On Feb. 20 Open Doors held their annual event, A Rubi Affair, in the McIntosh Ballroom. Considering how this is one of their most attended events of the year, every seat was filled. There were not only students present, but locals came to support the event as well.
The show featured both the Rubi Girls and students performing. Most students were in groups, but there were more individual acts this year than the last. The groups included Tau Beta Sigma, Kappa Alpha Theta, APO, and Open Doors. The individuals included an act by Chrystallina and Carmel Jones, and CJ Livengood representing Fiji.
During the show, Dana, the lead Rubi Girl, interacted with the audience and provided entertainment between the transitions. She made the audience laugh time and time again by flirting with boys in the audience and jokingly making fun of others. It was all in good fun, and the audience loved every minute of it.
In one of the transitions between acts, Dana mentioned that it was the eighth or ninth year that the Rubi Girls had performed at Ohio Northern University.
According to Mitchell Bowling, president of Open Doors, there is some speculation about the exact year the event started.
As best as we can tell, it started in ‘07. I want to say it’s been annual since then but we don’t know if it has been before ‘07,” said Bowling.
The origin may be unknown, but Open Doors continues to do great work raising money year after year. Last year they raised $800. This year they raised over $1,000.
During the show, the Rubi Girls told the audience they would match whatever amount was raised. As a result, the total amount going to the AIDS Resource Center in Lima this year is exactly $2,043.64.
The professional drag queens are huge believers in the cause for HIV/AIDS. In 2012, the Rubi Girls were proud to announce that they helped to raise over $1,000,000 for HIV/AIDS and Gay-related causes.
To help raise money for this cause, volunteers went around between acts and people put money in for the act they wanted to win. There were also t-shirts selling for $10 and a raffle. Sponsors for the raffle included The Reagle Beagle, Padrones, Jalapenos, and El Campo.
By putting money in the bucket, audience members were not only raising money for the AIDS Resource Center, they were also voting for the recipient of the People’s Choice Award. However, this was not the only award. The other award given out was the Judges’ favorite, which was decided by three judges.
The People’s Choice award was a unanimous vote for Chrystallina and Carmel Jones. The two were ecstatic as they jumped on stage to receive a basket full of goodies. Also happy to win, APO were the Judges’ favorite.
APO member, Brandon Meadows, enjoyed A Rubi Affair quite a bit.
My favorite part of A Rubi Affair was the process of getting into drag and seeing the Rubi Girls perform,” said Meadows.
Many were sad for the event to be over and stayed afterward to get pictures with the Rubi Girls. Seeing as how the money raised was over $1,000, it is safe to say that Ohio Northern will continue this event next year.