The Welcoming Committee blog

RICH KID SPRING BREAK: DINNER IN FRANCE Takeover

This Friday night (3/8), we’re kicking off a full month of spring break inspired, takeover insanity by descending upon a Dinner in France (kind of but not really).

The Executive and Pastry Chefs over at Whisk Boston have put together a France pop-up dinner complete with 7 tasting courses and fancy words like “foie-gras”, “pastry” and “yum”. 

TWC, this is your opportunity to literally devour French fanfare, while inserting a serious homosexual component into our version of a rich kid spring break. You are hereby tasked with eating delicious food, taking over an intimate pop-up experience (that select few people know about) and making it your own for one night. 

To get in on the action, go to their Eventbrite page here, choose the Friday night option, purchase “The Welcoming Committee” ticket and you’ll be sat with the rest of the troops.

The March (SPRING BREAK) Line-Up

TWC. While many of you are probably already binge drinking to prepare your livers for St. Paddy’s Day, we would like to direct your attention to the other atrocity-inspiring activity that graces the third month of the year: Spring Break.

As a purveyor/remodeler of all things straight and disgusting, we at The Welcoming Committee bring you a month of SPRING BREAK presented in three ways:

1. The “Rich kid” spring break
2. The “Budget” spring break
3. The “Alternative” spring break

All activities are designed to be accessible to all, whether you still owe your first born child to your college’s financial aid office or, when asked how you’re paying off your student loans, you awkwardly answer a fake phone call.

BUDGET SPRING BREAK: GUERRILLA QUEER BAR - Friday, March 1st
The sacrosanct straight bar takeover continues where we engulf a bar of our choosing and make it gay for one night only. This month we hit Who’s On First, a venue that has never experienced the full GQB experience. Starting line forms at 9:30pm. 
GQB COMPLETED. Who’s On First successfully demolished. 600 TWC troops members attended. Viva!

RICH KID SPRING BREAK: DINNER IN FRANCE - Friday, March 8th
To kick off the insanity, this Friday night (3/8) the Executive Chef and Pastry Food Wizard over at Whisk Boston have put together a France-inspired pop-up dinner. With 7 tasting-courses prepared, an intimate atmosphere and the use of fancy words like “foie-gras” and “pastry,” we were basically forced to take it over. Here’s your opportunity to devour a French pop-up while removing the stuffy and the stodgy from the menu. Go to their Eventbrite page here, choose the Friday night option, purchase “The Welcoming Committee” ticket and you’ll be sat with the rest of the troops.

RICH KID SPRING BREAK: CARIBBEAN BOOZE FEST - Monday, March 11th, 6:30pm
Nothing says “take off my clothes, it’s Spring Break” like a visit to the Caribbean. And what signifies the Boston version of paradise? A rum distillery. Our hat tip to all things Caribbean happens Monday (3/11) at the super stealth Bully Boys Distillery in Southie. One ticket gets you a tour, a tasting, a cocktail and our promise to make sure you leave your dignity behind sometime this month. Get your tickets here.

ALTERNATIVE SPRING BREAK: FLANNEL TAKEOVER COMPANY, 3RD SATURDAYS - Saturday, March 16th
While we struggled with what spring break category to place FTC into, we decided that filling any Boston bar with 300+ lesbians is an act of community service for the greater Boston community. As always, venue is announced the day before. More details here.

ALTERNATIVE SPRING BREAK: COMMUNITY SERVICE - Wednesday, March 20th
Sometimes Spring Break requires that you give your karma a bit of a re-boost (especially after that thing you did with that guy/girl/person last Saturday when you thought no one was looking). Yeah. We’re conjuring up magic in the form of volunteerism so you can give back while giving your best friend, Mr. Liver, a little R&R. Sign up here to get dibs on a spot and get more details on what we’ve got planned.

BUDGET SPRING BREAK: KEG PARTY - Saturday, March 23rd
Just because mom and dad didn’t finance your trip around the globe so you could be a “cultural” drinker, doesn’t mean you didn’t know how to show your fellow state-schoolers a good time. On March 23rd, we bring together a secret warehouse-meets-graffiti space, tons of beer, and all of the “lawn” games your 21+ year old heart could desire. Let’s just say we’ve got the keg stand portion of your staycation covered. Sign up here to get first dibs on tickets.

BUDGET SPRING BREAK: DUCK TOURS - Sunday, March 24th
Remember that time you meant to do the 8.74 billion local things that Boston has to offer? Well now you can do them with le gays. As a part of your staycation Spring Break, we’re going to take the Duck Tours, flip them over, slap on a big rainbow and make them ours for one day. Once we’re done with the land and sea takeovers, we’ll convene at a nearby bar for the rest of the day’s atrocities. They’ll thank us for it later. Sign up to join the takeover here.

