Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 05, Ed. 1 Friday, June 19, 2009 Page: 37 of 96
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More than just a nightclub
What started out as a hobby for Bartlett, Foster has turned into a
community center, fundraising hub for lake's LGBT residents
By David Webb Special Contributor
CEDAR CREEK LAKE — Leo Bartlett was a
retail store manager 14 years ago when he heard
that the owner of the small, four-year-old gay and
lesbian bar he frequented in Gun Barrel City was
closing down if the owner couldn't sell out.
"I took it on as a hobby" said Bartlett, who renamed
the bar Friends. "I just couldn't.see it closing."
Today, Bartlett is still a retail store manager, and
the nightclub is still a hobby. But it's a far bigger
hobby than it was 14 years ago.
Last year, Friends raised about $42,000 in cash
and goods for the charities it supports, including
AIDS service organizations, food pantries, humane
societies, libraries and a Christmas food and toy
drive. This year, the nightclub is on track to raise
even more for diarity.
"It's become a social gathering place for people
who enjoy themselves here at the lake," said
Bartlett, who notes the patrons include both week-
enders and full-time residents and a wide range of
socio-economic groups—both gay and straight.
"It is a business. But as a private club, it [is] more
of a neighborhood community center."
Membership at the private club requires annual
renewal to conform to state law governing the oper-
ation of private clubs, but there's no membership
fee. Cover charges for the near-weekly shows are
either turned over to charities or go to support other
endeavors designed to raise money for charity, such
as a recent show produced to raise money for
Friends Players theater troupe to participate in the
Miss Gay Texas State at Large competition in Fort
Worth over the Labor Day weekend. The money
raised at that show will benefit Cedar Creek Lake
Meals on Wheels and Legacy House in Dallas.
Because of the nightclub's focus on raising
money for charity, Friends is not quite so grand
looking on the outside—nor on the inside.
It's just a quaint little country bar with a lot of big-
hearted people running it and frequenting it,
according to both management and clientele.
"I tell people right off the bat that they are not
going to have an experience in this bar like they
would in Dallas," said Rick Foster, general manager
of Friends, who is also Bartlett's life partner of six
years, "They tell me that's why they came here and
not to change."
The nightclub's focus on helping the community
— regardless of whether it's gay or straight people
receiving the benefits—has endeared it to local offi-
cials and other organizations.
Last Christmas, a small Protestant church in
Kemp called Foster and asked for help feeding
hungry families in its congregation. Foster
asked the church representative if he under-
stood who operated the club and frequented it.
"They told me they didn't care who we were —
they needed help," Foster said.
'
i
So the bar threw its support behind that project
also, and truckloads of nonperishable foods and
toys were distributed at Christmas from the night-
club to the needy on Cedar Creek Lake.
Foster, a former educator, said his position as gen-
eral manager is the most exhausting one he's ever
had — it's a seven-day per week job. At the same
time, he enjoys it more than any other job he's ever
had, he noted: "It's the most rewarding job I've ever
had because of the relationships we've built," Foster
said.
Bartlett agrees with Foster about the rich reward
that comes from giving back to the community.
"This is the most fulfilling personal achievement
I've ever had," Bartlett said. "I feel like I've become
Leo Bartlett, left,
bought the small gay
bar on Cedar Creek
Lake 14 years ago and
renamed it Friends. He
has continued working
as a retail store man-
ager while his partner,
Rick Foster, right,
manages the bar,
which has come to be
the social — and civic
— hub for the many
LGBT people who live
around Cedar Creek
Lake.
a well-rounded, respected person in the communi-
Iv."
That's an assessment that any number of people
who know Bartlett and Foster are happy to confirm,
life on Cedar Creek Lake wouldn't be the same
without them and Friends, they say.
Both Bartlett and Foster said they have heard
rumors more than once about the bar for being sale,
but they were all untrue.
"It's never been for sale," Bartlett said. "That's
nothing that I've ever even thought about."
In other words, Bartlett and Foster aren't going
anywhere soon. They love their lives on Cedar
Creek Lake.
E-mail davidwaynewebb@embarqmail. com
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antiques, traditional & contemporary furniture & accessories
McGannon Showrooms, Scott + Cooner, TKO, David Gilbert & Associates,
Mody and Mody and more...
06.19.09 I dallas voice I 37
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Nash, Tammye. Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 05, Ed. 1 Friday, June 19, 2009, newspaper, June 19, 2009; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth239069/m1/37/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.