A truck rumbles down Main Street while birds chirp and a gentle breeze rustles Black Lives Matter and pride flags outside the Dandy Lion Cafe during the businesses’ second birthday party in Ashland on Saturday, March 16.
Hamburgers sizzled on the grill as partygoers sat around talking and played yard games. People of all ages tie-dye t-shirts, some opting for protective gloves while others take their chances with bare hands.
![Thomas Moore tie-dyes a T-shirt on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at the Dandy Lion Cafe in Ashland, Mo. “I’m so happy for Ashland to have a place like this because I do know people in Ashland that are parts of this [LGBTQ+] community and they love having it,” Moore said.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a0ca1f9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1750x1278+0+0/resize/840x614!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2F8c%2Fe02829a6444784fcc571d27fdc13%2Fmicrosoftteams-image-39.png)
Owner Caitlin Cunningham neatly weaves their way around tables, delivering drinks and complementing visitor’s artistic endeavors. For the past two years, Cunningham has been converting what was once a “handyman” shop into the colorfully-decorated community space it is today.
“The Dandy Lion Cafe is a inclusive safe space under the guise of a breakfast, lunch and coffee bar shop area,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham said the cafe aims to provide a safe space for marginalized community members, particularly those who are queer. Cosmo Evans, who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, lives in Columbia - which is about 20 minutes north of Ashland. They said coming to the Dandy Lion is worth the drive.
Evans said they first found out they were gay shortly after moving to Columbia, but they didn’t have a support system in town at the time.
They said this isolation can be hard on a queer person’s mental health, making places like the Dandy Lion—where members of the LGBTQ+ community can connect with one another in a welcoming environment—that much more vital in rural areas.
“It just builds a community, and you just don't feel alone anymore,” Evans said. “And it makes a huge difference for people. It can save lives, honestly.”
Thomas Moore is a self-described ally, and he and his wife have been coming to the cafe’s trivia nights, karaoke and ice cream breakfasts for about a year.
Moore said it feels like a close-knit family atmosphere, and he hopes the Dandy Lion is able to remain a vibrant Ashland business.
“I know a lot of people in this community have to put up their masks when they're out and about in other places around here. But I know here they can come, they can be who they are,” Moore said. “They're gonna have a wonderful time, and they do. And it's great. And it's so good that they're here and doing it.”
With this being an election year, owner Cunngingham and the cafe staff have talked frankly about what the future could hold. They say that no matter what, they’re committed to keeping the Dandy Lion’s doors open.
Cunningham said they’re also finding new ways, like delivery driving, to bring the cafe’s atmosphere to community members.
“Not everyone is capable of standing in a space like Ashland and saying, ‘No, we're not leaving. No, we're not moving,’” Cunningham said. “And I'm really proud of myself, like, I'm really proud of myself for my ability to kind of smile in the face of those that I know don't want me here.”
As the Dandy Lion’s second birthday came to a close, party goers parted ways while the staff prepared for a night of decadence and drag, living up to the cafe’s mission of providing a safe, warm and accepting environment for anyone who pops in to say “Hello.”
The Dandy Lion Cafe will hold karaoke with Kris Pettey on Friday, April 5, starting at 7 p.m. as well as a variety of musical and social events throughout April.
![Stella Mann fixes her wig between drag performances on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, at the Dandy Lion Cafe in Ashland, Mo. “There’s a lot of queer people probably who live here who don’t feel like they’re included,” Mann said. “So not only is bringing the drag here opening them up to that kind of community and letting them know that they’re loved and they’re appreciated, but also with the Dandy Lion, specifically, with the diversity that is within [the] Dandy Lion, it is amazing. So I feel like it is a good way to go out and let people know that they’re not alone.”](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f0d2ff0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1750x1078+0+64/resize/880x542!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fbc%2Ffb%2Faec88c35498d87d959cd3fe3d80d%2Fmicrosoftteams-image-46.png)
