News - February 5, 2009
We're still digging out from another Chicago Winter, but here's some news you can use from around the globe courtesy of Mr. International Rubber!
Read on rubber lovers!
In This Issue
MIR2009 - A Great Rubbery Weekend!
MIR2009 is now one more page in the history books. The weekend was a great success, and hundreds of rubbery guys converged in Chicago to celebrate a year of rubbery fun.
At right you see just some of the fun that was experienced as a weekend attendee tries out a gimp suit courtesy of MIR2009 Judge, Kink Rubber.
Seven men vied for the title of Mr. International Rubber 2009. They represented a broad range of rubber experiences and perspectives. They were evaluated, quizzed, interviewed and tested by seven exceptional judges representing a cross section of the fetish world and the audience in attendance cast their votes as well to help decide MIR2009.
Sister Erotica Psychotica returned to emcee for the contest for the third year in a row, and the newly established Chicago Mission House of the Windy City Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence bestowed their first blessing upon all in attendance. The Sisters even offered a celebratory Sunday afternoon communion of "Gummi" worms in celebration of MIR2009!
Four vendors provided ample shopping pleasures, from floggers to gasmasks, and rugby shirts to catsuits. The Chicago Rubbermen held their second annual gear swap and closet sale to much success and economic and erotic stimulus for all, though a rather large toy went unsold for a second year in a row. (Better luck next year Kai!)
If you were able to join us, or if you were here in spirit alone, check out the 150+ pictures of the weekend now available online at MIRubber.com.
MIR2009 - The Thank You List
It takes an army of people to make MIR come together seamlessly for your enjoyment each year. While we thank these individuals in the weekend program, we would like to take a moment to thank them here in our newsletter as well. So here goes...
Contest and Weekend Owner
Frank Blondale
Weekend Coordinator
William "Rubberwilli" Schendel
Contest Emcee
Eddie Hibbs, aka: Sister Erotica Psychotica,
the Avant Guardian of the Nasty Habit
MIR2008
BJ Turgeon
Contest Judges
Jason Hendrix, Mitch Kenyon, Mistress Eve Minax, Scott Moats, "Kink Rubber"
BJ Turgeon, & Modesto Tico Valle
Contestants (in order of competition)
Contestant #1 - Pup Nitro, Mr. Hotlanta Rubber 2008
Contestant #2 - Boy Luke, Mr. Southeast Rubber 2008
Contestant #3 - Stephane, Mr. Montreal Rubber 2008 & Mr. American Rubber
Contestant #4 - Deceiver, Mr. Full Rubber 2007
Contestant #5 - Brent
Contestant #6 - Yann, Mr. MEC Rubber France 2008
Contestant #7 - Rocco, Mr. Midwest Rubber 2008
Contestant #8 - Rubberbuck, Mr. West Coast Rubber 2008
Tally Master
Adrian Williams
Contestant Wrangler
Phil Redmon
MIR Official Photographer
Ron J. Volanti Jr.
MIR Official Videographers
Brad, Greg & Jake
Graphic Design
Supergurl Images
Web Design
Evanrude
MIR2009 Posterboys
Craig & Tim
IML Booth Volunteers
Brad, BJ, Christopher, Craig, Dan, Dave, David, Eric, Fraser, Gary, Kai, Matthew, Mitch, Neil, Robert & Tim
Cell Block Management
Herb Bell
Cell Block Staff
Bob, Bobby, Dakota, Edgar, Guy, Jason, Jeremey, Jimbo, Joe, Mark, Matt C., Matthew, Michael, Mikey, Ray, & Thomas
Center on Halsted Hosts
Modesto, Tom
Circuit Hosts
Michael & Patrick
Kit Kat Hosts
Cami & Felipe
Steamworks Hosts
Brian, Nirmalpal & Pedro
Prize Package Donors
Cell Block Chicago, Fort Troff, Invincible Rubber, Mr. International Rubber, Mr. S Leather, Priape Canada & Polymorphe, Recon, Rubberdawg, RubberZone, & Steamworks
Rubber Market Vendors
Floggers.com, Latexworks, Recon Stores USA, & TLS Rubber Gear
Weekend Sponsors
Diamond Level
Effen Vodka
Recon.com
Steamworks
Bronze Level
Chicago Rubbermen
RubberZone.com
Venue Sponsors
Cell Block Chicago
Circuit Nightclub
And last but not least, the individuals who purchased weekend packages and individual event tickets for MIR2009.
