Beginning in 1985, several groups of dedicated, talented,
hard-working individuals have volunteered countless hours to plan
and present the annual Cleveland G.I.F.T. Bowling
Tournament. (Some of these folks have been involved in
some capacity every year since then.) During its 25 years of existence, G.I.F.T. has become one of
the premier LGBT events in the Greater Cleveland
area. After being housed for many years at Buckeye Lanes in
North Olmsted, the bowling portion of the weekend is now hosted by
Freeway Lanes of
Parma.
With the help of our current corporate sponsors Miller Lite, Republic Services,
Seagrams Escapes, and Storm and the generous
support of past sponsors and many local businesses and
organizations, tournament organizers have welcomed hundreds of men
and women from across the US and Canada to the North Coast for a
weekend of bowling, fun, and
fellowship. Over the years, fund raisers such as Moonlight
Bowls, various Raffles, Roller Skating Parties, Bar Nights, Pool
Tournaments, Bake Sales, and yes, even Drag Shows have been
incorporated to help offset the costs of presenting such a huge
event. In addition to the thousands of dollars in bowling
prize money and raffle gifts and prizes, the G.I.F.T. Committee has been
able to donate more than ten
thousand dollars over the years to local organizations such as
AIDS Taskforce, The Center, Prysm, the Pride Committee, Kamana House, the Akron Community AIDS Network, and
the Hospice of the Western
Reserve.
The annual G.I.F.T. Cruise (which was
originally planned as "something unique" for bowlers and guests to
do on Saturday night) has evolved into one of the single most
attended LGBT events in Cleveland. Each year
since 1989 anywhere from
400-700 people have boarded the privately chartered Goodtime III for
a party on the Cuyahoga
River and Lake
Erie. By all accounts, this has become an evening not to be
missed. This year we sail "rain or shine" on Saturday, June 12,
2010.
There have been several times when the G.I.F.T. tournament has
been anchored by a theme carried out over the entire weekend.
This year's Game Themed
tournament will join a list of memorable events that includes a
Pajama Party, Candy Bowl, Beach Party, Rainbow Bowl, Shipwrecked, Under Construction, and Mardi Gras. We held a
Rainbow Wedding "Here
Comes the Pride" (with stereotypical wedding gifts given away as
raffle prizes). And no one who was there will ever forget the Jungle Bowl where the
Awards Banquet was held in the
Primate
Building of the Cleveland Zoo. (You haven't
lived until you've dined while watching our evolutionary ancestors
scratching themselves in various places and...well...you get the
idea).
Cleveland
G.I.F.T. is affiliated with the International Gay/Lesbian
Bowling Organization
(IGBO), the umbrella institution for hundreds of GLBT bowling
leagues and tournaments throughout the
US,
Canada,
Australia,
and New
Zealand. The four GLBT bowling leagues
currently operating in Cleveland and Akron are members of IGBO.
Cleveland was chosen to
host the annual IGBO
tournament in May,
1998.
"Cleveland
Rocks IGBO" Memorial Day Weekend opened with a huge Welcome
Party for some 500 bowlers and guests in the main hall of the
Cuyahoga County Courthouse on Lakeside
Avenue.