Mr. Midwest Leather Contest 2007 - April 14, 2007 at JJ's Club House in St. Louis, MO

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Mr. Midwest Leather 2007 Contest
At JJ's Club House in St. Louis, MO Saturday April 14th

2007 Contest Poster 2007 Announcement

Dave Drees Winner of Mr. Midwest Leather 2007 Contest

Mr. Midwest Leather 2007 winners in St. Louis on Saturday, April 14th, 2007. Top Row Left to Right: John Pratt (2nd Runner-Up), Dave Drees, the winner, and Slade Andrews, 1st Runner-Up. Mr. Drees advances to compete at IML 2007 in Chicago in May 2007.

Dave Drees from Saugatuck, Michigan captured the 2007 Mr. Midwest Leather Title in the third annual Mr. Midwest Leather Contest held on Saturday, April 14, 2007 at JJ's Club House in St. Louis, Missouri which hosted around 400 attendees that night. The weekend started on Friday evening, April 13th, 2007 with an informal Meat 'N Greet Fundraiser Party which took place at the Club starting at 11:00 pm where the contestants were introduced to an enthusiastic and packed crowd. The Contestants numbers were drawn for their order of appearance at the Contest on Saturday April 14th. The web site for the Contest is www.MrMidwestLeather.com.

This year's contest was open to contestants throughout the Midwest Region including the 13 states of Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, and Kentucky. The contestants were John Pratt from St. Louis, Missouri, Justin St. Clair from Oregon, Illinois, Tod McComb from Des Moines, Iowa, Kevin Ernhart from St. Louis, Missouri, Dave Drees from Saugatuck, Michigan, Mark Doerr from Madison, Wisconsin, Slade Andrews from Cincinnati, Ohio, and David Hoff from St. Louis, Missouri.

Mr. Midwest Leather 2007 Contestants in St. Louis on Saturday, April 14th, 2007. Left to Right: David Hoff, Slade Andrews, Mark Doerr, Dave Drees, Kevin Ernheart, Tod McComb, Justin St. Clair, and John Pratt.

Mr. Midwest Leather 2006, Dr. Bruce Karmizan, from St. Louis, Missouri hosted the evening and introduced the EmCees which were Jon Krongaard and UltraDomme. Throughout the evening, there were raffles raising funds for PAWS (Pets Are Wonderful Support) which benefits AIDS patients with pets. The entertainment throughout the evening was provided by Richie Johnson who sang the National Anthem and did a hot singing dance routine later in the evening to great applause.

The Judges & Staff Dinner Party was held on Friday the 13th at the Philip Hitchcock Designs Gallery located in the historic antique district. There was a brunch on Saturday morning at the home of Wes K., Co-Producer of the Contest and all of the contestants, staff, and a number of guests were present. On Saturday afternoon, Mr. Missouri Leather 2007, Scott Fausz, hosted a cocktail party at Bad Dog Saloon for out of town guests.

The Mr. Midwest Leather Contest itself took place on Saturday evening April 14th, 2007 at JJ's Club House starting at 11:00 pm. The Master of Ceremonies were Jon Krongaard and UltraDomme (Karen Ultra Crecelius) from St. Louis, Missouri. Jon is from Chicago, Illinois and is Vice-President of the Leather Archives Museum in Chicago as well as the Marketing Sponsorship Coordinator for IML (International Mr. Leather). UltraDom is the vivacious and fun First Runner-Up Ms. World Leather 2004 from St. Louis, Missouri.

The Contest was produced by Kurt Pierce, founder of the Mr. Midwest Leather Contest which started in 2005 and the Co-Producer was Wes K., the first Mr. Midwest Leather in 2005.

The Head Judge for the contest was Chuck Windemuth from Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Marcus was a special guest judge from San Francisco, California. Other judges were Dr. Bruce Karmizan, Mr. Midwest Leather 2006, Rich Wilson, Mr. Missouri Leather 2006, Robert Miller, CLAW Founder and Lifetime Board Member, Larry Golubski IML 2006 First Runner-Up, and George Wong from California.

