A new documentary about Arthur “Hap” Veltman and the San Antonio Country nightclub will have its premier on June 23 at the Bonham Exchange. The film by Noi Mahoney is titled Hap Veltman’s San Antonio Country. One promotional announcement on Facebook described the feature as “the story of the extraordinary life of Hap Veltman and…
Even After Recent Death of Owner, Bonham Exchange Holds Lasting Appeal
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Jesse Cazares has been frequenting the Bonham Exchange since he was 18. It’s been his club of choice for great music, dancing and throwing back a few cocktails in the main video bar or out on the patio. He was drawn by storied gay nightclub’s openness and acceptance,…
Bonham Exchange Will Remain Open After Owner Kenneth Garrett’s Death
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Lee Haines, the Bonham Exchange’s general manager, wants patrons to know it will be business as usual at the iconic downtown dance club despite the recent death of owner Kenneth Garrett. The community has nothing to worry about, Haines said, explaining the nightspot will remain open and is…
Kenneth Garrett, Owner of the Bonham Exchange, Has Died
Out In SA is saddened to learn of the passing of Kenneth Garrett, the owner of the Bonham Exchange. Gene Elder, archivist for the Happy Foundation who is a close friend, told Out In SA the 69-year-old Garrett died in his sleep during the early morning hours of February 8 at his home in the…
From SA’s Happy Foundation Archives: Gay History in a Three-Ring Binder
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. As Happy Foundation Archives Director Gene Elder once pointed out, “an archive can be as simple as a shoebox in the closet.” And while his cavernous headquarters at the Bonham Exchange are in fact brimming with what appears to be thousands of these DIY shoebox-archives — not to…
Bonham Exchange Celebrates 36th Anniversary
The Bonham Exchange, the popular LGBT dance club located in the heart of downtown San Antonio just two blocks east of the Alamo, is marking its 36th anniversary this weekend with a special celebration on July 29. The Bonham Exchange is one of San Antonio’s most successful dance clubs. Its interior spaces are large and…
Gene Elder Arrested in Alamo Heights, Says Police May Have Bullied Boy
Artist, activist and Out In SA columnist Gene Elder was arrested on July 14 in Alamo Heights where he was charged with interfering with an arrest and resisting arrest. Police took Elder into custody after he tried to give his business card to a boy who police were questioning and who Elder believes was being…
Staged reading recalls days when military police patrolled S.A. gay bars
The Jump-Start Performance Company on November 13 will present “Off Limits,” a staged reading of a play based on the transcript from a military hearing held at Brooks Air Force Base in June of 1973. The hearing was one of several convened to determine whether the San Antonio Country, a local gay bar at the…