The Three-Quarter Times
Delaware Seashore Parrothead Club Newsletter
May 2004
President: Denise Irwin: Pets007@aol.com (302) 542-1097
Vice-President: Deb Hoff: Lovethekeys@hotmail.com (302) 736-6245
Secretary: Angela Ross: PrtHeadAng@aol.com (302) 239-7359
Treasurer: Sylvia Diehl: Delbelle2@aol.com (302) 227-2157
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Message from our “Prez”:
Well what can I say but a great big CONGRATULATIONS to all of us for pulling off the best Boat Drinks Bacchanal ever!! The weather was perfect!……..the band rocked!………the crowds were spending money like crazy!…….and we raised over $10,000.00 to distribute among the 3 charities!
Once again, Deb managed to organize us all (not an easy task!) into doing a great job! Way to go Deb!
Angela has more thanks later in this newsletter!
I was excited to win one of the raffle items (a first for me!).I won the basket with the handpainted wine glasses painted by our own Jerry Groll and I just love them! I think the wine actually tastes better with palm trees on the glass!
I was very happy with the turn out for the water station for the Seaside Strider Race a couple weeks ago. Even though it was toooo early in the morning, we had a great bunch of us and we seemed to have a good time! I know Bill Lustfield was a hit with the runners in his grass skirt & coconut bra!
And congrats to Kate McKenzie for running the race! I could not even imagine running for 5 minutes, let alone running a ½ marathon!!
A really good event is coming up in Philly put on by our neighbors the Tri-State PHC. It’s their annual Tropical Fest on June 26th and I encourage any of you that can make it to try to go (more info later in this newsletter). Bonnie (prez of Tri-State) and friends were at our event last week, so we should try to attend their event too. I will not be able to make it this year (one of the first Tropical Fest’s I will miss), but hopefully some of you can make it!
A few more of us have registered for Meeting of the Minds this year (I finally got my registration in!)
Don’t be left out….registration is way ahead of last year, and they cut it off at 3,000. It’s the biggest party of the year! Sort of like Mecca for Parrot Heads!
I will leave you with this great quote I came across on the “net”……sort of sums things up quite nicely!
Your “Prez”
Denise
“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming WOW !! What a Ride!”
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One Particular Treasurer’s Report:
April, 2004
$4331.41 04/20/04 Beginning Balance
- $48.50 ck#1530 04/20/04 Denise Irwin (candy bouquet for Angela)
- $30.85 ck#1531 04/22/04 Angela Ross (postage)
-$272.30 ck#1532 04/22/04 Jeff Irwin (Fun Express-decorations and
merchandise for BDB
+ $670.50 Deposit 04/24/04 Dues – Barry & Pat Schneider 30.00
Buffett tickets Ohr/McKenzie 140.50
Jim Morris tickets (25) 500.00
+1261.00 Deposit 05/03/040 Jim Morris tickets (49) 980.00
Buffett tickets Hoffs, Lustfields 281.00
+ $800.00 Deposit 05/07/04 Jim Morris tickets (40) 800.00
+$850.00 Deposit 05/10/04 Jim Morris tickets (40 +5 keets) 850.00
$7561.26 05/12/04 Ending Balance
======================================================================
Coconut Telegraph -
DSPHC Member
News:
A big fins up & welcome to
our new members ! These folks joined our happy phlock at Boat Drinks Bacchanal:
Chuck O’Brien from Seaford, DE
Joe & Cheryle Gordon from Harbeson, DE
Mel Lewis from Frankford, DE
Russ & Cynthia Henk from Georgetown, DE
And … welcome back, Richard (Shock) Shockley !
Hope to see ya’ll
soon ~!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A big fins up to Mike Ohr for getting us a piece of beach and for organizing the
beach clean-up on Saturday, May 8th. Thanks to the 11 people who
came out to help !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our May meeting was held on Saturday, May 15th at The Lighthouse.
Tammi, Neil & Alex, Matt Clark & Pam McMillan, Sylvia, Jerry Dorneman & Dolores
Pierce, Pat Geier, Connie & Jerry Groll, Deb Hoff, Denise, Debbie Maiden, BJ
McElroy, Bill Mills, David Ohr & Anna Parris, Mike Ohr & Kate McKenzie, Beth
Paris, Angela Ross, Pat & Barry Schneider, Ruth Skoglund, Charlie Smith, Deb &
George Willey all came out for the meeting & to enjoy an evening on the deck at
The Lighthouse. The “bidness” highlights? Boat Drinks, of course. Deb Hoff
updated us on the last-minute preparations & needless to say, she got us all on
track & ready for the big day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On Sunday, May 16th, we set up a water station for the Seaside
Striders at Cape Henlopen State Park. A big, big thank-you to the following
folks who got up early & came out to help: Denise & Jeff Irwin & Raven, Matt
Clark & Pam McMillan, Connie & Jerry Groll, Deb Hoff, Doug & Dot Miller, Bill &
Maryanne Lustfield, Debbie Maiden, David Ohr & Anna Parris, Mike Ohr, Barb
Sammons, Barry & Pat Schneider, Charlie Smith & Kelly Stoner. The runners
really liked our tropical station !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On to Boat Drinks Bacchanal …. We’ve had a busy month, so everyone, raise your
glass for a big, big teeeeeaaaaaammm drink for the DSPHC.
A great big FINS UP and
thanks to Deb Hoff for being our "Chair-Parrot" & keeping us all organized.
It’s a boat-load of work & Deb’s done an EXCELLENT job !
Before
I take a stab at the thank you’s, everybody take a bow, pat yourselves on the
back or wherever - we are all a great team ! On to the Thank You's - in no
particular order:
The Mizzen Mast for being a sponsor … cash donation & the bags for the PABD
items
Karen & Kevin for making the 50/50 boards
Joe for tormenting the "liquor guys" for all the cool stuff & the Buffett
tickets !
Shark butler table (auctioned) – Sylvia (you should have seen the heads turn as
he rode down Rte.1 in Sylvia’s convertible – too funny!)
And ..
raffle items:
Longaberger basket - Gail Berry
Painted glasses - Tammi Anderson
Gift Basket & painted glasses - Connie & Jerry Groll
Nikon Digital Camera - Mike McGeeney/Pam McMillan
Stained Glass item - Pam McMillan
Basket of Mary Kay products - Barb Aro
Wine Gift Basket - Mike Ohr and Kate McKenzie
2 Coleman Chairs - Bill and Mary Ann Lustfield
Tiki Basket - Angela Ross
Liquor products – Gail Berry
Peppers basket – Connie & Jerry Groll
Navigator basket – Jen & Stan Alexion
Also, for those of you who ran around and pestered businesses for donations - THANKS A BUNCH!
Sylvia ….
Dave Lemmon … what can I say ? Great job DJ’ing & making announcements.
And
thanks to Tom Butler & Joe Vlach, our auctioneers! And .... more thanks
..... to those of you who donated items for the Pick-a-Boat-Drink raffle. This
raffle brought us in $630! WOW! I apologize if I missed anyone (I know I
probably did).
Here is
the list of club members who worked at the event and earned a point: Tammi
Anderson & Neil Dignon, Gary Auld, Debbie Maiden, Tom & Charlene Butler, Matt
Clark & Pam McMillan, Sylvia Diehl, Jerry Dorneman & Dolores Pierce, Gail
Geesaman, Pat Geier, Connie & Jerry Groll, Deb & Tom Hoff, Joyce & Dick
Houston, Denise & Jeff Irwin, Barb Jerrell, Maryann & Bill Lustfield, BJ
McElroy, Beth McCarty & Mark Novkovic, Jen & Kevin Nation, Dave Lemmon & Ruth
Skoglund, Lisa & Julia Mullen, Kate McKenzie, Mike, David & Mike (Jr.) Ohr, Anna
Parris, Lauren Ohr, Kevin & Karen Needham, Angela Ross, Barb & Bill Sammons,
Charlie Smith, Lollie & Tali Villanueva, Kelly Stoner, Beth Paris, Joe & Linda
Racz, Joe Vlach, Deb & George Willey & Bruce & Karen Wright. Denise, Deb,
Sylvia & I put our notes together for this list, so if you worked and are not on
the above list, please let Denise know. Thanks !