Our most sincere thanks to all those individuals who supported MIR2009. While we have tried to list everyone here, we apologize if anyone was missed in this list. Please know that any omission was unintentional.
Fabrizio is Mr. Rubber Italia 2009!
We've got a few contests to catch up on and we begin with an announcement from Italy. Leather
Club Roma held the Mr. Rubber Italia 2009 contest on October 11, 2008 at the New Frequency Sauna in Rome. And the winner is Fabrizio! (The photo at left is from the MEC Newsletter reporting the event.)
Fabrizio lists among his fetishes rubber, leather, sportsgear, jeans, and skingear among others.
You will recall that Maurizio Iaconne represented Leather Club Roma at MIR2007 and brought the sash home to Italy. We look forward to the return of the Italian contingent to MIR in the near future. In the meantime, visit the newly redesigned LCRoma Website for updates on events in Rome!
Jean-Philippe is Mr. Rubber Montreal 2009!
Shortly after MIR2009, the Aigle Noir in Montreal, Canada hosted the fourth annual Mr. Rubber Montreal competition.
Three candidates vied for the sash and when the votes were tabulated, Jean-Philippe Marion (pictured at right) was announced as Mr. Rubber Montreal 2009!
Jean-Philippe is 28 years old and a native of Montreal. He lists among his fetishes rubber, tattoos, uniforms, piercings.
You may know that Montreal is home to the world renowned Cirque de Soilel, and the performance aspects of this contest weekend were not to be missed. Dramatic fantasy scenes from each of the contestants made this contest both artistic and erotic! Be sure to add Montreal ans the Aigle Noir to your list of fetish destinations!
Jean Philippe will compete at MIR2010 in hopes of bringing the MIR sash to Montreal for a third year in a row!
Hubert is Mr. Rubclub 2009!
On December 27, 2008 in Karlruhe, Germany, Hubert Zubek was sashed as Mr. Rubclub 2009!
5 men competed for the title of Mr. Rubclub, with second place being awarded to Rene from Furth, and third place to Gunther of Stuttgart.
Hubert is from Frieberg and becomes the 6th man to wear the bright orange sash of the German rubber club.
As has been their tradition, the selection was made by audience vote following a brief Q & A by the emcee, noted Berlin performer Daphne de Baakel.
Plans are underway for Mr. Rubclub 2010, which will be moved to a new month, January of 2010. details to follow in the coming months.
West Coast Rubber Winter Warm-Up
The producers of West Coast Rubber host their annual Winter Warm-up Weekend in Palm Spring February 20-22, 2009 at the Helios Resort.
If you've never experienced rubber in the desert, or want to sample the Palm Springs life, this is a great way to see what it's all about. L8xDad and l8xboy are great hosts and they'll make sure you feel welcome and have a good time!
This year the warm-up weekend includes: Geared-Up Dinner; Rub(ber) My Balls at the Barracks Bar; the (ever-popular) Wet Willie Pool Party; Slip N Slide Slime Pit; and - new for this year - the Full Gear Play Party. Individual event and weekend package tickets are still available and reasonably priced.
Visit westcoastrubber.com for full details and registration.
Mr. Rubber Cleveland 2009 - February 27-28
RNJ Leather Productions has announced their second annual Mr. Rubber Cleveland contest to be held on February 27-28, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio.
All events happen at Daddy's Levi/Leather Cleveland, 9208 Detroit Ave, located in the basement of Cocktails-Cleveland. The weekend begins with a Meet & Greet at 10:00 on Friday night and the contest itself will occur at 1);00 pm on Saturday night. The event will include an auction to benefit HRC Cleveland, so it's for a good cause as well.
Now we know there are some rubber men/boys in Ohio, so we hope you'll make your way to Cleveland and consider attending or competing in this contest to represent the Buckeye state.
Mr. MEC Rubber France 2009 - March 28
The French Rubber club Mecs En Caoutchouc (MEC) announces the Mr. MEC Rubber France 2009 competition.
At left you see the current Mr. MEC Rubber France 2008, Yann, competing in the wet rubber portion of Mr. International Rubber 2009. (What you can't see just out of frame in this pic is his big red rubber bone and puppy tail! Good puppy!)
