'Snatchy Game' Theme for AAPI Month Fundraiser Asians and Friends Chicago to feature drag celebrities, game show reprise to raise money for Pride Parade entry
CHICAGO—To recreate the popular 70's game show, Match Game, in the style of TV's RuPaul's Drag Race, Asians and Friends Chicago (AFC) will stage its own live version featuring member volunteers and local drag celebrities, including Sunny L.A. and Coco Sho-Nell, all to raise money for its entry in the 2023 Gay Pride Parade.
AFC will host its annual fundraiser on Saturday, May 20, 2023, at Holiday Club, 4000 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago, Illinois, at 7 p.m. In addition to re-enacting the classic game show, a raffle of donated items and special performances will be part of the evening.
Tickets are $15 presale online at afchicago.org and $20 at the door.
The event, which will bring together members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community, also coincides with festivities celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Month.
"The idea of impersonating celebrities generated a lot of excitement from our members," said Angel Abcede, president, Board of Directors, for AFC. "But we raised the bar by inviting professional drag performers interested in donating their time and talent to our annual fundraiser. The mix will force everyone to step up their game for what I'm sure will be a must-see event."
Both Sunny L.A. and Coco Sho-nell are regular performers on the Midwest drag scene, with Sunny being a full-time MC at the Campit Outdoor Resort in Saugatuck, Mich., and Coco regularly hosting bingo nights at The Glenwood bar in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood.
Since its founding in 1984, AFC has served the LGBTQ+ Asian community and its allies by offering members a social opportunity to celebrate Asian cultures and meet people of similar backgrounds and interests. AFC is a proud 2010-2011 inductee into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, a two-time winner for Best Organization in the Chicago Gay Pride Parade, hosts of IFCON 2016 Chicago and recipients of Chapter of the Year 2022 from the International Friendship Association.