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We Live Our Lives in Chapters and Stages - DSPHC Members’ Profiles:
I need volunteers for the next
newsletter, so send them my way, please ! Maybe I should start being a real
pest & pick on people ….. ?
======================================================================
Migration -
Neighboring Club’s and Parrothead Events:
Start the “Oh-boy, Buffett’s
in town party” a few days early & join the fun at Tri-State Parrot Head Club’s
annual Tropical Fest on June 26th:
Tickets on sale now for
Tropical Fest 2004. Head over to
http://www.phillyparrotheads.com to
purchase advance tickets online for Tropical Fest 2004.
TropicalFest 2004
Saturday, June 26
our annual Delaware Valley Alzheimer's Association Fundraiser
featuring:
Scott Kirby
Tropical Soul
Changes in Latitudes
1:00pm to 10:00pm
Cavanaugh's River Deck on the Philadelphia Waterfront
http://www.cavanaughsriverdeck.com/
We will be having exciting auctions and raffles as always.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some info on 2 upcoming Peter Mayer shows. From Sue McCaughey:
Peter Mayer will be
performing this summer, twice in the state of Pennsylvania. Specific show
information is listed below.
Saturday, July 17
Pepsi Amphitheater at Liberty Park
Erie, PA
This is a free festival open to the public. Entertainment will be provided all
day, starting at 2:00 pm. The Peter Mayer Group will take the stage at 8:00 pm
to rock the night away! This festival will benefit the American Cancer Society.
~~~
Wednesday, August 11
Mt. Gretna Playhouse
Mt. Gretna Cicada Festival
Mt. Gretna, PA
The 10th Anniversary of the Mt. Gretna Cicada Festival is proud to welcome the
Peter Mayer Stirrin' Ensemble. This magical evening will feature the return of
Ms. Emily Randle on violin and Mark Holland on flute. Showtime is 8:00 pm.
Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased by calling the Box Office AFTER
MEMORIAL DAY at 717-964-2046 or be sending an SASE to
Cicada Festival
P. O. Box 637
Mt. Gretna, PA 17064
Checks should be made payable to Cicada Festival.
Mt. Gretna is located approximately 20 miles north of Lancaster, PA, off of
Route 72.
Peter Mayer Group Promotions
www.petermayer.com
(717) 951-2983
Email - PMGroupPromo@aol.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The WAPHC’s Sundays in the Sand concerts:
Sundays in the
Sand--A WAPHC Concert Series:
Sundays in the Sand is a concert series at Tim's Rivershore Restaurant. Once a
month, we will head down to Tim's Rivershore to sit in the sand, eat crabs,
drink beers & frozen concoctions, and listen to awesome music. With bands such
as Jim Morris and the Big Bamboo Band, The Sauce Boss, Latitude,
Randy Lee Ashcraft and the Saltwater Cowboys, and the Calypso Nuts, you know
that this will be a series of terrific events.
Located in Dumfries, Tim's is nestled comfortably on the VA shore of the
Nation's 1st River--the scenic Potomac. (hey, if the President's dog is the 1st
dog, than the river that flows by his front door has to be the 1st
river). The outdoor stage is located in front of a sand pit (our beach) If you
come by boat, you can either tie up to the dock, or anchor out and take their
private water taxi. And yes, there are plenty of hot steamed VA Blue Crabs
(either by the dozen or "all you can eat")
Concert times will be 1:00 to 5:00 unless otherwise noted. No need to RSVP--just
show up and join the Phun!! There is no cover to enjoy any of these events--and
for some of these bands, this might be the only free show you see on their
schedule.
For more information on and directions to Tim's Rivershore, go to
http://www.timsrivershore.com/
For more information on the Washington Area Parrot Head Club and its events, go
to
http://www.waphc.com/ (but check back often as we are always adding
events).
Sunday June 27: Sauce Boss--the legendary Bill Wharton, aka the "Sauce
Boss" plays rockin' Blues while he cooks a pot of Gumbo on stage. One of the
best entertainers around, the Sauce Boss has been known to walk the length of
the bar at Madam's Organ, carefully stepping around each persons drink as he
plays the slide guitar or the washboard. His band, called the "Ingredients"
delivers a terrific back up to this talented musician. At the end of the show,
the Gumbo is ready, and it served to the crowd. Bill's show and music impressed
Jimmy Buffett so much that he wrote a song about him--"I Will Play for Gumbo".
To the best of my knowledge, (with the exception of Margaritaville in Key West)
this is the only Sauce Boss show that no cover will be charged (which translates
into more beer and crabs). Definitely a show not to miss.
Sunday July 11: Latitude-- Jimmy Buffett meets Gloria Estefan - that's
how fans describe Latitude's combination of well-crafted lyrics, contagious
melodies, and great vocals. And that's just their original music! Armed with an
arsenal of over 500 songs, it seems like there's nothing this group can't do!
From Jimmy Buffett to Janice Joplin, and from James Taylor to James Brown,
Latitude provides an always refreshing "Latitude Adjustment", that combines the
beach, dance and party favorites that will make even a toe tapper want to join
the conga line! The pair met as songwriters in Nashville, TN, and discovered the
unique chemistry that led to marriage and the creation of Latitude! Since making
their home in Myrtle Beach, SC in 1995, Latitude performs mainly throughout the
Southeast, but their music has taken them as far west as Hawaii, as far south as
the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and to an altitude of 10,000
feet in the Colorado Rockies! They are the first Carolina Beach Music act to
ever perform in Switzerland.
A favorite of Parrot Heads, vacationers, locals, and corporate groups large and
small, Latitude is bringing their high-energy show to an ever-increasing crowd
of loyal listeners who can't wait for their next "Latitude Adjustment"!
Sunday August 15--Randy Lee Ashcraft and the Saltwater Cowboys--These are
a set of really good musicians from the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. We
are really lucky to get them as their schedule fills up well in advance. Randy
Lee has 6 CDs out including "Set Sail" and his new one "Fairweather Flu". With
many original songs and a good selection of covers, Randy Lee Ashcraft and the
Saltwater Cowboys is always very entertaining.
Sunday September 26--Greater Small Town--Many of you have heard the 2
person version of this rocking local band on our New Year's Eve Cruise, and at
many other of our events. At Tim's Rivershore, we are offering the full 4 person
version of the band. Small Town plays a wide variety of rocking songs
(including a few originals) from the '50s through the '90s.
Sunday October 10--Calypso Nuts: Everybody's favorite 2 person band will
come down to play in the sand with us. I can only imagine the beach balls flying
around in the sand pit. If the weather is too cold, the Calypso Nuts will easily
fit inside where the Crabs are hot but the beer remains cold.
Hope to see many of you there.
Let the Good Times Roll.....Let the Fun Begin!!!
Rock
Founder & President, Washington Area Parrot Head Club
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday, July 2nd:
The WAPHC
presents a Pre Buffett Concert Party with
Captain Quint at
Sully's in Chantilly, VA. Captain Quint has opened for Jimmy Buffett at
Nissan Pavilion and Merriweather Post and is one of the premier Parrot Head
Bands in the country. They play lots of Buffett as well as their own original
music and lots of other Island Songs! The festivities will begin at 6PM. The
band starts rocking the stage at 8PM. Lots of raffles, door prizes, silent
auctions and other fun! Cover is $5.
