer and theater mainstay Scottie Campbell has joined forces with the touring travel group Art Events Travel to host a trip to London this fall to benefit OYA, which is still searching for a permanent meeting space after the group could not reach a compromise with the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center to build a youth lounge at the Mills Avenue facility.

Russ and Margaret Mary Russell, the married couple who owns and operates Art Events Travel, saw a need in the local gay community for cultural excursions, so they approached Campbell.

The first Birds of a Feather trip is scheduled for October 20-26, 2009. Prices start at $2,695 per person double occupancy. Those making their initial payments by May 15 will receive a $200 discount. The cost includes round-trip airfare from Orlando and hotel accommodations.

To book your trip or for more information, call 407-895-1301, e-mail Info@ArtEventsTravel.com, or visit ArtEventsTravel.com.

Earlier this month it appeared the annual Gay Days Weekend gathering at Typhoon Lagoon had been sunk. Beach Ball, it was recently announced, would be relocated to a hotel’s outdoor convention space. But with only three weeks to go until the annual mass gathering of gays and lesbians here, another promoter has thrown the water park tradition a life preserver.

Michael Christ of Fort Lauderdale-based East Gate Events staged a party at the Walt Disney World water park Friday, June 5. The event keeps the 12-year Typhoon Lagoon tradition afloat on the Gay Days Weekend calendar, at least for 2009.

After contract negotiations with Disney fell apart, Beach Ball promoter Johnny Chisholm said he would stage the party at his One Mighty Weekend host hotel, the Buena Vista Palace Resort. The change was but one of several new One Mighty Weekend event venues and has caused many to re-think their Gay Days Weekend plans.

Christ said his party has been in the works only two weeks.

"A colleague of ours who worked at Disney told us the Typhoon Lagoon event wasn’t gong to go forward…and that Disney wanted to continue the relationship with our community," said Christ. Though Christ produces fundraisers and corporate events in South Florida, this is his first attempt at creating an LGBT-specific ticketed event. And though he may be unknown in Central Florida, he said his reputation more than precedes him.

"Rest assured, Disney put us through an incredible vetting process," said Christ. "They don’t let just anyone do these things."

Christ said "Let’s Go Play" will bring together gays and lesbians for the same under-the-stars water park fun they’ve come to know in years past. The six-hour party starts at 8 p.m., and offers cash bars, wave pools, water slides, and dancing with DJ Lydia Prim.

Fully aware of several obstacles in making the event a success—time and the economy being chief among them—Christ priced tickets at $69.

"We’re going to have a great event, if not for the venue alone," said Christ. "At that price point I don’t know why people wouldn’t want to go."

Tickets went on sale Wednesday, May 13, at LetsGoPlay2009.com.

Christ also plans on donating 10% of the party’s proceeds to charity; half of those are earmarked for Hope and Help. Donations to local charities are a sticking point for many Gay Days Weekend critics. Tony Hayden from TheCircuitDog.com blamed Chisholm’s failed contract negotiations partly on bad karma; Hayden said that Chisholm does not adequately provide a local charity fundraising element to his events.

However, Hope and Help executive director Maggie King told Watermark that while she is eager to work with Christ and his new event, Chisholm did, in fact, write a "sizeable" check to her organization following last year’s parties. She added that Chisholm also contacted her as recently as this week, saying that he planned on donating to Hope and Help again this year.

Christ said he hopes to also make a generous donation to the local AIDS-service organization, but acknowledged the amount would be dependent on the number of tickets sold.

"That’s the risk we take," said King in allowing the Hope and Help name to be attached to Let’s Go Party. "But hopefully we’ll end up with a nice check. We certainly don’t have a minimum that is required."