A big deal

If you've seen any of Mike Myers' "Austin Powers" films, you know all about the littlest big star of them all: Verne Troyer aka Mini-Me, the evil sidekick of Dr. Evil.

You'll see a lot of Troyer, 38, in nearby Roselawn in Jasper County this weekend. He's emceeing Bares-A-Poppin' 2007, the Ponderosa Sun Club Family Nudist Resort's annual no-clothing event today and Sunday.

The organization, which dates back to the 1940s, boast more than 600 free-spirited residents who live inside within the walls of the confines. Some residences are summer cottages while others are mobile homes.

During this event the regulars invite the general public into their drafty world and organizers pride themselves in arranging for a celeb to preside over the festivities. In the past, rap star Vanilla Ice and radio personality Erich "Mancow" Muller have shed their wardrobes to reign over the two-day fest which attracts more than 7,000 visitors.

Tickets are $60 a day for a single person admission. If you're a male-female couple, you both can get in for $60 (minus clothes, of course.)

And yes, cameras and photography are welcome. Porn star-turned-pop icon Ron Jeremy will attend again as well.

As I wrote a few months back in this column, nudist groups are working hard to find a comfort level and acceptance for nudity, with a big push for education and awareness, which they consider to be the best tools for encouraging tolerance.

And there's also a national effort under way to attract younger members to try life in the buff. A recent Associated Press wire report said nudist groups wooing 20- and 30-somethings are trying everything from deep discounts on membership fees to a young ambassador program that encourages college and graduate students to talk to their peers about having fun in the buff.

Right now, the median age of today's nudists is somewhere between 35 to 55, with more than 90 percent being over the age of 35.

As for Troyer, who married yoga instructor Genevieve Gallen in 2004, he doesn't have to worry about what his wife will think of his extracurricular activities this weekend. They began divorce proceedings last fall.

For more information about this weekend's events, such as a wet T-shirt contest and "teeny weenie bikini" competition, call (219) 345-2268 or visit www.ponderosasunclub.com.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at ppotempa@nwitimes.com or 219.852.4327.

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