No
driving will be necessary! We have secured rooms for the low rate of $59 at the
Wingate Inn in Chantilly, located less than 1 mile from Sully's at 3940
Centerview Drive. Please call the hotel at 571-203-0999 and ask for the
Washington Area Parrot Head Rate. A free shuttle will be provided between the
hotel and Sully's.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Head on up the Jersey Turnpike to Great Adventure for a day of fun with
parrotheads on August 7th:
Hello Parrotheads,
Here's a little "Fins up" for youse guys (that's Jerseyspeak for Y'all!). You
may want to mark your calendars for Aug 7, 2004. CJPHC will be hosting "One
Particular Hurricane Harbor" at Six Flags, Great Adventure, Jackson, NJ in the
Hurricane Harbor Water Park. There will be a DJ all day and a Buffett type band
at night. There will drink and food specials and a reduced price to the water
park and/or the amusement park for all PH's and nice donation at the end of the
day to one or more of our charities.
Details are still being firmed up. I will know who the band is, hotel
accommodations, prices, etc very shortly. Simply want to ask you to keep that
day open for this (hopefully 1st annual) CJPHC Parrot Head Party. Remember Aug
7, 2004. The date is firm, but at this point, that's the only thing that is!!!!
Thanks,
Kate
Coastal Jersey Parrot Head Club
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some info on 2 shows in St. Michael’s, Md. : Jim Morris & the BBB (8/14) &
Sunny Jim (8/28) :
http://www.bleachers2.com/liveonthebay.htm If any of you would like to
go & can’t get to the website, let me know & I’ll get a snail-mail order form to
you.
BLEACHERS
“JUST
SOUTH OF THE REAL WORLD”
PRESENTS
“LIVE ON THE BAY” SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE CONCERT SERIES
THIS
SUMMER JOIN THE PARTY AT AN ISLAND LIKE SETTING AT BEAUTIFUL LOWES WHARF MARINA,
HOME OF SPECTACULAR SUNSETS, RIGHT ON THE WATER ON MARYLAND'S EASTERN SHORE.
JUST DOWN THE ROAD FROM ST. MICHAELS CONCERTS START AT 7PM.
AUGUST
14 TH :
OH! WHAT
A NIGHT OH! WHAT A PARTY
JIM
MORRIS & THE BIG BAMBOO BAND
AUGUST 28th:
“Music
From The Laid Backed Lane”!
SUNNY JIM BAND - FEATURING SUNNY JIM WHITE
COME EARLY MEET THE BANDS
BLEACHERS ON SATURDAY 2 TILL 4
“ AS USUAL TROPICAL ATTIRE A MUST”
HERE'S
WHAT YOU GOTTO DO :GET IN TOUCH WITH US.
TICKETS & INFORMATION:
FOUR
WAYS TO BUY TICKETS
Order online at:
http://www.bleachers2.com/category_Detail.cfm?id=64
Order by Phone - 1-800-710-7718
Order
by email -
bleachers@goeaston.net
Printable order form
http://www.bleachers2.com/liveonthebay.htm
Bleachers
107 S. Talbot Street
St. Michaels, MD 21663
GET DIRECTIONS & MORE INFO
LOWES WHARF MARINA INN
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS WONDERFUL RESORT
GET MORE INFORMATION ON ROOMS & BOAT SLIPS
1-888-484-9267
TICKETS ARE $35.00 PER PERSON FOR EACH CONCERT
THAT GETS YOU: IN THE EVENT AT LOWES WHARF MARINA INN
“LIVE ON THE BAY” KOOZIE (FROSTY BEVERAGE HOLDER)
“LIVE ON THE BAY” LANYARD (FROSTY TICKET HOLDER)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Info on the always-fun Stars on the Water in Richmond, 8/27 – 8/29:
The Parrot Head Club
of Richmond invites you to celebrate with us the 10th Annual *Stars on the
Water* weekend party in Richmond, VA, August 27 - 29, 2004. After last year's
sold out phlocking, you told us not to change a thing, and we took your advice!
Featuring:
Jim Morris and the Big Bamboo Band
The Sunny Jim Band
The Calypso Nuts
Hugo Duarte
Scott Kirby
B2B
Friday evening, 6 - 11 p.m.: Cheeseburger in Paradise Poolside Party with the Sunny Jim Band! Food and beverages included.
Saturday, 10 a.m - 5 p.m.: Poolside entertainment with B2B and The Calypso Nuts! Food and beverages included. Parrot head fun and games, great raffle and door prizes!
Saturday evening, 5:30 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.: Hugo Duarte (solo) and Jim Morris and the Big Bamboo Band in the Holiday Inn ballroom. Tropical buffet of heavy hors d'oeuvres included. Cash bar.
Sunday Brunch: Scott Kirby
singing all of our favorites! Delectable brunch included. Cash bar with mimosa
and bloody mary specials.
Rates per person (There will be a quiz later...):
Friday Only................$ 35.00
Saturday Only............$ 75.00
Friday & Saturday.......$105.00
Saturday & Sunday.....$100.00
Sunday Only..............$ 25.00
Entire Weekend..........$125.00
*Stars* Hotel Information:
For the eighth straight year, we're returning to our home away from home, the Holiday Inn Central on the Boulevard - and this year, those fine folks are reserving the entire hotel just for US! Rooms are available at the parrot head group rate of $65.00 per room per night, plus tax. Reservations received after August 6, 2004, will be provided on a space available basis, at the current standard room rate. Call 804-359-9441 to reserve your room soon - Be sure to tell them you're with the Parrot Heads!
WHY YOU SHOULD COME TO *STARS*: When you arrive at the Holiday Inn, you've reached more than just your hotel destination, you're at the party! Everything happens right here, and the Holiday Inn Central offers a perfect setting with its friendly, casual atmosphere and lots of rooms overlooking the pool and all the goings-on. Park your car, unpack your bags, and relax! We'll even provide your transportation to and from the airport or train station if you need a ride. Besides being welcomed by our club members who are truly happy to see you, you'll be treated to full-length shows by all of our entertainers, and your
food (Friday night, all day Saturday, and Sunday brunch) and beverages (Friday night and Saturday poolside) are included in your registration fee. We'll have tempting raffle prizes, too. We think you'll agree -- *Stars* really is your one-stop parrot head party, and the very BEST DEAL around!
Registration Info:
Please note that *Stars* sold out last year. Island time is cool, but we'd hate for you to miss out on all the phun!
Deadline for registration
for *Stars* is Friday, August 20. To register, send your check or money order
(made payable to PHC of Richmond) to:
Cindy Ely,
12505 Cottage Cove Court,
Richmond, VA 23233
No tickets will be issued; your name will be checked off our list at the party.
Please include the following information: name, address, phone number and e-mail address of the contact person, the names of those persons for whom you're paying, when you'll be attending, and everyone's t-shirt sizes. Contact Cindy for more information (804-360-5053 or e-mail Womn2Blame@aol.com) or visit our club's website at http://www.phcor.com
Proceeds will benefit Greater Richmond Alzheimer's Association. 21 years and older, please.
"We're stayin' at a Holiday Inn full of parrot heads, We meet there once a year..."
PLEASE JOIN US!
Fins UP! ~~~^~~~
Cindy
President, PHC of Richmond
http://www.phcor.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maybe you’re just looking for an excuse to head to the left coast ? Migration
2004:
*It's official; the
"Party with a Purpose" is back for a 5th. year, Saturday July 24. Join us for
the first and original "Left Coast" regional phlocking.
