It certainly won’t be the first time Atlanta street performer Baton Bob has worn a wedding dress. Only this time, he’ll be saying “I do.”
And in typical Bob fashion, the city is invited to celebrate Friday night’s nuptials.
It might seem like perfect timing that Bob Jamerson and beau Gary Bender would wed on the same day the U.S. Supreme Court approves gay marriage in a landmark ruling. But this ceremony and reception have been in the works for weeks.
After all, weddings can’t be planned in a matter of hours.
“The Conscience Coupling Coronation and Costume Ball” will be held Friday night at 9 p.m., Baton Bob announced on his Facebook page earlier this month. The couple plans a private ceremony for family and close friends at Piedmont Park. Then, the fun begins.
At 9 p.m., a reception and silent auction benefit will be held at Park Tavern on 10th Street. There will be plenty of baton twirling and gowns galore, according to the couple.
“Baton Bob may be the queen, Gary the king, but you are royalty, too,” the flyer reads. “Come dressed as the monarch you know you are.”
The $15 tickets, which can be purchased online through Xorbia.com, include two drinks, cake and ice cream. The reception benefits the American Diabetes Association and Project Open Hands.
Jamerson’s wedding is planned for the second anniversary of his arrest on a Midtown street corner, where he performed in a short wedding dress. He was celebrating the federal ban on same-sex marriage when he was handcuffed.
The charges against Bob were later dropped. In May, the City of Atlanta agreed to pay Jamerson $20,000 to settle his federal lawsuit filed after his 2013 arrest.
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