A Lansing Township country bar is now the area's hottest spot for drag. How did that happen?

LANSING TWP. — Since The Junction bar opened last fall, it's filled the void Spiral Dance Bar left in 2020 for drag performers and audiences.

Drag performers and host Armon Caston, who goes by Aurora Manifesto, have partied at The Junction, which was previously Green Dot Stables, since its October opening and said it has made them feel more welcome and optimistic about hosting bigger events.

"I'm glad they actually work with us and understand that it has to be a safe space, that we have to work together to understand our needs and their needs, and what makes it successful for all of us," Manifesto said.

Manifesto is a house parent at the House of Manifestation, where drag queens, kings and other LGBTQ creatives find event opportunities and collaborative means. They were approached by Junction managers to host their shows there.

Junction Operations Manager Tyler Mainville noted the bar's country and drag crowds are historically separate, but both get along. The two genres are featured on separate nights to keep the crowds apart, with country on Wednesdays and Fridays, and drag dedicated to Saturdays.

"Stereotypically in the past, those two groups have been polar opposites, but it really hasn't been like that," Mainville said. "It's one day to the next for our staff."

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The drag performances have built up to the point where performers from RuPaul's "Drag Race," like Orion Story, are traveling to the bar to dance at shows.

Mainville said keeping the shows requires consistency.

"It's been 100 mph since Oct. 27," Mainville said. "We've muddled through and we've only gotten more firm with our drag scene."

Mainville said staff has noticed some patrons are at both drag and country events.

Kyle Hickman, head of security at The Junction, said the bar wants to channel the spirit of Spiral Dance Bar as they listen more for what people demand of the bar. He doesn't want to become an exact replica, but hopes to emulate what the Old Town gay club had, and build off the momentum.

"We can't do everything the same way they did, but Saturday's as close as possible," he said.

Mainville admitted the venue's known as a country bar, but hasn't faced any issues with the influx of drag shows. Still, safety is a major concern considering national unrest and violence at drag shows.

He's also concerned about the violence around the bar spilling in from general gun violence in Lansing.

"It's not so much that (LGBTQ) community that I'm worried about," Mainville said. "It's other people causing problems with them."

Each large-scale event has enough security to cover all areas of the venue. Without detailing all the security practices, Hickman said performers will sometimes request heightened security who keep an extra eye on both patrons and points throughout the bar.

"There's always guards at the door, someone on the floor, someone in the back — I've never had an issue feeling like we're unsafe," Manifesto said.

Drag isn't the only entertainment managers are bringing in.

An 18-and-up burlesque show is planned for 9 p.m. Feb. 11 themed around Valentine's Day, Mainville said. Manifesto has a family-friendly suicide awareness brunch planned for 10 a.m. Feb. 25 intended for drag performers to coordinate choreography to meaningful songs.

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Mainville's curious to see how people respond as the venue books more diverse events to attract a steady crowd.

The additions are part of an effort to spread the diversity of spaces for the region's LGBTQ community, as several spots offer the atmosphere, but not the performances, Mainville said.

"There's a big void to be filled in the LGBTQ community," he said. "Lansing likes to see itself as a liberal domain and they just don't really have many sports going on for them right now."

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Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at 517-267-1344 or knurse@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @KrystalRNurse.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: How a Lansing Township country bar became a hot spot for drag shows