Let’s just call it one gyration too many. That’s the storyline from Oak Creek, after the town’s former chief of police Ralph Maher was “placed on restricted duties” this winter for an altercation trying to break up a performance at the Colorado Bar by The Magic Hunks, a risqué troupe of male dancers. Reports and video allegedly showed Maher standing near the stage before “abruptly slamming his hand down and storming toward the performers in an apparent attempt to break up their dancing.” In a report on the incident, Oak Creek Town Manager David Torgler said the brouhaha was an attempt by the police chief to enforce state liquor regulations pertaining to entertainment hosted by a licensed establishment. The rule states that no owner, employee or agent of a licensed establishment “shall engage in or permit any person to perform acts of or acts which simulate … sexual intercourse, masturbation, sodomy, bestiality, oral copulation, flagellation or any sexual acts which are prohibited by law.” Maher, who reigned his position this spring, apparently thought the Hunks were carrying things a bit too far. Colorado Bar owner Lauren Verbosky filed a complaint over his actions, with Maher placed on restricted duties during an investigation. The Magic Hunks went on to perform at Steamboat’s Schmiggity’s without such a ruckus.
Burlesque Live and Well, Thank You
Burlesque shows are anything but a blast from the past in Steamboat, with the Yampa Valley Vixens reviving the trend with a slew of monthly shows at such venues as Schmiggity’s. Confessing to offering “sultry moves, dazzling costumes and sizzling performances” (Grrrrrrrr….), the shows “take viewers back to untamed days of the Wild West, where the saloons were rowdy and the shows scandalous.” Leading the charge are the locally cast Vixens—sporting such stage names as Davina Nyx, Ivy Fae Rose, Scarlett Voltaire, Lilith Deluxe, Lady Aphrodite, Dusty Hitch and Amethyst Grace—which will leave you feeling like the temperature increased before they exit stage left. “The Yampa Valley Vixens are northwest Colorado’s hottest new entertainment troupe,” says ringleader Lauren Hughes (AKA Ivy Fae). “Our shows have been well-received by everyone.” The burlesque troupe has two full-length productions under their belts: “Wild West Burlesque” (a sexy ode to the days of saloons, cowboys, and ridin’ it hard) and “Seven Deadly Sins” (a sinful and seductive experience that follows the Vixens’ fall from Heaven into the fiery pits of Hell). “We’re stoked to bring burlesque into the valley,” says Hughes.
