In 2004, Dale Weathers, Chaz Dubach, and Johnny Osgood — owners of Martinis Above Fourth — were looking for a way to honor their close friend Queen Eddie Conlon, who had died. They remembered an event they had attended, a wreath auction produced by Chaz, Dale, and Johnny’s friends who owned Woody’s at the Beach in Laguna Beach. After that great night of fun, they felt the love and compassion from the community of Long Beach in reaction to this event. It gave them the idea that they could recreate the same event in San Diego. So, the boys approached their staff and friends, along with Nicole Murray Ramirez and Nathan Garcia of the Imperial Court (which had co-founded the Queen Eddie Conlon Youth Fund). The agreement would be that Martinis would host and raise the money for the Queen Eddie Conlon Fund and donate the money raised from that event. It became the annual Queen Eddie Christmas Wreath Auction.
The event’s namesake, best known to the LGBTQ+ community as Queen Eddie, was an activist, award-winning columnist and among Hillcrest’s most colorful and unique characters. Conlon arrived in San Diego in 1975 and touched countless lives until 2002, when he lost his battle with cancer. The wreath auction is a really fun event that benefits a great cause and honors the memory of someone who always believed that the youth are our future.
The event has raised more than $250,000 between 2004-2017. The wreath auction never stopped. Ian Johnson, also a founding member of the Queen Eddie Christmas Wreath Auction, was an employee of Martinis since they opened in 2004 and has been a part of the wreath auction every year since. When Dale, Chaz, and Johnny sold the restaurant, Ian took the lead in producing the event under the new ownership. When Ian left Martinis in 2012, he continued to produce the event every year with the help of some long-standing volunteers and Martinis staff members, The Center staff members and Imperial Court members during the last few years.
This year, along with the support of the Imperial Court de San Diego, Ryan Bedrosian, Eddie Reynosa, Courtney Ray, Michael Lochner, Nicole Murray-Ramirez and I will co-chair the return of the Annual Queen Eddie Christmas Wreath Auction. This year, the proceeds will benefit Being Alive, The Food Voucher Program/Take What You Need Food Distribution and the Harvey Milk Foundation. Rich’s Day Lounge will host the event on Thursday, Dec. 3, at 5 p.m. Seating is limited because of COVID-19 safety guidelines. For Rich’s Day Lounge reservations, go to OpenTable.com. If you would like to create and donate a wreath, please contact Big Mike at 619-807-7324.
