This article was originally published on 5/23/2007
The framed photo of Pope Benedict XVI hanging by the entrance welcomes all —- Baptists, Mexican teens and, of course, the drag queens.
Monday through Sunday, the nondescript Knights of Columbus hall on Buford Highway is never the same. One hour, it's a church, the next it's a ballroom, and then it's a bingo hall.
Just three years ago, the Buford Highway Knights council —- No. 660 —- had a hard time paying its $12,000 property taxes. A lot has changed since. The group hired a part-time manager, David Putnam, a retired psychologist who saw a new market —- a diverse, multicultural one.
Under his management, the hall went from a basic fare of traditional bingo meets to a virtual smorgasbord of events —- quinceaneras, swing parties and socials for widowed singles and gay Christians.
"We don't discriminate, " said Ken Prevost, an information technology specialist and one of the leaders of the local council.
One recent week:
Sunday, 11 a.m.
An illustration of Jesus and biblical verses flashed across a gigantic screen for the New Covenant Church of Atlanta. The racially diverse, mostly gay congregation meets at the church every Sunday. The hall's bar was locked.
The day's speaker, Joan Castle, shared her tale of two divorces and the discovery of her own homosexuality.
During the collection, a man went before the congregation of about 100 and played his trumpet. The gospel song, "You're All I Need, " echoed from the walls.
"They really take good care of us, " pastor Randy Martin said later, praising the Knights.
The Order of the Knights of Columbus, a fraternal organization of Roman Catholics formed in 1882, is known for its council halls, renting them for bingos, parties, dances and celebrations. The Buford Highway council, whose building was erected in 1962, is one of 92 in Georgia and one of 8,937 in the U.S.
For the past three decades, the Knights' halls have been disappearing.
"Having your own building can be a financial challenge, " said Patrick Korten, spokesman for the Knights of Columbus headquarters in New Haven, Conn. Only one hall remains inside Atlanta's perimeter. That's No. 660 on Buford Highway.
Sunday, 2 p.m.
Only a few were sitting. Most of three dozen middle-aged folks gathered for the Atlanta Waltz Society's weekly dance lesson —- this week a 1950s move called Chalypso —- were swishing.
The Knights have given these dancers a break: a rental fee based on attendance.
"Find somebody you haven't danced with yet, " instructor Jay Allard told the crowd. "Pretend you're in high school."
The dancers, decades after their senior proms, happily obliged.
These days, a La-z-Boy billboard hides hall No. 660, off I-85 at the Cheshire Bridge exit. Next door to the hall is a new complex of brick-facade townhomes that go for $300,000.
Developers salivating over the hall's proximity to Buckhead and Midtown have courted the Knights.
But Putnam won't be swayed by their offers for the council's 1.6 acres: "Right now, no, we are not, but we're happy to see any proposal."
No one has followed up.
Wednesday, 8 p.m.
The audience roared whenever Bubba D Licious and Alexandria Martin sniped at each other. One is large, the other is rail-thin. Both wore makeup as thick as cake frosting. All bets were off: each other's girth, wardrobe and dating history.
The two drag queens use the hall to host a monthly bingo game that's an underground hit among gay people. It's organized by Pets Are Loving Support or PALS, a nonprofit that cares for animals belonging to terminally ill people.
A retiree, Bill Watson, likes this bingo because it's bingo-lite.
"The crowd is pretty laid-back, " said Watson. "I think it's the older crowd that gets serious about it."
Their new schedule helps to fulfill a standard the Knights try to live by.
"We're a brotherhood, first and foremost, " said Prevost. "But, we're a charitable organization too."
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