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Rudolpho's

2500 Riverside Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90039
Restaurant
1982 2008
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Owned by the Del Campo family (Casita Del Campo), this restaurant also played host to live concerts, punk shows, and club nights.

Dragstrip 66 was a long-running monthly queer dance club in Los Angeles. Co-created by Mr. Dan (aka hostess Gina Lotriman) & DJ Paul V. (ex-Indie 103.1), Dragstrip launched in January 1993 at Rudolpho's, and ran every 2nd Saturday for 11 years.

After that, it moved for a short time to The Echo and Safari Sam's - and then yearly reunions at The Echoplex. It was a beloved gay community marker and an "all-invited" home to unleash all forms of sexuality, self-expression, drag, cross-dress, & masquerade. The Los Angeles Times described it as falling “somewhere between a John Waters film, a Bob Mackie fashion show, and a drunken punk dance party.”

A pivotal memory for many patrons was June 12, 1993, when, as club-goer Scott Craig remembers, “The LAPD and LAFD showed up to shut Dragstrip down for [allegedly] being over capacity. They herded all these fabulous freaks into the parking lot and everyone refused to leave. Mr. Dan got up on a car and screamed out, ‘We refuse to leave! We’re not hurting anyone!’ A helicopter hovering above decided to turn on the bright search light and, well, the crowd went crazy -- like someone had put them on stage. Ultimately, the cops let us back in to finish our party!”

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