We have a brand new home, Tia Juana's in Irvine. Tia Juana's has been the place
for parrot Heads to phlock for many years and they can't wait to host all us
"Gypsies in the Palace". Lots of great specials from our phriends at
Margaritaville Tequila, Corona, Cruzan Rhum and Trantula Tequila. Great food
specials including the return of the dollar tacos.
Once again Migration will be hosted by the Inland Empire, the Los Angeles and
the Orange County Parrot Head Clubs. As usual, all proceeds will go to benefit
local charities. Last year Migration hosts donated nearly $ 16,000 thanks to
your help and support. Helping those in need is really what we are about. Oh,
yeah, a great party always breaks out at the same time.
Migration has been and continues to be the largest phundraiser for the host
clubs. Once again we will have raffles, a huge silent auction and a very few
select items for live auction. How'z about a chance at a
couple of bottles of Margaritaville Tequila signed by the Bubba himself? We got
em and you have to be there if you want a chance to add one of these to your "Tiki
Bar". Head on over to the Migration web page and check them out...
Migration will be sponsored by our Phriends at Margaritaville Tequila, Corona,
Cruzan Rhum, Hilo Hattie (on site once again) **Tarantula Tequila,** Caribbean
Soul with the return of their great on
site mini mart, TropoTravel.com, Tia Juana's, the La Quinta Inn and more. Want
to be a "Corporate Sponsor"? Let us know, we need your help. This year Migration
will be about the music and the party. You want to sing and dance? We promise
you will get your chance.
The entertainment so far? How bout "Stars on the Water" featuring Jerry Gontang?
How'z, Coral Reefer and pedal steel genius Doyle Grisham sound? How bout the
return of John Frinzi.? The "smart woman in a real short skirt", Tina Gullickson
will return to the stage once again. These amazing performers and more will be
on hand to keep the "Party with a Purpose" jumping. Just added - Mark Mulligan,
Jim Hoehn and for the first time Uncle Monkey will all be in the house.
Need a place to stay? We once again have a hotel so close that you can "stumble
next door to the bar". E mail or call toll free 877-FLY TROPO for details and to
sign up. Rooms are limited and will fill up fast.
Great low price and free breakfast too. Rooms are close to sell out. Don't
delay!
The Friday July 23 nite "Gypsies in the Palace" happy hour will start at 5:00PM
at Tia Juana's with the return of the Jerry Gontang "All Star Beach Jam Band "
featuring, well ya just never know who will wander to the stage to hang with our
own "El Loco Mariachi" Jer. Only $ 5.00 for the best warm up in town. Hook up
with all your phriends and start the weekend right. Party just like "Bubba
does... Do the old man proud"!
The Migration 2004 website is ready to give you all the details on the exciting
event. Please check out and bookmark
http://tropotravel.com/migration/
On line registration is ready for you to get signed up. Registration is limited
so please don't wait to sign up. Don't forget, your registration includes a t
shirt and the best "swag bag" ever. Includes a Migration '04 T Shirt, adult
beverages, lots of cool phun stuph and a really cool special item just for your
Tiki Bar. A
real "License to Chill" collectible. This and much more only for those who
register early.
Please mark your calendars and tell your phriends. Sign up sheets will be at
club phlockings and by request. You do not have to be a Parrot Head Club member
to attend. All we ask is that you are ready to have a great time at one of the
best parties on the Left Coast. Bring a phriend (or three) and show them the
best party on the "Left Coast".
We will see you there at Migration 2004. "The Tiki Bar is Open" and you will
have a "License to Chill".
Mike McLain - Chairman
Pam Cochran - President - Inland Empire PH Club
Steve Wesolowski - President - Los Angeles PH Club
Nellie Carlen - President - Orange County PH Club
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here ya go, folks ~ Mark your calendars for Phunfest – September 10th
thru 12th in Ocean City. From India:
Hello Friends,
Phunfest 2004
September 10-12th
Ocean City, Maryland
Are you ready to PARTY? This year we have a PRIVATE HOST HOTEL for the entire
weekend! We will be partying Friday Night from 4pm -10pm at one of the
Boardwalk’s Premier Hotels…the Oceanfront Days Inn Boardwalk and the late night
party is at Fager’s Island. Saturday, Bloody Mary Breakfast at the Castle in
the Sand and then the big Party at the Beach Club on 49th Street (private club
on the ocean) and Sunday, our No Plane of Sunday Brunch at Halls. AND… best of
all – no driving – it’s all included! OC Buses will take you anywhere throughout
town limits!
Here is just a glimpse of the entertainment:
Friday: The Calypso Nuts and Parrotville
Saturday: Mike “Tiki” Smith, Scott Kirby, Don Middlebrook and the Pearl Divers
and Sunny Jim and the SJ Band!
Sunday: Dave Sherman
The days and nights are jammed packed with stuff to do, bands to see and
enjoying the BEACH! Again with registration (it’s cheap Folks! $40 for the
entire weekend!) You will receive a 2004 Phunfest Beach Bag filled with all
sorts of Phunfest goodies including beer huggie (coozie or can condom,
depending where you are located), special gift from Cruzan Rum and Corona plus
other great PH stuff donated
by OC Businesses and PH Stores!
For more information, please visit our website:
www.phunfest.com
PS: We will be giving out the Golden Salt Shaker Award to the club with the most
club members present… so please plan to attend!
Rooms are going fast at the Host Hotel, so please get your reservations in soon!
All the money will be donated to the OC Artificial Reef Foundation and OC Public
Art.
Questions or for vendor info: Please email me at ocphclub@aol.com.
Living in Paradise,
India B.
Prez and Founder
OC Parrotheads
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s not too soon to register for the New England Parrothead Convention, Trying
To Reason With New England Seasons, 2/25/2005 thru 2/27/2005 in Danvers, Mass. :
Info:
http://www.phcoem.com/nephc2005/nephc2005.htm
I also have registration forms, so just ask ~ More info to follow .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A chance to win a photo signed by Bubba himself. From Deb Daly (CPHC):
As you know, it has
become increasingly difficult to get any items signed by Jimmy Buffett (unless
you're a big shot with Tyco, etc.). The Chesapeake Parrot Head Club is raffling
off a framed, limited special
edition (#46 of 150) photo of a manatee signed by both the photographer and
Jimmy Buffett that were done for Save the Manatee. Chances are $5 each and all
proceeds will go to Save the Manatee. The drawing will be held on September 18
and you don't have to be present to win. Please send checks
made out to made out to CPHC and send with a stamped, self-addressed envelope
to:
500 Bay Dale Court
Arnold, MD 21012.
We will also have chances at all upcoming events. Go to our web page to check it
out -
http://chesapeakeparrothead.tripod.com and click on the raffle link or go
directly to
http://chesapeakeparrothead.tripod.com/stmrafl.htm
Thanks.
Deb
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Love Without Boundaries is auctioning off a pillow from Jimmy’s house. If you’d
like to bid for a chance on the pillow (and maybe Jimmy’s DNA ….), here’s the
info & website:
We were blessed a few months
ago to receive a pillow Jimmy had signed and designated for charitable purposes
from Cindy Thompson at margaritaville.com. The pillow was in Jimmy's house for
10 years, and has hand-embroidered needlefish on the front. We are about to
begin the online auction where this pillow will be available, and I was hoping
you could help me spread the word about it. I would love for every faithful
parrothead I can find to know that this pillow is up for bid, and that we are
hoping it will provide funds for at least one heart surgery for a child in
China. We see so many blue faces of dying heart children on our trips to China
it's just become a "normal" thing, and our goal is to provide surgery for every
child we possibly can.
Would you let me know where to start? You can read about our foundation at
http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/, and see the photo of the pillow at
http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/aa1.htm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A cool quilt that the Parrot Heads in Lincolnland are having a raffle for.
