How much would you pay to see some of Ashland's finest men in nothing but their birthday suits?
How about $14.95?
The "Nekkid Men from the Center of the Universe" calendar -- featuring 14 town residents minus their clothes -- comes out next month to raise money for Ashland Christian Emergency Services.
Elizabeth McDade, an Ashland resident and president of Circle Communications, came up with the idea for the calendar and rounded up men who were willing to take off their clothes for a worthy cause.
ACES, as the organization is commonly known, provides food and financial support for the area's neediest families.
The models include such people as 83-year-old Al Dickerson, executive director of ACES; Paul Stanley of Vintage Auto; Ian Kirkland of The Caboose, a beer and wine store; and Rob Stiles and his father, Ned, who is a retired senior vice president with A.H. Robins Co.
While the men are naked in the photos, there are props that cover them in all the right places.
A calendar kick-off party is scheduled Dec. 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Iron Horse Restaurant. Admission is one calendar purchase.
"Ashland is just an interesting little town," said McDade, who added that 1,000 calendars will be printed initially.
When asked whether there has been any objection to the calendars, she said there seems to be a dividing line between older and younger generations. The latter think the calendar is funny, and the former, not so much.
McDade pointed out, however, that the Ashland Musical Variety Show -- a tradition coming up on its 15th year -- includes men "who fight to get into drag" for the show.
For those who don't like the calendar, "we are happy to sell as many . . . as they want to burn," she said.
Iron Horse owner Jay Comfort is Mr. December.
"I thought it was a great concept," said Comfort, who revealed nothing about the nature of his picture except that it's all about holiday spirit. "It's all done in super good taste and with a great sense of humor."
Mr. January, Bartlett Shaw, works at Ashland Coffee & Tea.
His photo, which appears on the ACES Web site, shows him playing guitar on the stage at the coffee house.
He described the photo shoot as "45 minutes of awkwardness."
"I'm pretending to be playing guitar and rocking out," he said, while at the same time "being aware of my balance and my body parts." Contact Holly Prestidge at (804) 649-6945 or hprestidge@timesdispatch.com.
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