Happy monthaversary to us!

Photo by smcgee

Wow. On April 6, 2008 we published our first post, titled "Please tell me there's gays here". We can't believe that it's already been one month of us Fruitin' it Up...which makes today a perfect time to toot our own horn! (Figuratively, of course. If we could actually toot our own horn, we'd never leave the house.)

In the last month, we've written 54 posts (that's almost 2 posts a day) on a variety of topics: from drag shows to gay softball to cinco de mayo and other gay news in the Napa Valley... we've been searching for local gay and gay-friendly hang-outs and also heading to towns nearby to get our gay on.

We feel pretty good about our work, too...we've grown from our humble beginnings to now having 40 subscribers to our news and upwards of 30 additional visitors to the site each day. That translates into 2,257 (corrected from 1,250) page views over the last 3o days. Visitors from around the world and 27 states have been to The Fruit, and 57 cities in California alone (of course, centered around Napa and the Gay, er... Bay Area). Not bad for our very first month!

So, apart from all those amazing stats, we can't exactly read people's minds, and would love to hear from you, via the tipline, comments section on each post or even on our myspace.

• Are we posting too often, not enough?
• Which topics are we not talking about that we should?

As we say on our homepage, we would be fruitless without our loyal insiders, and it's true! If you have some juicy queer news that we should know about that has to do with the Napa Valley (or nearby), please fill us in.

If you have gay or gay-friendly friends that live in or care about the Napa Valley, please spread the word, have them subscribe and of course get involved...

Until next time, let's keep giving those grapes a run for their money and we'll earn our claim to fame as The Valley's Other Fruit.

Hey, nice RAQ!

In answer to some Recently Asked Questions which have come in via comments and emails, I've decided to repost my reply here to share with you all:

Who am I?
I am a gay man living in Napa. I grew up here and have first hand experience of what it is like to be gay in Napa. (Especially on the day-to-day, not just the tourist, "drop in for a mud-bath and wine tasting" kind of experience. Although I'm always down for a mud-bath and wine tasting if someone would like to treat.)

Why should you be interested?
Well, if you're queer of any sort and live in or are Hopefully, we're also entertaining enough to keep you interested without getting too ridiculous.from the Napa area, you know that there isn't hardly anything going on around here that is publicized "for the gays" and that Napa's gay community is very hidden if not invisible. While I know that there is a wide spectrum of people that make up our queer residents, for the most part people aren't very open about it or "out" here. This blog is my attempt to help us to connect to each other and to what's going on here in the Valley and nearby. We also include our straight allies in our audience with the hope of gaining more support and understanding. Hopefully, we're also entertaining enough to keep you interested without getting too ridiculous.

Why haven't I identified myself?
I write anonymously because I want this site to be about the community and connection and not myself personally or so much as an individual. I do share about myself and experiences, however. Currently, this blog is authored only by me, with input from gay and straight friends and anyone who emails me through our "tipline" (which is just an email and myspace inbox I've set up for this purpose). I do have other LGBT folks who have given me their input and experience with places and topics, and am currently talking to them and others about co- or guest- authoring on the blog. I write in the "we" because my inspirations for posts come from multiple other people and I also want this site to offer the feel of a community (we're not alone, etc.) . Plus, when I do add other writers to the ranks, it's much easier to write "we" now, then to have to go back and edit later. :)

Why don't I know what's happening in the gay community?
Well, Napa does not have much going on in/for the gay community, that I can tell (and I've lived here 24 years). If you're from here, I think you'll know what I'm talking about. If not, ask around to any gays you know that are from here.

Whether or not you are from or have lived in Napa, I hope you can share in appreciation for the goal of this site, which is "finding (and connecting with) our community within our community."

As always, your comments, suggestions and ideas are welcome. Keep on reading, commenting and helping to spread the word!

Please tell me there's gays here...

Firstly, welcome!

If you're reading this then (thank God!) you must be one of Napa's gay or gay-friendly (not to be exclusive, the lesbians, bi's and transexuals are all welcome).

Here's the deal: I've grown up in Napa for most of my (gay, yet previously closeted) life. I went to school here, then commuted to college and now I continue to work and live here. For better or for worse, I call Napa my home. Classmates and friends have come and gone (and some come back a second time around), but I've pretty much been here the whole time. Three years ago I took the leap and began coming out to close friends and family, and now I'm looking to get more connected with a newer, queerer part of my community.

It's not easy, though. Napa's got a whole lot more wine than diversity. I definitely have my work cut out for me.

My straight friends (we're mostly in our mid to late 20s) complain that there's nothing cool to do here...and admittedly, there isn't much. Unless you like tours or expensive food. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of both (especially if they both involve alcohol) but I'm looking for places where the gays and gay friendly are! There's a huge arts community, so there have to be tons of us mixed in there...

As I search around the valley, I'll be checking out the cafés, the shops, the bars, restaurants, nightlife, events, activities, clubs and more. Got a tip for me? The comment box is always open: gaynapa@gmail.com (If you're worried: even if your email comes all pretty in pink, I'll be discrete with your identity).

I'm gonna need all the help I can get. Even outtraveler.com's coverage of the valley is five years old and limited to Calistoga's mud baths, a few B&B's and some restaurants. (Okay, they do mention Napa's Opera House, but that's definitely more gray than gay.)

As good as I am at it, I can't just bitch about there being nothing to do. I should do something about it. This blog is my attempt at finding Napa Valley's other fruit (pun very much intended). In the mean time, I look forward to seeing you out and about. You know, give me the secret hand-signal...and be sure to post comments on the blog!