The Tallymasters for the Mr. Midwest Leather Contest 2007 were Don Leach and Dean Ogren, both from Chicago, Illinois. Contest Coordinator was Joee Arteaga from Chicago, Illinois. The Sign Language interpreter was Jim Walsh from St. Louis, Missouri. Jake Lucas was Judge’s Boy. Keith Richardson, Mr. Missouri Leather 2004, announced the guest titleholders that attended this contest. Incredible sound and lighting design was by Dan Voigt. The official photographer was Joseph Palmisano. The Den Daddies for the evening were Mark Bozif, Mr. Missouri Leather 2003, and Ron Walters, Mr. Missouri Leather 2004.

An especially fun moment was when Mr. Marcus, leather columnist for the Bay Area Reporter, was celebrated on his 75th Birthday. The surprise celebration included a personal dance performed for him by two of the JagerMeister boys. He was also presented with a birthday cake prepared especially for him by current Mr. Missouri Leather 2007 Scott Fausz who is a professional pastry chef.

The JagerMeister boys and Scott Fausz honor Mr. Marcus Hernandez on his birthday.

Bios & Photos of Mr. Midwest Leather Contest 2007 Staff

The winner of this Contest, Dave Drees, received his title vest for 2007, $500 cash, 4 nights accommodations for the IML Weekend Event in Chicago, one round-trip airfare to a leather event of his choice, and a gift basket valued at $250 from the contest sponsors. The 1st Runner-Up Slade Andrews received $100 cash and prizes, and the 2nd Runner-Up John Pratt received $50 cash and prizes.

The sponsors for the 2007 Mr. Midwest Leather Contest were: Acme Toy Company, Bad Dog Saloon, Barbwyr Leather, Barracks Bar (Club 5), Blazing Saddle, Cheap TRX Leather, JJ's Club House, Mephisto Leather, Spankys Videos, The Club of St. Louis, and The Dunes Resort in Michigan.

On Sunday April 15, 2007, there was a Victory Brunch at Novack's Bar & Grill where more than 40 Leather Men attended to celebrate a hugely successful weekend.

Mr. Midwest Leather 2007 winners in St. Louis on Saturday, April 14th, 2007. Top Row Left to Right: John Pratt (2nd Runner-Up), Dave Drees, the winner, and Slade Andrews, 1st Runner-Up. Mr. Drees advances to compete at IML 2007 in Chicago in May 2007. Second Row: Wes K., the first Mr. Midwest Leather 2005, Bruce Karmazin, Mr. Midwest Leather 2006, and Kurt Pierce, Founder/Producer of the Mr. Midwest Leather Contest.

Contest Scoring for Mr. Midwest Leather 2007
Total Maximum Points: 300

0-100 Points -- Interview with the Judges Saturday Afternoon at 3:00 pm.

0- 60 Points -- Stage Presence during the Bar Cruise Wear portion of the night. Bar Cruise Wear is considered what you would feel comfortable wearing when you go out to a leather bar clubbing. During this portion you will be asked a question by Jon Krongaard or UltraDom, the EmCees. This section of the contest will be judged primarily on stage presence and bar cruise ware. Even though there will be a funny question asked by the EmCee the answer will not be a key part of judging on this portion, but how you handle the answer in relation to you Stage Presence is important.

0-100 Points -- General Appearance and Stage Presence in Formal Leather Wear Image on stage during the first portion on the night of the Contest. 50 points of this will be judged on your Formal Leather Look and 50 points will be judged on how you answer of the following question: "If you are named Mr. Midwest Leather 2007, what do you plan on doing during your title year?" Formal Leather may include a number of styles including uniform, leather shirt and pants, and other combinations.

0- 40 Points -- Physique and Body during the Minimal Wear (Cod Piece/Jock Strap/Harness/etc.) portion on stage during the Contest where both muscle tone and personal body image will be scored. What this stage is all about is showing off your body to the max. There is also a light Q & A based on information in your application, but your response is not judged on a point scale.