SideTrax, a night club being built on top of Hot Rod’s near 20th and K streets, is now on pace for a Labor Day weekend opening, and an innovative membership program may be the key to allowing 18- to 20-year-olds access despite the club having a full bar. The venue was initially scheduled to open last spring, but the date had to be pushed back due to construction delays involving design changes and the addition of an extensive patio. Owner T.J. Bruce said the club will accommodate about 300 people in a cigar bar-meets-urban lounge setting with high-quality sound and lighting systems. Bruce also owns nearby Lavender Heights night spots The Depot and Badlands, and he said SideTrax will app

A new dance club and bar is scheduled to come to K street by spring. The 2,500-square-foot night spot will be built atop the Hot Rod’s hamburger restaurant, 2007 K St., and will be the first bar and dance club on the corner to feature food, according to owner T.J. Bruce, who also owns nearby night spots The Depot and Badlands. “The main difference is we’ll have real local DJs instead of the video jockeys we have in the other clubs,” Bruce said. The venue will be called Sidetrax, and like other bars in the area, it will cater to the gay and lesbian community, but Bruce was quick to say it’s not exclusive. “It’s a bar for everyone in Midtown,” he said. Bruce added that he plans to keep

Friends of a bouncer allegedly run down and killed on the job were asking themselves Thursday why they weren't able to protect him the way he'd protected them for years. People who knew 64-year-old Leroy Fisher described him as a down-to-earth, soft-spoken security guard who could de-escalate most bad situations just by talking. His calm demeanor, helpful advice and age earned him the nickname "Pops" at the four gay bars at which he coordinated security. When fights did break out, Fisher jumped right in to break them up. That earned him the love and respect of many in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, who mourned him at a candlelight vigil Wednesday night. But that al