A fight to save Laguna's Boom Boom Room...

As a native of The OC, one of the first gay bars I ever tip-toed into (looking over my shoulder the entire time) was Laguna Beach's Boom Boom Room. I was there last fall doing interviews for a freelance piece that hasn't yet seen the light of day but it was so great to be there again at this terrific place by the ocean.
There is a very good chance that this will be the last year for the Boom since its operators sold the land a few years ago to a man who has other plans for the property. But there is a determined group of activists who are fighting to SAVE the BOOM!!! (www.savethboom.com). The group announced this week that it will canvass the globe to find a buyer for the Boom Boom Room and the Coast Inn in which it is located.
“We will spend as long as it takes, talk to as many people and contact as many companies as we can to try and find a ‘Knight in Shinning Armor’  to come in and save the day,” said Fred Karger, founder of SAVE the BOOM!!!.  We have plenty of gay billionaires and centi-millionaires out there and we will appeal to as many of them as we can for help. Laguna Beach has been a gay destination for over 100 years.  If the current owner could be persuaded to sell this historic building to a gay buyer, or one of our many friends who will keep it gay, then Laguna Beach will remain a safe and welcoming city to the gay community for the next 100 years.
Former Laguna Beach Mayor Robert F. Gentry, who was the first openly gay Mayor in the United States and currently serves as Co-Chair of SAVE the BOOM!!! says: “Laguna has a long history of strong ties to the gay community.  The gay community has shaped Laguna Beach in many ways. Hundreds of gay men and lesbians have served the city in policy positions, volunteers, artists, police officers, residents, and city staff members.  Laguna Beach would not be Laguna Beach if it were not, in part, for the gay community.  Gay and lesbian visitors have helped to fill the coffers of the City and provide the resources for its safety, its infrastructure, and its identity around the world.”