Chances are $5.00/each. Info below:
In conjunction with
their annual Island Fever jubilee, Parrot Heads in Lincolnland is having a
raffle for an
absolutely gorgeous custom quilt made of donated Buffett t-shirts.
The drawing will be held during the festival on June 19th, tickets are available
by mail and you need not
be present to win.
To have a gander at this beautiful piece of work and for more info on Island
Fever, please visit:
http://tropicalbits.com/phil/quilt.htm
======================================================================
Coconut
Telegraph
- PHIP news & parrothead
news:
Confirmed JB tour dates –
remember …. you can always go to
radiomargaritaville.com & listen to the live show:
05/29/04 - Dallas, TX
06/29/04 - Camden NJ
07/01/04 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH
07/03/04 - Bristow, VA
07/06/04 - Indianapolis, IN
07/08/04 - Indianapolis, IN
07/10/04 - East Troy WI
08/26/04 - Chicago, IL
08/28/04 - Chicago, IL
08/31/04 - Cincinnati, OH
09/02/04 - Post Gazette Pavilion - Pittsburgh PA
09/04/04 - Jones Beach - Wantagh NY
09/10/04 - Boston, MA (Fenway
Park)
09/12/04 - Boston, MA (Fenway Park)
Un-confirmed tour dates:
Sept 18 - Camden Yards - Baltimore MD
Oct 19 - Phoenix AZ
Oct 21 - The Pond - Anahiem CA
Oct 23 - MGM Grand - Las Vegas NV
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some other dates worth mentioning:
July
13th (maybe ?)
- New Album "License to
Chill" due out. It will include a cover of "Boats to Build" from Jerry Jeff
Walker's "Cowboy Boots & Bathing Suits".
????? - Jimmy's new book, A Salty Piece of Land
June 25 - Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer band will be appearing on
NBC's "Today Show" as a part of the Summer Concert Series.
Mid-May
- Peter’s Mayer’s new CD,
Music Box, is ready. You can purchase it from
Little Flock Music .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some info on
“License To Chill” – from:
http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000511513
Buffett Has 'License' To
Court Country Fans
Jimmy Buffett is no stranger to the country charts. But he's preparing to go
after mainstream country acceptance in a big way with the July 13 release of his
RCA debut album, "License To Chill." Nine of the album's 16 tracks feature
Buffett in duets with many of country music's "A"-list artists. Alan Jackson,
Buffett's partner on last year's eight-week No. 1 hit "It's Five O'Clock
Somewhere," joins Buffett on "Boats To Build."
Other artists featured on duets are Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Martina McBride,
George Strait, Clint Black, Bill Withers and Nanci Griffith. The first single, a
cover of Hank Williams' "Hey Good Lookin,'" features Buffett with a whole bunch
of pals: Black, Chesney, Jackson, Keith and Strait.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is a great link, folks, for Parrothead events all over:
http://www.calsnet.net/tropicaldreams
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This looks like a great book for you beach-readers (or couch kings & queens):
PARROT HEADS! BE READY FOR THE BEACH! IT’S THE PERFECT BOOK FOR BEACH
VACATIONERS
Finally! A fun book written by a Parrot Head for Parrot Heads (and a few others) who want to play at the beach!
Create great sand
castles. Build better beach memories. A Day at the Beach: How
Absolutely Anyone Can Successfully Build Sand Castles and Build Even
Better Beach Memories. 11X8 book, all color 128 pages - great photos, fun
illustrations, helpful content. If you’re a wannabe beach dweller or just enjoy
each day you can get there, this is a book you’ve got to have. Where to get it?
Most Florida resort shops. Get it at Delaware’s Home for Parrot Heads -- The
Mizzen Mast. Or stop in at the Black Pelican in Kitty Hawk, Manteo Books,
Pamlico Gift Shop on Ocracoke, General Store in Duck, BJ’s in Stone Harbor,
Ruth‘s Hallmark Shop on the Avenue in OC NJ, just to name a few. Need it now?
About $20. Order online or just check this out on the Parrot Head Webring at
www.EducationalBeachPress.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nice article about Jimmy, from the April 16th issue of Dan's Papers, a weekly
newspaper that serves eastern Long Island.
"Neighbor:"
Perhaps it was being born on Christmas Day that inclined Jimmy Buffet to make life a fantasy — or, rather to make what most people would think of as a fantasy life into a very real one. For three decades he’s had a lot of fun and made a lot of money, being a beach bum of sorts and singing about it. "Margaritaville" and "Parrothead" have entered the popular culture. Recently, on one of his famous "Top Ten" lists, David Letterman said that one of the reasons you know you’re getting special treatment in prison is "When other prisoners refer to your cell as Margaritaville." Arriving on this earth that Christmas Day in 1946, in Pascagoula, Mississippi, Buffett grew up in Mobile, Alabama. It was a time when Americans were concerned about the atom bomb (soon to be joined by the H-bomb) and the Cold War. In the South of Buffett’s childhood, segregation would soon be furiously challenged. Perhaps it was this portentous atmosphere that made the young Mr. Buffett major in journalism at Auburn University and the University of Southern Mississippi. Soon, however, he turned toward a profession that was more natural to his heart: he became the Nashville correspondent for Billboard magazine. And soon after that he was playing in a band called the Now Generation.
In 1970 he signed with a record company, but this first break led nowhere. It was a divorce and a subsequent move from Nashville to Key West that began to transform Buffett into someone who would write and sing about the joy of a certain climate, beaches, and escape from the humdrum of normal life. "It takes no more time to see the good side of life than the bad," he would write years later, in Tales from Margaritaville. In 1973 (playfully changing one word in an old song title from the 50s), Buffett turned out his first successful album: A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean. One of its songs, "The Great Filling Station Holdup," became a big country hit. Buffett had begun to ride a wave of his own creation. He really hit the beach with a big album in 77, Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes, which included "Margaritaville." Equally hedonistic was the "Why Don’t We get Drunk (And Screw)." He followed that up the next year with Son of a Son of a Sailor, one of whose big hits was "Cheeseburger in Paradise."
The albums would keep coming, some with more humorous word play: Last Mango in Paris; Off to See the Lizard. "If we can’t laugh, we would all go insane." Jimmy Buffett. Some of his song titles were equally wry: "If the Phone Doesn’t Ring, It’s Me." Buffet had established himself as a big concert draw. His audiences would wear Hawaiian shirts and call themselves Parrotheads. There would be a beachwear line. And in the 90s, a website — Margaritaville.com, of course. In Key West, Palm Beach and Sag Harbor, Buffett lived the life he sang about. A Key West writer linked the island’s other famous resident, Ernest Hemingway, with Buffet, saying that both had a lot of money in the Keys when other people did not have any.
Buffett did not exactly come to the Keys as a rich man. In an essay he wrote for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Magazine, Buffett talked about going regularly to a bar there frequented by Martin Kane, a retired writer for SI. Buffet envied Kane’s success. Buffett enjoyed the assignment for Sports Illustrated, describing it as "wonderful as playing for Bear Byrant or dating an LSU cheerleader." Buffett had been a big football fan. But he admitted that when it came to fashion, this was "something I knew nothing about, because I have been fortunate enough to have lived on or near a beach for most of my life." Then came the realization this lifestyle did give him some knowledge about bathing suits, as he was wearing one when he wrote the essay in the British Virgin Islands in January.
