A vibrant rainbow of everything from gutter punks, aspiring queens, preppies, blacks, whites, Latinos, gays, straights, young, and old stretched nearly a block and a half, spilling out of Muther's (40 S Union St) Wednesday, May 26. My heart sunk. How was I going to get this right? How would I be able to break through that crowd and get in, to find out why the home base of Rochester drag was closing its doors?

I spotted a friend who lives in the building and asked about a back way into the club. He has access to a fire escape that overlooks Muther's enclosed back patios. We screamed down at the bustling crowd, trying - and failing - to get anyone's attention, until someone lead one of the owners out the door.

I was ready to bust out my best guerilla journalism skills, which entailed climbing down a 10' ladder in flip-flops. But he agreed to just meet me out front, where he confirmed the worst: Muther's was set to close over Memorial Day weekend. We tried to get additional comment on the club's closure, but couldn't reach anyone despite repeated attempts. Keep watching this space for more details as they emerge.

While one set of stage lights dim, the Rochester drag scene is set to shine on. An altogether different cross-dressing carnival is starting up under the able guidance of ringleader Pandora Boxx in "Circus," taking place Wednesday nights at One (1 Ryan Alley, 546-1010, oneryan.com). Meanwhile, you can close out the week with your favorite queens on Sunday nights with the new "East End Divas" show at Mamooche Bistro (384 East Ave, 454-0152, mamoochebistro.com).

Pandora Boxx - a.k.a. Michael Steck, now a burgeoning national celebrity after his buzz-worthy stint this spring on Logo's reality show "RuPaul's Drag Race 2" - puts it best when talking about her new show weekly at One: "I'm really excited, because it is different. It's a different, beautiful venue, and it's a ‘straight' place - a straight but very gay-friendly place," Steck says. "So it's good to go in and break boundaries and do things at places that are unexpected."

Starting Wednesdays at 10 p.m. Pandora will be joined by DJs Jon Herbert outside on the upper patio, and Richie Salvaggio inside. Steck promises a more intimate experience than the five performers you'll see at the very popular "Tilt-a-Whirl" event Pandora has become known for hosting Thursday nights at Tilt Nightclub, which she will continue emceeing. At the One gigs, Pandora will be joined by one other performer. As the hosts of the party, they will be more visible and accessible to the crowd, Steck says.

Over at Mamooche, "East End Divas" organizer Wayne Esposito is bringing another new element to the drag scene by offering an early dinner and show. "I wanted to start an 8 p.m. show because it is kind of unheard of in the city," he says. "Most shows are starting around 11 p.m., 11:30 p.m., midnight - it's really kind of late now for people that want to go out and see a show. Now they have the perfect opportunity to go to an early show and still make it to work the next day."

Miss Gay Rochester 2010, Poison Waters, has been hosting the show, but renowned local queen Aggie Dune will also be making Mamooche her home as well when her show with Kasha Davis, "Big Wigs," comes to the bistro on June 13 for a reservation-only show.

Even with all the new bright spots on the drag horizon, the loss of Muther's is still a shock. "Everybody is sad. It's a landmark in the gay community," says Esposito.

"It's the end of an era," Steck says. "Muther's has been around for a long time. It's been known as the drag bar in Rochester for the 10 years it's been open. They had all of the best queens working there at one time. So it's very sad to see it go."