Last year was my first time at Southern Arizona Aids Foundation’s Jello Wrestling extravaganza at The Slaughterhouse in Tucson. I naively didn’t even know what “jello shots” were…so here’s your chance to find out if you are like me. Lots of enthusiastic two-person teams of amateur wrestling do take on one another in a large vat of green/blue jello. All proceeds benefit SAAF.
If you missed the 2014 Jell-O Wrestling benefit and extravaganza for Southern AZ Aids Foundation (SAAF) on Saturday May 3, here’s a photo gallery of some of the matches, courtesy of T-Media Promotion (except for two photos as noted courtesy of the contestants). My previous post on the day after the event is here. Over $56,000 was raised at this popular event, now in it’s 27th year.
DIVA Mistress of Ceremonies Lucinda Holliday welcoming the crowd at the SlaughterhouseSAAF Executive Director Wendell Hicks welcoming everyone, and thanking them for supporting the work of SAAF
Imagine yourself in a vat about 7 ft x 7 ft of cold blue/green/orange colored jello, wrestling another human being, in front of a wild crowd of about 400 adults. Well, that was the enthusiastic performance of 9 teams last night at the Slaughterhouse on 1102 W. Grant Rd. (east of the I-10) for the 27th annual Jell-O Wrestling event to benefit SAAF (So. AZ Aids Foundation).
Before and during the matches, little containers (“jello shots”) of lime/orange/strawberry/blackberry jello (with vodka or rum) were sold to the audience. I confess I had at least 3 of them. The fun began with Mistress of Ceremonies DIVA Lucinda Holliday introducing other Divas (including Miss Gay Arizona) who sang throughout the evening, while people donated funds in plastic buckets or fishing nets to SAAF. 9 different teams of two each wrestled from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. along with a live auction of lovely art, gift baskets, restaurant meals, and hotel nights in Mexico. The auctions bids ranged from $20 to $1000, and it was announced that over $50,000 was raised last night.
SAAF Executive Director Wendell Hicks just informed me that the final figure raised was over $56,000.
L-R: Shawn Kaylor (the Tucson Tamale Fairy) , Mia Hansen, Kurt Tallis – before the wrestling match (photo courtesy of Mia)