Not that Buffett wrote about bathing suits at all, but instead, fishing for tarpon in the Caribbean, and meeting once, in Cuba, Gregorio Fuentes, the captain of Hemingway’s fishing boat, Pilar. It had been speculated that Fuentes had served as the inspiration for the weathered fishermen in The Old Man and the Sea. In his essay, Buffett made a particular note of the man’s rough, seasoned hands that had seen work through decades out on the water. Given Buffet’s love for the water and beaches it was not surprising he made one of his homes in Sag Harbor, which George Washington once made an official port of entry in the post-Revolutionary days and which Herman Melville mentioned in Moby Dick. Melville’s vignette of the village is particularly telling: one of Ahab’s fated sailors is a south sea island cannibal, who shipped out on a whaler so he could see how the Christians lived. But when he got to Sag Harbor he was shocked at how they carried on — such drunkenness and tawdry revelry, etc. Perhaps Sag Harbor, at least until its "gentrification" in the 1990s, remained a hard drinking town and a welcome place for the gentleman from Margaritaville.
At any rate, no matter how rich Buffett had become (incidentally he is the distant cousin of financier Warren Buffett), he and Sag Harbor seemed a perfect fit. One local related how Buffett would fly between Winterhaven, Florida and Sag Harbor (specifically, East Hampton Airport), and would take the airport workers out for clams. Another local once said it was a great feeling to go into the Emporium Hardware Store in Sag Harbor and be able to buy Jimmy Buffett tickets for a performance at Southampton College — where Buffett once played with James Taylor, whom Buffett grandly complimented as being "the Stephen Foster of our generation." Not that Buffet has avoided more "glamorous" settings. At the wedding of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, Buffett and Art Garfunkel followed a rousing one hour set by Gladys Knight with a compelling rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Water."
Well into the millennium, Buffet shows no sign of letting up. He has his own record label now, Mailboat. He said that his former label wanted to pass higher costs on to the fans, and going his own way (which has always been his wont) would avoid that. His website shows him — and a parrot — on a hammock, with palm trees and a lovely horizon of water in the background. His Parrothead Radio broadcasts over the Internet. He believes that his continuous concert tours keep him with a steady fan base. He flies one of his several airplanes across the Pacific for concerts in Hawaii. He has said he wants to do a concert in Diamond Head Crater before he dies. There is talk of him building an amphitheater, marina, and shops in the Keys. Buffett has got to be one of the most successful beach bums in history.
By the way, if
you try to look up any Jimmy Buffet quotes, he usually immediately follows
Buddha. Whether there is some meaning in that coincidence is for the reader to
decide.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A brief interview with Jimmy in Raleigh last month:
http://newsobserver.com/features/arts/story/3540468p-3143562c.html
Sunday, April 25th
By J. ANDREW CURLISS, Staff Writer
We went to Jimmy Buffett, looking for answers to questions that bothered you so.
But, as you might expect, Buffett is a busy man and sells out so many concerts that he doesn't need to talk with pesky newspaper reporters much.
His publicist said there was no chance of getting even a few minutes to pose a few questions from, say, Ron in Selma or Heidi in Raleigh.
We pleaded, even got down on the "knees of our heart." (Shameless reference to an old Buffett song that begins: "I've got a question for you. Please grant me an interview.")
Our purpose, of course, was to track down some fresh responses to a handful of the 100-plus questions posed by avid fans in The News & Observer's "Calling All Parrotheads" contest.
But the phone didn't ring. It was him.
Not to worry, though. With luck and research, we got plenty of answers, though not for everyone -- especially a Zebulon woman who asked, "Will you marry me?"
Buffett granted one interview for his entire spring tour, which hits Raleigh on Tuesday, and it was with our own WRAL-FM 101.5. We also culled newspaper clippings, magazine articles and other Buffett materials.
Here, then, some explanations for all the "distantly in love," who wrote letters Buffett will probably never see. (Last shameless song reference. Promise.)
Q. How many more years will Buffett grace a stage?
A. No telling. He told WRAL-FM: "Believe me, I didn't think I'd still be doing this 27 years after "Margaritaville," but it's still fun. And I'm glad people still enjoy it. ... When I start singing flat and using a teleprompter, I'll quit. Until then, I think we'll keep rolling."
One clue: When he turned 40 in 1987, he told The N&O, "I just consider it halftime."
Q. Does Buffett really love margaritas?
A. What do you think? He told WRAL-FM that he's had more than a few ordered for him over the years, enough to make him start ordering chardonnay.
"If and when I drink tequila, which I do occasionally, I do it directly," he said. "Just a shot. Instant gratification sometimes isn't soon enough."
He said this while sipping a smoothie. Really.
Q. What inspired the cheeseburger in paradise?
A. The oft-told story is that Buffett was in rough seas for a week, landed in Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, and found a shack serving bona fide beef (not horse meat).
The rest is in the lyrics.
Q. What inspired the song "One Particular Harbor"?
A. Cook's Bay on the island of Moorea, near Tahiti.
Q. Why did Buffett name a daughter Delaney?
A. Buffett's grandfather, immortalized in "Son of a Son of a Sailor" was Capt. James Delaney Buffett.
Q. Where was the term "Parrothead" coined?
A. Cincinnati. The phrase, a reference to the flocks who follow Buffett in unusual beach garb, is a take on Grateful Dead followers, known as Deadheads.
It was first uttered on stage as Buffett played a show in the early '80s at Kings Island, an amusement park.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A letter from Lulu Buffett:
Dear Friends,
Life is good and even every challenge is a blessing. Our mission at LuLu's has
always been to serve the
best food, with the greatest service, the happiest employees, and the most
delightful ambience possible,
so that our customers who are paying their hard earned money, can have the time
of their lives. That ambience has always included live quality music by local
professional musicians.
When the State of Alabama didn't renew my lease on Weeks Bay, that challenge
turned into a blessing. We found a new beautiful home in Gulf Shores. In the ten
short weeks that we have been open, we've served over 107,000 people and have
been overwhelmed with compliments and beautiful images from gorgeous sunsets to
grandfathers dancing with barefoot children in the sand. I am humbled and
grateful at the enormous response we have received from our local neighbors and
our visiting friends from all over the country.
Yes, we have had some problems. Every new business does. And yes, we have had
some complaints about our music. Each time, we have responded to those
complaints with action. We have met repeatedly with the Chief of Police of Gulf
Shores and promptly discontinued our live music outside after 6:00 p.m. We have
canceled some performers that may not fit into the format that is friendly for
the neighborhood. We have lowered awnings and turned speakers to different
directions to respond to our neighbors' needs. We want to be good neighbors but
we're also going to continue to serve our customers and provide stable
employment for over 160 Baldwin County residents.
My name is Buffett. I grew up in a simple home in Mobile, Alabama that played
Frank Sinatra every
evening before Walter Cronkite. Each Saturday morning was started with the
soundtrack from South Pacific and Nelly Forbush singing about washing that man
right out of her hair or some other Broadway musical and every night all three
children, LuLu, LaLa, and Bubba fell asleep to WABB AM playing on our transistor
radios. I love music. My family loves music. And apparently, thousands of you
do too.
When the noise issue escalated this past week garnering public attention, I was
quite frankly puzzled. I'd rather talk about scotch bonnet peppers and my new
Jamaican cookbook rather than city
ordinances. I'm a cook and a business woman, not a politician. But that
challenge has also blossomed into a blessing because thousands of you have
e-mailed or contacted us in support of what we are doing here in Gulf Shores.
Thank you for caring about LuLu's as much as we care about LuLu's and Gulf
Shores. If you want to make your voice heard, please contact the Mayor and the
members of the City Council of Gulf Shores at:
http://www.ci.gulf-shores.al.us
Life is short. Let's all be friends and live well.
Love,
LuLu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 2 Fenway Park shows – Sold out !
Buffett hits homer
in Fenway sellout
By Max Heuer
Sunday, May 9, 2004
About 300 Parrotheads lined up outside the Orpheum in downtown Boston yesterday
to buy tickets to Jimmy Buffett's now sold-out Fenway Park shows.
``The line was down to the end of the street,'' said one box office employee.
``People were a little crazy.''