The Mr. MEC Rubber France contest will be held in Paris on the weekend of March 28, 2009. On the afternoon of the event, contestants will be presented to the judges at "le Centre LGBT Paris Île-de-France." There the panel of judges will conduct the interviews. Later that evening the crowds will converge upon the Full Metal Bar, steps from the Centre Pompidieu, where a new Mr. MEC will be selected to represent the French Rubber Club throughout the coming year. (There is even a rumor of a ceremonial latex burning of some sort. Gasp!)
Take it from someone who has experienced it first hand, the French throw a great party and warmly welcome visitors from around the globe to their events.
MEC has been a leading force in the European Rubber Community since their founding in 1994. In addition to their monthly newsletters which are published online, they continue to publish their premier annual membership magazine, PlanK.
In 2001 Yannick Kerjose brought the title of MIR2002 home to France, and the French have been enthusiastic supporters of the Mr. International Rubber contest ever since. This year two French contestants represented the great nation, Yann, Mr. MEC Rubber France 2008; and Deciever, Mr. Full Rubber 2007.
Gulf Coast Gumm-Balaya Weekend - June 12-14
The Lone Star Rubber Corps has announced their biggest event yet, and a new destination weekend for your burgeoning rubber calendar. After several years of planning and plotting, the Gulf Coast Gumm-balaya Rubber Weekend in New Orleans is born!
New Orleans and the Gulf Coast now has its own annual rubber event with no pagent, no contest, just friends, rubber and frolic!
The host site is a full service bed and breakfast in the heart of the Marigny district, just a few blocks from the French Quarter. The city's famous neighborhoods, jazz, shopping, and world class cuisine (and oh yes...notorious leather bars) are all within easy walking distance. The Crescent City is back and it will be rubberized!
Your Lone Star Rubber Corps hosts have been frequent visitors as rubbermen and they testify that few cities on Earth have been more welcoming to our fetish. So, join the Lone Star Rubber Corp for a rubber invasion this June! Don't forget your rubber shorts, the pool will be warmed up for you!
Get all the details on the first Gulf Coast Gumm-Balaya Weekend at the Lone Star Rubber Corp Website!
Manchester Rubbermen Launches
Shortly after MIR2009, we heard rumblings of a new group preparing to launch in the UK.
The Manchester Rubbermen hosted their first event in January of 2009. Organizer and founder of the club, Si Hands, based the club organization on the Chicago Rubbermen.
Si attended MIR2009 and was blown away by the fun and horny Chicago Rubbermen and wanted to bring a piece of that back to his home turf. After some emails inquiries and planning work amongst friends, the Manchester Rubbermen were born!
Their first event was a casual social gathering before a big fetish night on January 24, 2009. Approximately 12 guys gathered for drinks before heading off to "ALERT!" the monthly fetish party in Manchester.
The logo for the club was also modified from the Chicago Rubbermen logo. The stars of the Chicago logo were replaced with roses, a symbol of the city; while the the red field and stripes behind the gas mask comes from the Manchester Coat of Arms.
The group is planning more events for the future. To join their email list send an email to manchesterrubbermen@hotmail.com.
MIR On The Move
MIR2009 Stephane Donaldson is on the move...quite literally. He is finalizing plans for a move to Europe in June where he will establish a new home with his husband to be.
Stephane has already begun making the rounds, and was seen at Mr. Rubber Montreal 2009, Mr. Leatherman Toronto 2009, & Mid Atlantic Leather 2009.
If you would like to extend an invitation for Stephane to attend your rubbery event, you may send him an email at MIR2009@mirubber.com.
In the meantime here are the places you can see Stephane in the coming months:
- April 10-12 : Rubbout 2009, Vancouver, Canada
- May 21-25: IML31, Chicago, United States
- October 31- November 1: ILSb/ICBB 2009, San Francisco, Unites States.
Read about Stephan's experiences as MIR2009 in the Rubberblog.
The International Rubber Calendar
This is a listing of the rubber events & events with strong rubber followings happening around the world which are predominantly gay or gay friendly. So get to googling, then gear up, grab some lube and make some new friends around the globe!
Who knows, you might even get lucky!
