Augie's & C.K.'s, a popular lesbian bar in the 1970s and '80s, will host a reunion May 12, 2012.
Founded as two separate bars, Augie's and C.K.'s merged, making its home at 3726 N. Broadway, where the bar Charlie's is now located. C.K.'s first opened at 1425 W. Diversey Ave. around August 1972, but moved to 2417 N. Milwaukee Ave. by January 1979. Augie's also opened in 1972 at 3729 N. Halsted St.
"I just decided to open up the bar because there were no girls' bars," said Augie. "I had just come back from a trip to Puerto Rico, and they had a beautiful girls' bar. And that inspired me."
The bar quickly became a community for the regulars. They formed sports leagues, participated in the annual Pride Parade, and hosted picnics.
"The bar meant everything. We had such a strong group of friends," said Victoria "Pickles" Martinez, who bartended at C.K.'s and Augie's & C.K.'s. "Especially working there, everyone that I met, the resources I got, all the involvement in the different sports and the camaraderie with the women meant so much to me."
Martinez started working the door and the coat check at C.K.'s because C.K. wouldn't let her tend bar until she had experience. After working in a few other nightspots, she began working behind the bar. When Augie's & C.K.'s closed in 1994, she continued to tend bar in gay nightspots until January 2011.
"One time, I remember after we closed the bar, we played hide-and-go-seek in there. It was just a lot of fun back in those days," said Martinez. "You can ask anybody that used to go in that bar. Everyone would just be at Augie's & C.K.'s."
And while working there was enjoyable for Martinez, there was still a lot of work to be done. Augie and C.K. ran a tight ship, but always rewarded the employees for their loyalty.
"The bar was hard work. It was just in my blood," said Augie.
Augie's partner took on co-ownership of the bar when C.K. accidentally shot herself. She carried a revolver in her pocket that happened to have a broken safety latch. One night when C.K. went to put the money in the safe, which was built into the floor in the backroom, the gun fell out of her pocket and discharged, hitting her in the temple.
"C.K. never thought she'd make a lot of friends, but everybody loved her," said Martinez. "The procession—there were just blocks of cars. It's amazing how many people came out" for the funeral.
Even after losing C.K., the community at the bar continued to thrive. The employees celebrated holidays together and kept the spirit of the bar alive.
"Every New Year's we'd all have to get our suits and dress up for the occasion. Most of the girls would have the tuxedoes and the effeminate girls would wear the dresses, but it was mostly tuxedoes," said Martinez. "After we worked until 4 o'clock in the morning, the staff would all go to somebody's house and have our own little New Year's."
Augie's & C.K.'s was in business for more than 20 years when Augie decided to finally close up shop.
"After that many years of business I was tired, and it started getting a little rough in the neighborhood," said Augie. "I founded a real nice dancing bar. I came a long way."
Although Augie's & C.K.'s closed in 1994, many of the customers and employees have maintained friendships since then.
"We were all like one big family. We brought a lot of people together," said Martinez. "I just met a lot of good people through the years. Especially being a bartender. There's still a close-knit group of us that still get together and still go on outings together."
However, there was still a call for a larger meeting to reunite the entire community.
"Augie's & C.K.'s was the hottest women's bar . … Since it closed, every year people ask, 'When are you going to have a reunion?'" said Martinez.
So, Augie's & C.K.'s will host the reunion Saturday, May 12, at the L26 Restaurant and Lounge in the Chicago South Loop Hotel, 11 W. 26th St., 7 p.m.-3 a.m.
There is a $10 cover and an optional raffle. All raffle proceeds will go to breast cancer awareness, in memory of Christina Santiago, Renae Ogletree and Lisa Tonna.
Rooms are available at a discount; call 312-225-7000 and mention Augie's & C.K.'s. For more information or to submit a photo for a reunion slideshow, call 773-507-6378 or email martinez-victoria@sbcglobal.net .
SIDEBAR In history: Protest against racial profiling in gay clubs
Gay bars are a reflection of society, so it should be no surprise that some bars have been accused of racism or sexism over the years. Various attempts to fight this bias, including surveys and random spot checks, have been met with resistance, or ignorance.
When African-American lesbian activist Pat McCombs saw her Black and Latina friends face this bias in December 1974 at CK's lesbian bar by being asked for more identification than white customers, she fought back in the way she had learned as a civil-rights activist—both in the streets and in the courts. She and others formed the Black Lesbians Discrimination Investigation Committee, picketing in front of CK's, 1425 W. Diversey Pkwy., calling for a boycott, putting out posters and getting white lesbian attorney Renee Hanover to help. White lesbians also joined the picket lines, and the state liquor commission investigated.
On March 10, 1975, the Illinois Liquor Control Commission gave the bar a citation, according to The Chicago Gay Crusader, requiring owner Carol Kappa to appear before the commission to "show cause why her license should not be suspended or revoked." The commission dismissed the citation April 15 after Kappa and Hanover entered into an agreement for the complainants, calling for Kappa to serve all customers equally and to clearly post her identification policies.
The carding policies of CK's ( which later merged with Augie's to become Augie's & CK's at 3726 N. Broadway, now the site of the bar Charlie's Chicago ) were not isolated. Dozens of gay bars over the years have been accused of keeping out people based on race or gender, having a "quota" so as not to tilt the balance in their bar. The Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Metropolitan Chicago, a 1970s group of organizations and businesses, faced an internal struggle because bar owners did not want the Coalition to investigate such bias. Even in the 2000s, many gay businesses have not completely dealt with their stereotypes, and some have been accused of racism, sexism and even bias against older people. However, few patrons fight back as McCombs and Hanover did.
McCombs also responded to such bias in other ways. Executive Sweet, an African-American lesbian social events group, was started around 1979 by Pam Turrell and DJ Sheron Webb. McCombs began helping, and she and Vera Washington took over operations in 1982. It is still operating in 2012 as an alternative to the bars.
