Connie’s Corner • June 23rd

Hello to all my family and friends. Hoping everyone is in good health and good spirits. 

It has been so nice to see some of your smiling faces again. Talking about having Spring Fever! Everyone must have been rattling their cages to get out. I think I have worked in my garden more already than I normally do for the whole season. And I’m not even finished yet. Of course, are we ever finished? I always find something else to do.

In my neighborhood, the fireworks have been going on nightly for the last three weeks. My neighbors always take a whole month every year to practice shooting their fireworks for the 4th of July. 

It’s nice to see the city come alive again after quarantine. Traffic is picking up again and almost back to normal. What is normal anyway? The new normal, the old normal?

Thanks to all our friends and patrons who have been supporting us. 

On Saturday, June 27th, which is also the Anniversary of Pride,at 6 pm and 10 pm, the bar will be showing a recently made video of some of your favorite performers called, “Reunited and Untouched.” Entertainers will be Jennifer Lynn, Sabrina Caprice Heartt, Ava Aurora Fox, Mimi Sharp, Brent Fabian, Stella and some of her fellas, and more. They have worked hard on this video for your enjoyment. The performers miss their art. For most of them, this is their main form of income.  So come in and enjoy the show and you can tip the performers by adding to their tip jar and they will evenly divide the tips amongst themselves. They will also be taking tips via Cashapp and Venmo. Call the bar for reservations, 614-444-3386. Thank you again for all of your support. 

Well Saturday, June 20th was our first day of Summer. Summer will be different this year for a lot of us. With so many Festivals canceled we will just have to have a lot of cookouts! I know these last 3 months have brought a lot of families and friends a little closer. It’s a shame sometimes when a pandemic or quarantine can smack someone back to reality. I know I’m making more phone calls than usual to keep in touch with everyone. Yes, my rotary dial phone has gotten quite a workout. 

Karen, mother and I have been playing Yahtzee and Scrabble like we used to back when Karen and I were teenagers. Mother’s working on a jigsaw puzzle I found at home. Sometimes getting back to the basics in life is not all that terrible.

Speaking of mother, we celebrated her 90th birthday on June 17th at her home. My nieces organized a car parade for mother and she was really surprised. Karen thanks everyone for the flowers, your prayers, and friendship.  Karen had her last chemo treatment. Her surgery will be in late July. Mother, Karen, and I thank you again and we understand at this time we cannot pass around greeting cards of any kind.

With all of our social distancing, some of you have come up with some very creative masks. 

I hope everyone is safe and healthy.

We at the Southbend are looking out for each and every one of you. All our staff thoroughly cleaned the bar prior to opening and are working hard daily to keep a safe and clean environment for you. 

So please, join Roger, Gerry, Terry, Jamie, Devin, Kelly, and Mark. We will keep you updated on future shows, banquets, parties, etc. Again Val, Bill, and I thank you  for all your support and friendship and help keeping Southbend your favorite corner bar. Happy Pride Month to All!

I have had more time lately to write in my autobiography. Trying to remember dates and when certain things happen in my life is difficult. As it is difficult to rehash some of my life. But it is what it is. I tell everything the way it was. No sugar coating it. The only thing that will be left out of the book is my present private life. My life has been an open book for 69 years. Some people think they really know me or about my life, but they have no idea. The purpose of the book is to let others know that they are not alone. I had no one to talk to in the 50s, 60s, or 70s. 

My autobiography, “Inside Looking Out” will be dedicated to all of our transgender youth and adults, their family and friends and to all who know of someone or just want to know about the transgender world. Also, 10% of the proceeds will be given to the Kaleidoscope Youth Center in Columbus. I wish the money to go towards our homeless gay youth. It’s hard for me to imagine, in this time of our gay society that there are a lot of homeless youth as early as the age of 12.

Mostly, I believe, no child should ever be homeless. Children need to be loved, held, and heard. As adults it’s our responsibility to furnish them with their basic needs of food, shelter and clothing, education, and taking care of their medical needs. We must teach them right from wrong and be there for them when they make mistakes. We must give them positive morals and values to live by. I could go on, but I know you get the picture. We should love our children unconditionally. We were all children once and each and everyone of us has experienced the highs and lows in our own lives.

This is my main objective of writing the book, including my own family and friends who do not know the real Connie Hukill. Please Don’t Stand Up. This is not to “Tell the Truth”. Will the real Connie Hukill please stand up. For all you youngsters reading this, “To Tell the Truth” was a TV Show from the 1960s I watched as a child.

And the reason being is, since childhood, I had no one to talk to. So I stayed alone a lot. The only friends I really associated with were the misfit kids that no one else wanted to be around. I came to the gay bars for acceptance. I had known since the age of 3 that something was wrong with me. I always wanted to be a girl and I always thought I might be sick or nuts. But my friends never really knew me, because I wouldn’t talk to them about it. Even still today, in gay bars, people aren’t always accepting of transgender, drag queens, drag kings, the bears, the leather, the lesbians, the straights coming into their gay bars etc.

So this is why I’m also writing my life story. I’ll keep you informed closer to the publishing time, wish me luck. I wish that the proceeds I will receive could house every homeless child in Columbus.

I will leave you now with this one last thought: Some say, “be careful what you wish for because it may come true.”

Connie says “Keep on Wishing”. 

Take good care of yourselves and each other. 

Much Love,

Connie

P.S. Anyone who comes down to the Southbend to see me, and If I’m not there, please call me or ask the bartender to call me. If I’m near, I’ll be there.