2009 Events
2/4-2/7 : Berlin - Rubberweek
2/6 : Houston - Lone Star Rubber Corp @ Ripcord
2/7 : Chicago - Chicago Rubbermen at Cell Block (NEW)
2/7 : Amsterdam - RSG Party
2/7 : Munich - MLC Underground - Rubber, Neoprene & Spandex
2/8 : London - Gummi "Tits & Nips"
2/13 : Karlsruhe - Rubclub Megapiss
2/14 : London - Torture Garden @ Mass "Sick Love Valentine's Ball"
2/21 : Palm Springs - WCR Winter Warm-up Weekend
2/27 : Los Angeles - Rub Out @ Eagle LA
2/27 : Atlanta - Hotlanata Rubber Group @ Eagle
2/27- 3/1 : Paris - MEC Rubber Weekend
2/27-28 : Cleveland - Mr. Rubber Cleveland 2009 (NEW)
2/28 : London - Hard On Club
2/28 : Karlsruhe - Rubclub
3/6 : Houston - Lone Star Rubber Corp @ Ripcord
3/8 : London - Gummi "Flog it"
3/13 : Karlsruhe - Rubclub Megapiss
3/14 : London - Torture Garden @ Mass
3/14 : Liege - Rubclub Belgium
3/21 : Frankfurt - Rubclub Frankfurt
3/27 : Los Angeles - Rub Out @ Eagle LA
3/27 : Atlanta - Hotlanta Rubber Group @ Eagle
3/27-29 : Los Angeles - LA Leather Weekend #10
3/28 : Paris - Mr. MEC Rubber France 2009 (NEW)
3/28 : London - Hard On Club
3/28 : Brighton - Torture Garden
3/28 : Karlsruhe - Rubclub Karlsruhe
2009 Advanced Notice
4/3 : Houston - Lone Star Rubber Corp @ Ripcord
4/3-4: Calgary - Mr. Rubber Calgary 2009 (NEW)
4/4 : Amsterdam - RSG Party
4/9-12 : Berlin - Easter Weekend
4/10-12 : Vancouver - Rubbout 2009 (NEW)
4/11 : London - Torture Garden @ Mass "Easter Ball"
4/12 : London - Gummi "17th Birthday Party"
4/23-26 : Cleveland - CLAW 8 (NEW)
4/24 : Los Angeles - WCR Rubber Gear Party
4/24 : Los Angeles - Rub Out @ Eagle LA
4/24 : Atlanta - Hotlanta Rubber Group @ Eagle
4/25 : Paris - MEC Rubber Night at Glove
4/25 : London - Hard On Club
5/21-25 : Chicago - IML 31
5/30-6/1 : Bonneuil - MEC Rubber Weekend
5/30 : London - Hard On Club
6/6 : Amsterdam - RSG party
6/12-14 : New Orleans - LSRB Present "Gulf Coast Gumm-Balaya" (NEW EVENT)
6/19 : Munich - MLC Underground - 100% Rubber & Neoprene
6/26-29 : Paris - MEC at Paris Gay Pride
7/4-5 : Los Angeles - West Coast Rubber 2009 (NEW)
7/11 : Eisendorf - Rubclub Outdoors
7/12 : Paris - MEC Rubber Afternoon @ Transfer
7/26 : San Francisco - Up Your Alley Street Fair
8/1 : Amsterdam - RSG party
8/22 : Amsterdam - Black Body Party at Club Church (NEW)
8/28-30 : Altanata - Mr. Southeast Rubber 2009 (Note Date Change)
9/5 : Berlin - Folsom Europe 2009
9/26 : Paris - MEC Rubber Night @ Full Metal
9/27 : San Francisco - Folsom Street Fair
10/3 : Amsterdam - RSG Party
10/9-11 : BLF & ECMC Rubber Weekend (NEW)
10/24 : Amsterdam - Black Body Party at Club Church (NEW)
10/30 : Los Angeles - WCR Rubber Gear Party
10/31 : Lyon - MEC Rubber Evening - Location TBA
11/6-8 : Chicago - Mr. International Rubber 2010
11/28 : Paris - 6th Annual International Rubber Meeting
12/5 : Amsterdam - RSG Party
Have an event to add to the International Rubber Calendar? Send us an email including all the pertinant information and we'll do our best to include it!
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