 The Baton Show Lounge float, Chicago Pride Parade 2013 | |
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| Address | 4713 N. Broadway Chicago United States |
|---|---|
| Location | Uptown Chicago |
| Coordinates | 41°58′4.39″N87°39′31.47″W / 41.9678861°N 87.6587417°W |
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| Parking |
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| Owner | Jim Flint, Christoph Chiavazza |
| Type | LGBT |
| Genre(s) | Drag |
| Capacity | 195 |
| Opened | 1969 |
| Years active | 1969-present |
| Website | |
| www | |
Baton Show Lounge is a Chicago drag club founded in 1969. It is the venue for the Miss Continental pageant.
Baton Show Lounge was founded in 1969 in River North. [1] [2] [3] The first venue's address was 436 N. Clark St. [4] The name was inspired by Flint's time in the Navy as a drum major. [1] He would attract crowds by baton twirling and roller skating on the street. [1]
The early days of the lounge were marked by police raids. [5]
The venue moved to its present address at the Uptown Broadway Building in Uptown at the end of 2018 due to rent hikes. [4] The new venue provides a capacity of 195 seats with an additional disco and bar room. [4] Grand opening of the new location was on April 10, 2019. [4]
Flint organized the first Miss Continental Pageant in 1980. [4] He started the competition as an inclusive pageant for all female impersonators, including those who have taken hormones or had surgical enhancements. [6] [3]
Since 2008, Dance Divas is a group that has held a benefit show for Chicago Dancers United at Baton Show Lounge. [7] Proceeds help members of the arts community with health expenses. [7] [8]
The Queens, a documentary directed by Mark Saxenmeyer, premiered in 2020 and focused on the 2011 Miss Continental competition. [10] [11] [4]
The cast appeared on several shows, including: Phil Donahue, Maury Povich, Oprah, Sally Jesse Raphael, Jenny Jones, People are Talking, 190 North, and ABC 7 New Year's Eve Celebrations. [2]
