THE ORGANIZERS BEHIND THE ANNUAL SIX FLAGS PARTY, OUT ON THE MOUNTAIN, REVEAL WHY THEIR EVENT ISN’T JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE PARK.
by ken knox For Out on the Mountain organizer, Bill Frederick, planning the annual
OUT ON THE MOUNTAIN WHERE THE GAYS GO TO PLAY!
event hosted by Six Flags Magic Mountain represents a bit of a homecoming. His father was one of the early employees to work at the park shortly after its opening in 1974 and remained employed at the park through most of Freder- ick’s adolescence. A time when both Frederick and his sister also worked at the park—and had free admission – while attending high school. Now, as an adult, Frederick and his team of event co-organizers have the distinct pleasure of sharing the excitement of the popular amusement park with their other family members: the LGBT community. Launched in 2008 as a way to specifically target the LGBT crowd, the event was
built around the talent of DJ Ray Rhodes, who was asked to perform at a private party held at the park. The popularity of the event prompted Rhodes to team up with the park again the following year. The event has continued to grow in scope and attendance since then. This year, Rhodes predicts the event’s biggest numbers yet. “We are expecting over 6,000 with positive word-of-mouth and strong media support,” he tells The Rage Monthly. The event serves two purposes: to provide an all-ages, LGBT-specific event
built around the park’s attractions and to serve as a fundraiser for a number of charities as well as organizations whose missions can positively impact the gay community. A number of national organizations such as GLAAD and It Gets Better, as well as local organizations including the Los Angeles LGBT Center, Lifeworks, AIDS Project Los Angeles, The Center Long Beach, San Diego LGBT Community Center and Pacific Pride Foundation, among many others, have benefited from the thousands of dollars raised by the annual event. Past events have featured rising talent like RuPaul’s Drag Race breakout
contestant Shangela, American Idol runner-up Jessica Sanchez, America’s Got Talent contestant and YouTube artist Alexis Jordan, English recording artist Natalia Kills and the self-professed “Gay Pimp” Jonny McGovern. “The Out on the Mountain founders have stayed true to the message that you can have fun, but be a positive LGBT community member,” posits co-organizer David Fong, while, he adds, “[the event] has stayed true to the principles of being a supportive member across a broad spectrum of the LGBT community.” “Producing an event with so many attendees, entertainers, media sponsors
and community organizations involved can be quite daunting,” Fong contin- ues, “but it is the touching personal stories that remind me why I’m involved each year. We always get messages from parents writing to thank us for having a constructive place for their gay children to have fun and be themselves without fear of being gay in public.” Meanwhile, for Frederick, returning to the stomping ground of his adoles-
cence provides him with more than just continued free admission to the park. “I never dreamed that I would return to do such a wonderful event, or that Six Flags would be so supportive of the gay community and be so deeply involved in planning Out on the Mountain,” he says. “It’s more than just a fun day at the park. It’s inclusion.”
The 7th Annual Out on the Mountain will be held at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, CA on Friday, September 19. For tickets and additional information, visit
outonthemountain.com.
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RAGE monthly | SEPTEMBER 2014
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