Tickets for Buffet - only the second rocker to play Fenway Park – went on sale
at 10 a.m. and sold out by 11 a.m. Bruce Springsteen played before the Green
Monster last year.
Parrotheads who came in the wee hours of the morning to grab a good spot in line
were disappointed the $84 tickets were distributed in a lottery.
Jay Atlas, 59, of Sudbury woke up a little after 4 a.m. to get to the Hub by
5:30 a.m. ``We realized afterward we didn't have to,'' he said.
Last year, Atlas couldn't get tickets online or over the phone for Buffett's
Tweeter Center shows.
``(The concert) is around my wife's birthday, and it's definitely the highlight
of her year,'' said Atlas. ``She said as long as we got the tickets, I'm all set
for Mother's Day.''
Buffett is scheduled to play Fenway Park Sept. 10-12.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Geez … they didn’t have this when I went to college …..
Parrothead 101.
Seriously
BySam Scott
Staff Writer
Candace Ashton and Dan Johnson, who teach an honors seminar on the Jimmy Buffett
subculture, Parrotheads.
It may be more fun to be a Parrothead than to study one, but science demands
sacrifice. In years past, a Jimmy Buffett concert would have meant the same
thing to Dan Johnson and Candace Ashton as it does to many of his legion of
other fans - a good time celebration of the island life surrounded by the whirl
of battery-powered blenders and men in coconut bras.
But over the past two years, the UNCW professors have taken a scholarly approach
to the Buffett faithful (aka Parrotheads), trying to find out what motivates
them to make pilgrimages to Key West or sink thousands of dollars into dressing
a pick-up truck as a sailboat for a concert.Or why when fewer and fewer people
join clubs, leagues and organizations, official Parrothead clubs with their
philanthropic requirements are thriving around the world.
And so when Mr. Buffett's "phlock" descended for a concert in Raleigh last
month, Dr. Ashton sat in the parking lot asking a set list of questions of
Parrotheads rounded up by Dr. Johnson while Jim Petrick, another colleague from
Texas A & M, gave out scores of questionnaires.
"We haven't found a theory of leisure that really fits what we're looking at,"
said Dr. Ashton, who noted this could add to the theories.It might seem like a
lot of effort for a simple question. Margaritaville, Mr. Buffett's famous anthem
to the laid-back life, isn't exactly a complicated song.
But Dr. Johnson called the study a scholarly effort to study a subculture of
thousands similar to more conventional studies that fill academic libraries
everywhere.
"We're serious," he said. "We're going to do this research as rigorously as we
do any research."
(Deadheads, the followers of the Grateful Dead, were more of a "counterculture"
that adherents followed daily, Dr. Johnson said. Parrotheads, who are a
subculture, go back into suits and ties or regular
jobs after a concert or get-together.)
The study is also a fun sideline to their regular work studying how recreation
can be used as therapy for groups like children with disabilities, paraplegics,
or people who have had gastric bypasses, said Dr. Johnson, who favors going to
work in flip-flops, shorts and Hawaiian shirts.
Twice in the past two years, they've also offered a weekly seminar for honors
students on Parrothead Studies. The seminars are approved by a faculty board and
offer enrichment to top students that blend learning and fun, said Kate Bruce,
the director of the honors program and a psychology professor. Parrotheads make
an enticing subject for serious ideas, she said."It's an awesome class," said
Gary Tucker, a history major. "It's just impossible to get into."
The Cape Fear region is something of a hotbed for Buffett-centered behavior for
the students to review. It is home to Scott Nickerson, who founded the first
Parrothead club in the 1980s in Atlanta, to the Pleasure Island Parrotheads, and
to several musicians who have played with Mr. Buffet or
play his style.
"People enjoy the tropical lifestyle," said Dave Kendziora, the president of the
Pleasure Island Parrotheads, which has 100 members and recently celebrated its
sixth anniversary. "Thinking about palms trees and islands gets you away from
the drudgery of everyday life." Originally from Buffalo, N.Y., Mr. Kendziora
said he had friends all over the country from Parrothead gatherings and
conventions.
"We're not teaching student to be Parrotheads," Dr. Johnson said. "We're
teaching them how to study a group of people"
Danelle Lekan a rising sophomore from Ohio, said it seemed a lot of fans were
searching for an identity. She said the instructors embodied the Jimmy Buffett
spirit, often sending last-minute emails updating who would be in class."It was
very casual, very laid back," she said.
Dr. Ashton and Dr. Johnson said they are wrapping up their research. After six
concerts, they're starting to hear a lot of the same thing. They said they were
considering asking Corona, the beer company that sponsors Mr. Buffett, to pay
for the costs of transcribing and coding the hours of interviews.
Both said they would be glad to return to being simple Parrotheads. A Jimmy
Buffett concert is a lot more fun as a participant, Dr. Johnson said.
"It not nearly as much fun as it used to be," Dr. Johnson said. "It's work."
Sam Scott: 343-2370
sam.scott@starnewsonline.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some interviews with PHC members:
http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/vibes_feature.html
Partying With
A Purpose
And come Monday, it'll be alright
BY TIMOTHY C. DAVIS
As party animals go, they're rather odd birds. Fond of flip-flops, barbecuing, and icy drinks in tall glasses, they like to congregate at the beach, drinking in the salt air and sunshine. They love traveling in flocks, and won't give a second thought to flying across the country in search of warmer climates. However, they're usually back at their jobs by Monday.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Parrot Heads -- fans of "Gulf and Western" star Jimmy Buffett, the patron saint of beach bums everywhere (and probably entrepreneurs, but we'll get to that later). However, the group -- much like Deadheads, Phish Phreaks, or any other band-monikered grouping of fans, excepting perhaps Clay Aiken's "Claymates" -- have something of an image problem.
When I asked Sandlapper Parrot Head Club President Mary Fisher what the main difference was between a Deadhead and a Parrot Head, she shot back an answer stunning in its simplicity: "We have jobs!" (And here I was thinking it was less a musical choice than one of a preference between drugs and alcohol).
Indeed, one thing echoed by every Parrot Head that I spoke to was the concept of "partying with a purpose." ("Getting drunk" doesn't count.)
"Giving back a little to our communities is what most clubs are the most proud of," says Mark McKaughn, President of Parrot Heads of the Triad. "Clubs around the US, Canada and the UK donated a total of more than $1.6 million in the year 2003 and contributed more than 365,000 man-hours to charities of all sorts."
Which is not to say that Parrot Heads are some kind of button-up, hard-drinking Key Club. Add a "West" in there, however, and you're getting a whole lot warmer.
"Parrot Heads embrace an entire lifestyle," says Charlotte Wright, Secretary of the Parrot Head Club of Charlotte, a group whose bylaws take up some 17 pages. "We decorate our homes with an eye to the tropics, often displaying Buffett memorabilia. We name our children, pets and boats after Buffett song lines. We travel to tropical destinations and plan our vacations around concerts and phlockings (regional Parrot Head gatherings). (Some) 3,000 of us gather each year in Key West for our national convention."
Comprised of some 200 clubs throughout the world, all chartered through a national parent organization, Parrot Heads in Paradise (PHiP), the Parrot Head phenomenon seems to be growing by the day. But how much of it is love for Buffett, and how much is beach fetishism? Put another way, which is the bigger draw? The Song or The Sun?
"Escapism is very prevalent among Parrot Heads," says Wright. "Most of our day jobs involve a lot of responsibility, professionalism, and often stress. While our club members' ages span (from) college to retirement, most of us are forty-something with a fair amount of hard-earned disposable income. It always brings a smile to my face when I see a respectable banker-type wearing a grass skirt, and a fin on his head!"
