For more than 20 years, fans of the popular After Dark nightclub have enjoyed the talents of Della Licious and her funny, bawdy, entertaining drag show. With her connections with other drag performers around the country, there’s plenty of fun to go around as the weekend shows go late into the night. But there’s good news for people who are no longer night owls – a monthly brunch which not only packs in all the excitement but also raises money for a variety of worthy causes. And it even gets folks home in time for old people dinner hour.
Della’s Drag Brunch is hosted by Welch’s Ale House on the second Sunday of each month, and in addition to yummy food and a fabulous drag show, Bingo fans should know that there’s plenty of that (and prizes!) to keep everyone entertained for hours. First hosted September 2019 (with obvious interruptions due to COVID), Della’s inspiration for the event came from outside the area.
“I was working for a place in Detroit hosting a similar event with Bingo,” she said. “They would raise a lot just from the 50/50 drawings and providing a lot of community outreach. And I thought ‘Why can’t we do that here?’”
Active in raising funds for the Positive Resource Center and community outreach through her Licious Foundation, Della began hosting events at After Dark for Fort Wayne Pride. The brunch has just been a logical offshoot of that work. Many of the performers do the show for free (but bring money to tip generously and often). Among the organizations which have or will benefit from the brunch are Allen County SPCA, American Heart Association, Homeless Veterans/Volunteers of America, Center For Non Violence, Fort Wayne Pride, Resiliency Foundation, Wounded Warrior, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana, and Community Harvest Food Bank. Headliners have included Amaya Sexton, India Black, Deja Dellataro, Pat Yo Weave, Amanda Sue, and Hershae Chocolatae. Although she continues to enjoy performing and contributing to the community, Della also relishes the response of the audience.
“It’s fun watching people coming out of their shells. Sometimes they start out a bit apprehensive but end up letting loose and having a great time. There’s usually one person in the room I can kind of pick on, and it’s fun to make a joke and have everybody get it as it sweeps through the room.”
Della and Yours Truly (photo credit: John Moore)
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