Some 3,000 people are expected to flock to downtown East Point on June 15 for the annual East Point Possums Show, where they will drink gallons of Possum Punch, watch more than 25 drag performances and stuff dollar bills into sweaty, ahem, places to raise money to help LGBTQ homeless youth.
This year, proceeds from the fundraiser benefit Lost-n-Found Youth, which recently announced a $1 million capital campaign to fund new resources as well as a new shelter.
“It just keeps getting bigger and bigger each year,” said Rick Westbrook, matriarch of the Possums as well as executive director of Lost-n-Found. “Every dollar that comes to the stage, every sale that is made, will go directly to Lost-n-Found — and I will be reminding people of that constantly.”
The Braves will host the third annual “Out in the Stands” LGBT fan night June 18 when the New York Mets come to town.
Like last year, this year's event will double as a fundraiser for Ben Cohen's StandUp Foundation, which promotes LGBT equality in sports through public awareness campaigns, grants and other advocacy projects. Cohen's foundation is headquartered in Atlanta.
Cohen is most famous for being a former professional rugby player and Rugby World Cup winner with his native England.
Last year's event drew some 300 people to Turner Field. This year's format is slightly different, however. There will be another patio reception, but no VIP box experience.