RICH KIDS SPRING BREAK: BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - Friday, March 29th
Rumor has it that you like taking over cultural institutions. And sometimes you even pretend to be fancy. How fitting then that we’re devouring the Boston Symphony Orchestra for your distinct pleasure. Sign up here to get advanced discounted, tickets.

RICH KIDS SPRING BREAK: A WEEKEND IN PARIS - Saturday-Sunday, March 30-31
Well, not quite. For our third #DestinationTakeover, we bring you 38 hours in Montreal. One evening. Two bus rides. A white party, walking tour, brunch, shopping, everything…and you only need to spend one night and we’ll rush you back to the Americas. Sign up here to get advanced access to tickets before they go on sale later this week.

Guerrilla Queer Bar: March

Tomorrow night the owners/bartenders at Who’s On First (map) will experience Guerrilla Queer Bar for the very first time. Since they’ve never seen us before, and basically work in an underground dance-cave, please treat them gently. And by gently, we mean like a carnivore returning from a vegan retreat would handle a piece of fresh crispy bacon.

Show up at 9pm. Lose your dignity by 2.

Join The Corps; Be the movement

**Applications due on Thursday, February 28th, at noon (click here to apply)**

After very little ado, we’ve decided to strengthen TWC by building a unit of engaged TWC members who want to embody our mission for a three month period by acting as hosts at our events. The benefits are unending, the magic is unstoppable, and this introductory post is way too long. We call it: The Corps. Behold what you’ll find below:

1. The Mission of The Corps
2. Corps Strength Training
3. The Role
4. The Commitment
5. The Calendar
6. How to Apply (Will take 5 minutes, max; all submission due by noon on Thursday)

The Corps’ Mission:
TWC’s mission it to create a community ready to takeover typically straight spaces and make them gay. In other words, we bring equality to unexpected places courtesy of critical mass. The Corps is this movement embodied. It is a group of people who represent the energy, diversity, welcoming nature, and strength of the movement. They show up early. Shake hands as people walk through the door. Take selfies with their phones. And post them on Twitter.

Corps Strength Training:
The Corps will be a carefully selected gaggle, but turning disparate magical beings into a unit will take some work. And we’re pulling out all of the stops. (Side note: What does that expression actually mean?) It will involve food, liquor, our version of trust falls, and an inappropriate history of TWC. We’re taking over the concept of an “orientation.” You’re welcome. And when that’s over, and you’ve been saddled with TWC swag, we’ll have monthly events just for Corps members. Cameras will be allowed so you can make people jealous. Again, you’re welcome.

The Commitment:
Corps membership lasts exactly three months. The first class runs from April to June. You have to be able to commit to attending all three GQBs in that period, The Corp orientation, the 2 Corps private events, and 1-2 additional events per month. (See below for the calendar. If these dates don’t work for you, then come back to us for the summer session!) Also, you need to love TWC gear. Because you’re going to get a lot of it.

The Role:
We’re looking for people who are in love with TWC, community building, taking shit over, startups, snack time, and hugging people they don’t know. In other words, the prototype is someone that even strangers would describe as a “people person.” This brings us to…

How to apply:
1. Get really excited. (Watch this video if you have to.)
2. Fill out this form (click here) by Thursday at noon. (It’ll take about 5 minutes.)
3. Wait for your invitation for an interview.
4. We’ll announce The Corps team on Sunday, March 17th.

The Calendar:

• February 28 @ Noon: Appligaytions due
• March 3-15: Interviews conducted
• March 17: Decision announced
• March 22nd, 7pm-midnight: Orientation (Required)
• April 5th: GQB (Required)
• April 17th: Corps event (Required)
• May 3rd: GQB (Required)
• May 15th Corps event (Required)
• June 7th: GQB (Required)

And when your 3 months are up:
All Corps veterans will help recruit their replacements. If you’re a perfect fit for a full-time opening at TWC, you’ll have first dibs. If you’re not or if you’re not interested, then we hope you stay in touch and still hug random people when they walk into TWC events.

Welcome aboard.

Daniel Heller
Member #3 & Founder, The Welcoming Committee

Guerrilla Queer Bar: Area Announced

This Friday we’re taking over a venue that has yet to be delighted/conquered/devoured by you and the rest of TWC’s troops. Guerrilla Queer Bar hits the Fenway area starting at 9pm. Don’t be late.

