After nearly two years in the dark, San Francisco's Eagle Tavern appears to be set to re-open in time for springtime beer busts, drag shows and live music. When an alternate deal threatened to straighten up the legendary gay bar, a pair of gay owners Mike Leon and Alex Montiel stepped in last summer to take over the lease and keep it open as the Eagle Tavern the community has come to recognize as one of the city's first unofficial LGBT community centers. Although they missed their Halloween opening by a longshot and promises of opening in time for Bear Weekend in February came and went, Grubstreet reports the bar appears to be ready to open in time for drag shows in early April.

The revealing tip comes from an event listing hailing the return of Anna Conda's Charlie Horse Drag Shows on April 6th. Anna Conda, readers will remember, has been an outspoken leader in the fight for the Eagle.

Also of note: Leon and Monteil are looking for a few good men to tend bar and are now accepting applications. There's also word that a regular Thursday Night Live event will be bringing in local and national touring bands — keeping the spirit alive in a place that nurtured breakout local acts like Thee Oh Sees.

The "bar and patio has a longstanding relationship with the LGTB community and often considered SF's first LGBT Community Center, long before the city opened one," the new owners write on their website. "We have every intention of preserving this legacy and this space will always be available for fundraisers, charity events and promotions within' the gay community."

Expect an official opening announcement to explode across local gay community newsletters in the next few weeks.

Update: While the official opening date was unclear earlier today, Grubstreet brings us another update from the Eagle: the bar will re-open this Sunday, March 3rd for their first beer bust in two years. Naturally, it's a celebration of the winner of Mr. Leather San Francisco 2013 and a bit of a victory party for the bar in general.

[Grubstreet, SFBG]
All Previous Eagle Tavern coverage on SFist