Club show host leaves legacy of laughter and a lesson.
By Sarah Hankel
Entertainment is no stranger at The Garden, and theatrical drama is it's middle name. That's usually a good thing - lots of sloshing cocktails,
driving beats to dance to and plenty of comedy when the drag queens arrive.
The night of Saturday, Dec. 22, was to be no exception.
"We were having our annual Christmas show," says owner Scott Neasham. A slew of familiar talent was scheduled to entertain regulars and guests alike, but five minutes before the first chord could be sung, tragedy struck.
From behind the stage, and among the dressing room crowd one entertainer emerged in a heated rush. "Is there a doctor in the house?" she hollered. "Rita just collapsed."
Rita, a.k.a. Jeff Flores, who is better known by his alter ego's full name, Rita Coppafeela, hosted Rita's Rec Room on Sunday nights at The Garden for the past 15 months. Equipped with a ludicrously feminine outfit, bright
lipstick and a stinging wit, Rita was a favored singer, dancer and comedienne.
"Rita was more like a Milton Berle type of act," Neasham says. "She could be in costume and ready in five minutes and out of costume and done in five minutes."
But no one was laughing that Saturday night. It paved the way for the tears that flowed freely the following Friday. Flores/Rita never regained consciousness. He/she died four days after that fateful Saturday night from an aortic aneurysm.
As much of a shock as it was losing Flores/Rita at such a young age (46), an even bigger shock was looming in the distance.
In the two years Flores lived in Des Moines, he amassed hundreds of friends and fans. More than 400 turned out on the eve of Christmas Eve for
visitation services at Hamilton's Funeral Home. Among the mourners, of course, were Flores' family members who traveled from all over Iowa,
Nebraska and parts of Colorado.
"He was a dad," Neasham says. "He was a really good dad, the kind who took his sons out fishing on the weekend. He didn't get into the drag queen thing like most do."
Neasham, like most of Flores' closest friends knew he had never shared his homosexuality or cross-dressing personality with members of his family.
During the time they were praying for Flores recovery, they were careful to keep his alter-identity quiet. But family members have several duties after a loved one passes on. Between the time of his passing and the ensuing
memorial services, his parents, ex-wife, two sons and daughter and two brothers took on the task of sifting through his personal effects. Therein
they discovered Rita Coppafeela.
"We had a memorial show Sunday night, the day before the funeral," Neasham says. "(Flores) hadn't come out as Rita to any of his family members so we were careful to keep things separate while we were at the hospital. They
found out on Sunday."
Perturbed? Dismayed? Horrified? None of those adjectives describe Flores'
family's reaction to the news. Instead, Neasham says, "Nine of his family members came down Sunday and saw the first drag show they had ever seen.
They wanted some closure.
"I took them around and showed them the dressing rooms and where Rita collapsed," Neasham says. "They said that they wished he would have told
them so they could have come seen him perform."
Again, this news paled in comparison to what happened next.
"There were probably 200 people here," Neasham says of the Sunday evening crowd. "We opened it up as a fund-raiser and let everyone know that the
family had come and before they left that night they would have all the money we could raise."
A total of $1,500 was gathered and handed over to Flores' survivors. "It was a really neat thing," Neasham says.
Indeed the future of Flores' children and family members hang in the balance as a result of his all-too preliminary passing, but so does the future of Sunday nights at The Garden. "After we regroup we'll have to think about it," Neasham says. "But no one will replace Rita. She had a style all her own."
______________________________
Viva los Latinos
Downtown fiesta celebrates Hispanic culture.
By Sarah Hankel
Ignacio Anguiano is looking forward to making the two-hour trek from Lone Tree, Iowa, to Des Moines this Saturday, Sept. 15. A maintenance engineer at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City during the week and a dance instructor on the weekends, Anguiano was initially hoping to be one of many entertainers performing in the Latino Heritage Festival - a new event that organizers hope will continue on an annual basis. However, the event's talent roster got so full, not every act that wanted to be featured could.
"We tried to get a real broad representation of many different Latin cultures," entertainment chair Alba Bassett-Armijo says, because the 85,000 or so Latinos currently living in Iowa come from dozens of different countries. And although Anguiano won't be performing, he still intends to come for the 10 a.m. to midnight celebration along the Court Avenue and Walnut Street bridges.
"It's gonna be great," Anguiano says.
From regional touring musicians to talented neighbors, a wide array of Hispanic performers will entertain the general public for $2 admission. (Children 12 and younger will be admitted free.)
Bassett-Armijo explains that having a wide cross section of talent from many different countries was key for this first-time event.
"There isn't any other event quite like this," she says.
Musical groups such as Mariachi Zapata and Merenbanda are scheduled to perform throughout the evening, providing a variety of dance music with origins ranging from Mexico to the Dominican Republic.
Dance troupes, including the Marshalltown Dancers, Fantasia Juvenil and Horizontes, will demonstrate traditional folk steps and some of the latest moves. And a male-female dance duo will give a few basic lessons in merengue and salsa just before Mariachi Zapata's second set.
A children's area will get kids involved in traditional arts and recreation such as pinata making and a soccer workshop featuring members of the Des Moines Menace.
Food vendors featuring traditional fare from Mexico, Central and South America will be positioned along East and West First streets, along with more than 60 exhibitors. At least 10,000 people are expected to attend the daylong event which will give Des Moines a leg up in public relations toward the Latin population.
"I think this shows that Des Moines is working toward progress in coming together," says Warren Morrow, executive director of Latino Leadership Project, who adds that holding a festival of this magnitude will further establish the Latino presence in the Midwest and will also serve to educate the community.
Nearly 3 percent of Iowans hail from countries "south of the border." Morrow, who coordinated a student day at the State Historical Society, says the 150 third through fifth grade students who participated in a poster contest drew images that mainly reflected Mexico. But he feels this festival will educate children and adults about the diversity of the Latin populations here in Des Moines and abroad.
"The Latin population is bringing new immigrants here all the time with lots of different talent and pride in the various cultures," Morrow says. "(The festival) will also affirm that (Latinos) have been here for a long time and show how (Latin cultures) have shaped Iowa."
Geographically speaking, nearly a dozen cultures will be represented at the festival, including the southern tip of Chile to Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Colombia and Cuba.
In addition to entertainment and tasty traditional Latin dishes, Latinos Unidos will distribute five $1,000 scholarships. And those attending the festival will be encouraged to participate in the Sunday morning humanitarian walk-athon sponsored by the National Conference on Crime and Justice.
For more information on the Latin Heritage Festival, call 281-4080.