The Scotch Tasting Takeover: Your Questions Answered

1. Still tickets left? 
Yes, but not many. Chop chop.

2. Where’s the secret location?
275 Third Street in Cambridge. Here’s a map. It’s basically a cool warehouse-ish space with exposed brick walls run by super stealth tech geeks who were all: “Yay scotch!” When you arrive, come through the courtyard. Doors are on the left. They won’t bite.

3. Should I be there right at 7:30?
You don’t have to be. But if you come after 8:30, we can’t promise you’ll get all 6 of your drinks in.

4. Should I bring my own scotch stones?
If you know what these are, no. If you don’t, also no.

5. How does it all work?
You’ll get 6 tickets when you walk through the door. 4 of them will get you either tastes of scotch or scotch cocktails (depending on your veteran vs. rookie scotch status). 2 of the tickets will get you Harpoon beers. You’ll taste. You’ll drink. Unicorns might fall from the sky. The inventors of scotch tastings will wish they had thought of this event. It will all be magic. 

6. What scotch will I be tasting?
For those of you drinking the stuff straight up. Find the list here. For those drinking cocktails, the Mobile Mixers mixologists will hand you their delectable concoctions when you get there. They’ve been dreaming them up their entire lives, so they won’t disappoint. 

7. What happens at 10pm?
You wrap up your beer drinking. Throw your own after party. And rejoice that 90 gays just got their scotch on. 

8. What if I take agayzing pictures on Instagram and need to share them on a billion social networks?
For the social media savvy gays in the room use #TWCscotch to tag everything. Also, @thewcommittee.

9. Hugs?
Hugs

Your Museum Takeover questions answered

                                          

(Pre-question: Are there more tickets? Gardner has allotted us 300 tickets. As of this posting, there are 45 left. Get after it.)

1. Gay?
Gay.

2. Should I show up late to make a fashionable entrance?
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3gmaepSwd1r4q4d2o1_500.gif. Legit, though, the event goes from 5-9pm. We scoped it out a few months ago and here’s the basic structure: There are talks and programs at specific times (checkout Eventbrite for the schedule) and a scavenger hunt (really, we’re serious) that goes on all night. But for the most part we encourage you to grab a drink and wander around the museum like you own the place. Stay for an hour. Stay for four. The crowd is at its largest at around 7pm.

3. Should you ask people to call you Lord/Lady Grantham for the night?
Isabella would totes approve.

4. How does ticketing work?
Since we broke the 50 person mark (and wandered into the 200+ range), the museum will have a special check-in table for TWC members. Walk in. Prance over to it. Check in. There might even be a small present waiting for you (which you should wear so you know where the gays are). You don’t need to print out your Eventbrite confirmation. Just bring an ID.

5. I don’t know anyone. Any advice?
For the vast majority of the night, we (Ashley and Daniel) will be hanging out by the bar (huge surprise). If you’re an extrovert, ask Carson to announce you when you walk into the mansion. For the rest of you, if you need a little love come say hi to us at the bar. We can’t wait to meet you.

6. If my friends want to come and haven’t bought tickets beforehand, can they buy them at the door?
As you can imagine, ISGM is going to be a bit more crowded than usual. We (TWC) will cut off ticket sales the moment we hit 250 tickets. If ISGM isn’t sold out for the night, they’ll be selling tickets at the door, but not at our table. You’ll have to pay straight people prices. And we can’t guarantee that there will be space. Might want to call them before coming.

Twitter chat with TWC and Mobile Mixers to talk Scotch, Cocktails and Boston Gays.

Tomorrow (Wednesday 2/20) at noon we’ll be hosting a Twitter chat to answer the questions you have about what’s in store at this Saturday’s “Liquor Before Beer” series takeover.

Here’s le deal. Follow Mobile Mixers (LBB’s official mixology partner) on Twitter here and The Welcoming Committee on Twitter right over here. Then, from 12pm - 1pm E.S.T. use #TWCscotch to follow the conversation and ask us things like:

1. What does ‘single malt’ mean?
2. What if I’m afraid of scotch?
3. What kind of cocktails are you dreaming up for Saturday?
4. Does this Twitter chat make me look fat?

We’ll answer everything (including the meaning of life) and randomly hand out Scotch Tasting takeover discounts to those of you asking questions.

Wanna know more? Confused? Think we’re charming/adorable/brilliant and want to tell us? Email Community Manager Ashley: ashley (at) thewelcomingcommitte (dot) com.

See you on the interwebs.

Viva!