Georgies, also spelled Georgie's, is a

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

dive bar A dive bar is typically a small, unglamorous, eclectic, old-style drinking establishment with inexpensive drinks; it may feature dim lighting, shabby or dated decor, neon beer signs, packaged beer sales, cash-only service, and local clientele. ...

Asbury Park, New Jersey Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 15,188, a decr ...

. Opened in 1999, it is known colloquially as "the gay

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American television sitcom, created by Glen and Les Charles, Glen Charles & Les Charles and James Burrows, that aired on NBC for eleven seasons from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/C ...

". In addition to static entertainment such as

pool Pool may refer to: Bodies of water * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a roc ...

and sports match broadcasts, Georgies features live programs most nights; these include

go-go dancing Go-go dancers are dancers who are employed to entertain crowds at nightclubs or other venues where music is played. Go-go dancing originated in the early 1960s at the French bar Whisky a Gogo, located in the town of Juan-les-Pins. The bar's n ...

karaoke is a type of interactive entertainment system usually offered in nightclubs and bars, where people sing along to pre-recorded accompaniment using a microphone. Its musical content is an instrumental rendition of a well-known popular song. I ...

and

drag show A drag show is a form of entertainment performed by drag (entertainment), drag artists impersonating men or women, typically in a bar or nightclub as a burlesque-style, adult-themed nightclub event. The modern drag show originated in the speake ...

s. The bar also hosts a variety of fundraisers to benefit the local community. Georgies closed for several months in early 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, but it reopened for outdoor service in June and for limited indoor service in September of the same year. Critics note Georgies for its relaxed, non-judgmental atmosphere and its tight-knit community of regulars.

Description

Located on Fifth Avenue in

, Georgies is a

that caters to the

LGBT community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ people, LGBTQ individuals united by LGBTQ culture, a common culture and LGBTQ movements, social movements. These Community, comm ...

. It is known for its neighborly, accepting environment, for which reason it is nicknamed "the gay

". Liz Dennerlein of the ''

Asbury Park Press The ''Asbury Park Press'', formerly known as the ''Shore Press'', ''Daily Press'', ''Asbury Park Daily Press'', and ''Asbury Park Evening Press'', is the third largest daily newspaper in the state of New Jersey. Established in 1879, it has been o ...

'' wrote: " e tables are a bit run down, the bar still only accepts cash, but inside clients feel at home." Patrons vary widely in age, and staff estimate that approximately 75% of their customers are regulars. Managed by Joe Cole, the venue hosts live entertainment most nights. According to the ''Asbury Park Press'', "Monday night features half-priced drinks and free

. Tuesdays feature go-go boys at 10 p.m. Wednesdays feature a

dance party. Thursday is drag night. Friday is

beer pong Beer pong, also known as Beirut, is a drinking game in which players throw a ping pong ball across a table with the intent of landing the ball in a cup of beer on the other end. The game typically consists of opposing teams of two or more player ...

night. Saturday is all-day karaoke." Georgies also broadcasts live sports matches, such as football games. The bar's pool table is particularly popular because few other establishments in Asbury Park have one.

History

Georgies opened in 1999. In addition to its regular weekly programming, the bar has been the site of a number of larger events and fundraisers. During the

holiday season The Christmas season or the festive season, also known as the holiday season or the holidays, is an annual period generally spanning from November or December to early January. Incorporating Christmas Day and New Year's Day, the various celebrat ...

of 1999, Georgies founded the Asbury Park

Toy Drive A toy drive is a charity event that collects toys or money to be distributed to those in need. Overview This is usually for the celebration of Christmas. Volunteers are brought together to sort through toys to wrap and sort for age appropriatenes ...

for local children; the charity event subsequently grew into an annual, citywide undertaking. The bar regularly hosts

Pride Pride is a human Emotion, secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's Identity (philosophy), identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on conte ...

celebrations and afterparties for Asbury Park's yearly Pink Prom, which raises funds for the

Ali Forney Center The Ali Forney Center (AFC), based in New York City, is the largest LGBT community center helping LGBTQ homeless youth in the United States. The AFC both manages and develops transitional housing for its clients. AFC helps approximately 2,000 ...

and for Project REAL, a local organization that supports gay and

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

men. In the wake of the 2016

Pulse nightclub shooting On , 2016, 29-year-old Omar Mateen shot and killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States before Orlando Police officers fatally shot him after a three-hour standoff. In ...

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

, Georgies implemented new security measures, including the use of a hand-held

metal detector A metal detector is an instrument that detects the nearby presence of metal. Metal detectors are useful for finding metal objects on the surface, underground, and under water. A metal detector consists of a control box, an adjustable shaft, and ...

at the door. Additionally, municipal law enforcement increased its presence around all

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

establishments in Asbury Park. The following year, Georgies held a benefit event in remembrance of the shooting, donating the proceeds of the evening to Project REAL. Georgies was closed for several months in spring 2020 due to the

, during which time its management revamped the space and "freshened up" its look. Still closed in early June, the bar hosted a

live-streamed Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming media, streaming of video or Digital audio, audio in real-time communication, real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature ...

Pride party in lieu of its traditional in-person festivities. The establishment was able to reopen for outdoor service on its patio later that month. It resumed indoor service at 25% capacity in September, several weeks after Governor

Phil Murphy Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American politician, diplomat, and financier serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since 2018. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was elected governor i ...

announced that New Jersey bars and restaurants would be permitted to do so.;

Reception

In its 2018 article "All 47 bars in Asbury Park, ranked worst to best",

NJ.com NJ.com is a digital news content provider and website in New Jersey owned by Advance Publications. According to ''The New York Times'' in 2012, it was the largest provider of digital news in the state at the time. In 2018, comScore reports that ...

listed Georgies in 20th place with the following comment: A 2015 ''Asbury Park Press'' article stated: "The bar has become more than just a hangout spot—it's become a space where people can be themselves without judgement." In a review of "the 11 best bars in Asbury Park", Courtney Marabella of the ''Press'' ranked Georgies seventh and called it "the best dive bar in the city". She further commented: "It has labeled itself the 'gay cheers', and I have to admit, it's the truth (I know the names of most of the regulars). They serve a strong drink... and are an excellent watering hole for the LGBTQ community and beyond."

References

External links

* * {{LGBT culture in New Jersey 1999 establishments in New Jersey Asbury Park, New Jersey Buildings and structures in Monmouth County, New Jersey Dive bars in the United States Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the LGBTQ community LGBTQ nightclubs in New Jersey

Description

History

Reception

See also

References

External links