Miss RooBee Vetiver, the drag queen creation of Roger Tison, arrived Wednesday afternoon at Hopkinsville Brewing Co. in a sleeveless tweed dress, turquoise tights and sparkly silver pumps — size 12, if you want to know. Her pink hair, set off by a pinkish-purple beard, was pulled back in a big scarf.
And so began drag queen bingo at the brewery.
“Y’all didn’t know Miss RooBee was in the Marine Corps, did you? I’ve got the tattoo to prove it,” she told a few dozen people who packed the second floor of the brewery.
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Downstairs filling beer orders, brewery owners Joey Medeiros and Kate Russell could hear laughter breaking out as Miss RooBee called numbers and entertained the bingo players. It was the kind of night they hoped for when Tison, their employee, proposed drag queen bingo.
“I’m really excited so many people came out, and they are supportive,” Russell said.
Tison had promised a family-friendly night, so Russell’s son and daughter helped pass out bingo cards and played along. The games were free to play, and winners got small prizes the brewery provided.
“As small business owners, we’ve been looking for something fun and entertaining for our customers,” Russell said.
Several people who came to play bingo are regulars at the brewery, where Tison is often behind the counter serving beers on the weekend.
Tison, who moved to Hopkinsville in the fall of 2017, said he got the idea for Miss RooBee when he lived in Nashville. Wednesday’s bingo night was the first time she made an appearance in Hopkinsville.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
