by Ray Rico
When Jesse James and Joe Zeeben were named the People’s Choice winners at the Focus Awards, their win came with an opportunity to share the spotlight with an organization that has meant a great deal to them and to Memphis’ LGBTQ+ community.
The pair selected Mystic Krewe of Pegasus as their beneficiary, giving the organization a $5,000 advertising and promotional partnership with Focus over the coming year.
For Jesse and Joe, the choice was personal. Both have deep ties to the Krewe and have served as Pegasus royalty. Jesse was King XV and has served as the organization’s president, while Joe was King XIX. They have also opened their home to fellow Krewe members for gatherings and parties.
“We are so proud of Jesse and Joe. They are such great people,” said Drew Dickson of Mystic Krewe of Pegasus. “That they chose us as their beneficiary is a great honor. It speaks to their faith in our mission of creating meaningful friendships and galvanizing support for local charities.”
The Krewe plans to use the Focus partnership to introduce more people to its events, its members and, most importantly, its charitable mission.
“We hope to use the award to get the word out about the Krewe’s activities and make even more friends,” Dickson said.
Party for a Cause
Mystic Krewe of Pegasus has been bringing people together since 2003. Its official motto is “Unity and Diversity for Charity,” but members have another way of describing what they do: “Party for a Cause.”
“The Krewe is a group of great people who like to have fun,” Dickson said.
Each year, the Krewe’s King and Queen select a charity to support. Members then spend the season organizing parties, performances, social gatherings and fundraisers that bring the community together while raising money for that organization.
Dickson describes Pegasus as both a social organization and a social impact organization.
“Krewe members are people who love planning and throwing, and even performing, at a good party, bringing together new friends and old, and doing it to support some of the best causes in the MidSouth,” he said.
That combination of celebration and service is intentional.
“There is so much negativity in the world,” Dickson said. “With plenty of reasons to be upset, worried, and even angry about what is happening out there. And so much of life can be just…hard!”
Creating spaces where people can temporarily put those worries aside can itself be an important form of community building.
“If we can create fun and engaging experiences for people, we can help draw people out, give them a place to express their authentic selves, and make meaningful connections across the community,” he said. “Those moments of bonding in a shared space; that feeling of seeing a friend for the first time in a minute: That’s what makes life worth living.”
And if those friendships can also generate money for organizations serving the community, Dickson considers that a pretty good combination.
“If we can create bonds of friendship through fun and do a little good to support some of the best charities in our community, that’s a great day.”
More Than $500,000 Given Back
Over more than two decades, all that partying has added up.
Since 2003, Mystic Krewe of Pegasus has raised more than $500,000 for Mid-South charities.
The organizations supported over the years reflect the different causes that have mattered to generations of Pegasus Kings, Queens and members.
The Krewe supported the Matthew Shepard Foundation during its first two seasons and has since raised money for organizations including the Memphis Child Advocacy Center, Hope House, Mid-South Spay & Neuter Services, Memphis Crisis Center, Transformations Autism Treatment Center, Shelby County Drug Court Foundation, Love Doesn’t Hurt and Special Olympics of Greater Memphis.
Friends For Life, now Friends For All, has been selected across three seasons. The Krewe has also supported OUTMemphis’ Metamorphosis Project and the Tennessee Equality Project Foundation.
This season, the Krewe is once again raising money for the Tennessee Equality Project Foundation.
The People Behind Pegasus
The parties may look effortless from the audience, but producing a year of events requires a considerable amount of volunteer work.
Current Vice President Brandon Leslie told Focus in 2017 that the organization’s annual Ball “takes an entire year to plan, and requires a small army to pull it off.”
According to Dickson, that description is even more accurate today as Pegasus has expanded the number of events it hosts.
That “small army” includes current King and Queen Greg Hammond and Karen Taylor, who selected this season’s charity and serve as hosts throughout the year. James Jarvis and Dan Blickhan are executive producers of the annual Gala, while Amy Sumner is leading this year’s Halloween celebration.
Longtime supporters including Alysun Wonderland, Scott Haynes and Jane Pratt Parks have also helped sustain the Krewe, along with community partners such as Tami Montgomery of Dru’s and Robert Taylor of the Pumping Station.
And, of course, that group includes Jesse James and Joe Zeeben.
For Dickson, the reason to keep doing the work comes back to the relationships built along the way.
“The people. The community,” he said. “So many great people working hard, having fun, greeting old friends and making new ones. And using the fun we’re having to support local businesses and some of the local charities doing the most important work in the MidSouth. What could be better?”
What’s Next for the Krewe
The Krewe’s calendar offers plenty of opportunities to see that mission in action.
Its Annual Silent Auction was Sunday, October 4, from 3 to 6 p.m. at Friends For All, 1548 Poplar Ave. Admission was free, and every dollar raised will benefit the Tennessee Equality Project.
Dickson describes the fundraiser simply as “a party with clipboards.”
There is no podium or gavel. Guests browse tables of donated items and experiences, write their names and bids on sheets, and keep an eye out for someone trying to outbid them before the auction closes. The afternoon also includes music and a wine pull.
Past auction tables have included theater passes, a spa retreat in Hot Springs and a seven-night stay in Puerto Vallarta. Last year’s auction raised approximately $10,000, a total the Krewe hopes to surpass this year.
Then comes Halloween at Dru’s on Friday, October 30. Doors open at 8 p.m. at Dru’s Bar, 1474 Madison Ave. The event will feature five drag, burlesque and cosplay performers, tarot readings, raffles and a costume contest offering more than $1,000 in cash and prizes. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.
Looking farther ahead, the Annual Charity Gala returns Saturday, January 23, 2027, at The Coronet. This year’s theme celebrates sitcoms, with cocktails beginning at 6 p.m. and showtime at 7.
Krewe members and other community performers will take the stage for live musical numbers in full costume, complete with the sequins, feathers and elaborate backpieces that have become part of the Pegasus tradition. Guests can arrive in formal attire, Mardi Gras regalia or dressed as a favorite sitcom character.
Tickets begin at $50. Tables of 10 are $800, with an early price of $700 available through November 15.
For someone who has never attended a Pegasus event, Dickson recommends starting with the Halloween Party or one of the Krewe’s monthly Cocktails with the Krewe happy hours.
Both offer an easy introduction to what Pegasus has been building for more than 20 years: a place to meet people, reconnect with friends, have some fun and contribute to something larger in the process.
Jesse James and Joe Zeeben’s People’s Choice win now gives Focus an opportunity to help tell that story throughout the coming year.
The $5,000 advertising and promotional partnership recognizes the organization they selected, but it also continues the purpose behind the Focus Awards People’s Choice program: allowing the community’s choice to create an additional investment in an organization doing meaningful work.
For Pegasus, that means more opportunities to invite Memphis to the party and more opportunities to turn those parties into support for the community.
After all, “Party for a Cause” may be the unofficial slogan, but after more than $500,000 raised for Mid-South charities, it is also a pretty accurate description of what Mystic Krewe of Pegasus does.
