The Balloon Saloon
In March 1974, U of I Professor Jack Adam and his partner Bill Burke opened C-U's first openly gay bar, The Balloon Saloon, located at 317 N. Fremont St., Champaign. The bar was an instant success popular with gay men, gay women, drag queens, and drag kings. They were open 7 days a week, had a live DJ, and would host drag performances, such as a Miss Champaign contest in 1975 that featured "a couple dozen drag queens from all around the state" ("Where gays can feel unfettered", Daily Illini, July 8, 1975).
By 1975, The Balloon Saloon became a known hotspot for gay people around the Midwest, with out-of-towners traveling from St. Louis and Indianapolis to go there. One patron said "Champaign is the biggest gay scene in this part of the Midwest, outside of Chicago. Springfield used to be a big scene, but it's died out. Now everyone comes here."
People would gather to hang out, celebrate holidays and birthdays, and organize performances at The Balloon Saloon. There were people who would get into drag specifically to perform at the bar, and people would also get into drag just for the fun of dressing up with their friends.
One year after The Balloon Saloon opened, another gay bar named Giovanni's opened on North Hickory Street. The Balloon Saloon was more popular with gay women than gay men, whereas Giovanni's was more popular with gay men, though groups would often hop from one bar to another. Prior to The Balloon Saloon and Giovanni's, it's said one of the only ways for gay women to meet one another was on the softball team. The bar made it easier to meet women, and one unnamed interviewee described, "It gives us a sense of legitimacy we never had before." ("Gay women: A different world", Daily Illini, October 27, 1973)
