It was a crisp, clear night. The Arcata square was full of hustle and bustle as it would be on a Saturday night. At the Arcata Theater Lounge, a crowd lined up with enough people to wrap around the corner of G and 11th St. The crowd was filled with people ranging from young college women to middle-aged men, all anticipating the Mr. Humboldt beauty pageant.
“It’s glorious,” Nad Molloy said, otherwise known as Mr. Who Now. “I’m more than happy to be here.”
Molloy was a contestant in the 2014 pageant and was sporting the same tux that he wore during his run for Mr. Humboldt. The crowd was dotted with crowned men of past years; among them was Jeff Mason, the Mr. Humboldt winner of 2015.
“I expect partial male nudity and lots of enthusiasm,” Mason said, as a group of young women waiting to talk to him hollered at his comment.
The contest consisted of four main events: question and answer, swimwear, talent, and formal wear. In the mix, there were two award sections as well, the Mr. Congeniality Award and the Cougar award. As for the seven contestants themselves, there was Mr. Boujee, Mr. Heavy D, Mr. Buck 25, Mr. Queer, Mr. Lumberjack, Mr. Dig and Mr. Bigfoot.
The whole function of the Mr. Humboldt pageant to raise money for a charity that is chosen by the winner every year. This year, the charities that were chosen were Food for People, Planned Parenthood, Family Resource Center for ACE Prevention and the North Coast Rape Crisis Team. This year the total amount that was raised was six thousand dollars.
Throughout the event, people were encouraged to donate anytime they could. Undergarments could be purchased to throw onstage and there was a popularity contest at intermission where the eliminated contestants could be voted back in.
Audience member Marisa Parish said that this was her first year attending a Mr. Humboldt pageant.
“Just good, relaxed fun, and freedom to explore your comfort and sexuality is a good experience to have for everyone,” Parish said.
Parish came with a group of women wearing clips in their hair designed to look like vaginas and breasts in support of Planned Parenthood. The entirety of the pageant was to come out, have fun and support each other, making the event all the more enjoyable.
“As long as the charity gets the money, and the people in the audience have a good time, that’s all that matters, that’s what tonight’s about,” contestant Mr. Heavy D said.
The night was full of plenty of sexual innuendos and enough wood jokes to last a lifetime. Ladies in the audience whooped and hollered as the men danced around onstage wearing minimal clothing. The crowd favorite was definitely Mr. Lumberjack, who is also an HSU student. Mr. Lumberjack was the one to take the win at the end of the night.
“You know, we played really hard, we had a good game,” Mr. Lumberjack said, sporting his new crown. “You gotta just hang it out there, whether it’s all you got or literally all you got in your skivvies. You’ve gotta just put it out there on the line.”
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