"My first encounter with the music of Jimmy Buffett was in 1977 at the ripe old age of 13," says McKaughn. "My brother had a 8-track copy of the Volcano album, and he played it as we drove around Myrtle Beach. I guess it was the general beach/island feel to the album and the fact that we were at the beach that hooked me. I think the fact that Buffett writes songs that are easy to understand and easy to picture in your mind speaks to people."
"My first Jimmy Buffett concert experience was as a high school senior, when I saw him open for the Eagles in 1977," says Wright. "(That was) the year "Margaritaville" was receiving radio airplay. During college I became an avid fan, listening to his older recordings."
Wright -- who says her favorite Buffett line is "Some of it's magic, some of it's tragic, but I've had a good life all the way," says that Buffett's music has had therapeutic value for her as well.
"I was in a very serious car accident when I was 17," Wright says. "I almost died. I attended my first Buffett concert on crutches. My life has been filled with residual pain and the ongoing complications of those injuries, but looking back on all the fun I've had -- and all the fun I still anticipate -- I can say that being a Parrot Head has enriched my life. I would never have met my dozen best friends without the shared love of Buffett's music."
Mindful of how the Grateful Dead became more of a rolling corporation than a concert entity towards the end of their career, I asked our local Parrot Heads how much, if any, Buffett's move from beach bum/vagabond to a multi-million dollar businessman/ restaurateur/writer has changed their view of the man and his music.
"I feel that his music over the last 10 to 15 years has moved away from that beach, sailor, explorer feel," says McKaughn. "I still like it very much, (but) it just has a different feel. I think that is why his new songs that are more reminiscent of the "Key West" years are some of the most popular among older Parrot Heads such as myself. That is one of the reasons "It's Five O'clock Somewhere" has been the hit it has been. I have a feeling that the soon-to-be-released License to Chill CD will do well because it is a departure back to the "Gulf and Western' sound that he once had."
"In this day and age, it takes money to live as a beach bum," says Wright. "Jimmy can afford such a lifestyle, but he chooses to continue writing and touring. Does he keep doing it out of fan loyalty? It would be naive to think so. He does it because he still enjoys it. We keep buying his CDs and books and going to his concerts because we enjoy it.
"As Jimmy himself says, "It's the magic of the music that still draws a crowd.' "
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MOTM ~ About 5 months away, folks.
So far, we have Jen & Stan Alexion, Betty Brittingham, Sylvia Diehl, Karen Hefke,
Connie & Jerry Groll, BJ McElroy, Lisa Mullen, & Bernie Zaleta registered. The
entertainment calendar's been updated, so take a look ! You’ll see some
familiar performers & some new-to-MOTM ones, too. Keep checking
www.phip.com for updates & a ton of info !
The Logo Contest has ended. Us parrotheads sure are talented ! Check out the
runners-up at
www.phip.com/motm/index.html
And, if you’re
looking for a place to stay - From Alex:
Hi Gang,
Registration is brisk and I urge you to register now so you are not left out if
and when we sell out. As many of you have seen the Casa Marina and The Reach are
both sold out already.
Below are a couple lower cost Hotels available during the convention in Key
West. They have limited availability so book them soon and quickly. Both
properties are on North Roosevelt Boulevard just a couple of miles from The Casa
Marina and Old Town. Both properties are serviced by The Bone Island Shuttle.
The Bone Island Shuttle runs until at least 11:00 PM and will drop you at many
different spots in Key West including The Casa Marina and Old Town. The fee for
the Bone Island Shuttle is $7.00 for the entire day, ride as many times as you
like... Remember to ask for the Parrot Head Rates..
Thanks
Alex Leist
PHiP Inc.
Holiday Inn Beachside
Rooms Still Available
3841 North Roosevelt Blvd.
Key West, FL 33040
800-292-7706
$99.00 Ask For Parrot Head Rates
The Bone Island Shuttle stops here and will take you to the Casa Marina or down
Town
Days Inn
Rooms Still Available
3852 North Roosevelt Blvd.
Key West, FL 33040
800-224-5051
$89 Ask For Parrot Heads Rates
The Bone Island Shuttle stops here and will take you to the Casa Marina or down
Town
~~
OK, still haven’t made up your mind to go ??? Key West history lesson ….. :
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.journal28apr28,0,4006065.column?coll=bal-nationworld-utility
By
Kathy Lally
KEY WEST, Fla. - He was not such an old man and he fished and he fought and he
wrote and he never went many days without drinking at Sloppy Joe's. And the city
loved the man for he was a two-fisted tough guy, adventuring and writerly and
untamed. And they made Sloppy Joe's bar into a shrine to the man and Sloppy
Joe's was Key West and Key West was Sloppy Joe's and the man was Ernest
Hemingway. And if the man went to Sloppy Joe's today he would find many
Hemingway T-shirts and men drinking until the sun rises and women drinking until
the bells toll. And the man would look at the menu at Sloppy Joe's and he would
see there was a kid's menu with a Kid's Sloppy Joe for $6 and Kid's Chicken
Fingers and a Kid's Hot Dog and he would find low-carb specials (just 3 grams).
And the man would ask himself: What has happened to America? Where have the
rough edges gone? Why is every place like every place else? And what's with the
low carbs? Give me a beer!
Maybe Key West is not yet like every place else, but it appears to be trying. A
kid's menu at Sloppy Joe's? Low-carb meals? The home of the weird and the land
of the bare-knuckled replaced by waves of well-behaved tourists, many of them
pushing strollers? Key West has been called many things. The Last Resort. The
End of the Line. A State of Mind. And, most neutrally, the Southernmost City in
the United
States. Let's just call it different. The city had no running water until 1942.
It's an island, closer to Cuba (90 miles) than Miami (150 miles). Once, its main
industries were pirating, salvaging shipwrecks and making cigars. A guide to the
city, published by the Work Projects Administration in 1941, describes how the
U.S. Navy set up a naval depot in Key West in 1822 to beat back the pirates who
roamed at will.
"Isolation played a large part in Key West's social existence until the advent
of the railway in 1912, and the overseas highway and ferry in 1926," the guide
says. "Four generations of isolation has had its effect on the mental and social
outlook of the inhabitants. Citizens think first, last, and always of Key West,
and a surprisingly large number have never been off the island."
Tolerating outsiders. Having little contact with the rest of the country,
perhaps it had no preconceived notions about what people should be. It became
tolerant of, or at least indifferent to, outsiders with their own ideas of how
to live.
In the early 1970s, Key West had a sizable gay population along with numerous
refugees from 9-to-5 America. Tennessee Williams lived here; Jimmy Buffett, too.
Hippies gathered every evening at Mallory Square in ritual worship of the
sunset. Cubans and Conchs (as descendants of Bahamian immigrants were called)
built the city. Cubans began moving to Key West in 1869, working in cigar
factories
that had been established in 1831 and fomenting revolution - at the time, that
meant seeking freedom from Spain.
The WPA guide was a means of putting to work artists and writers suffering from
the Depression, and it was meant to stir up tourist interest in Key West, by
then bereft of pirates. The writers and editors who labored on the guide in an
era when 40,000 tourists a year was big news would be astonished if they
could visit here today.
Key West has nearly 28,000 permanent residents - and in a recent year had 1.3
million tourists, an industry providing 66 percent of the employment, according
to city figures. As everyone knows, if you want to keep your tourists coming,
you have to keep them supplied with low-carb options. Thus the following item on
the city's Web site:
"Key West City Manager Julio Avael recently sampled lo-carb New York cheesecake
delivered to his office by Drew Burch, director of sales, and Linda Geyer,
general manager of the Sheraton Suites. The hotel has added lo-carb lifestyle
dishes to its restaurant's menu."
With everyone counting carbs, you wonder if there's still room for a
"Cheeseburger in Paradise," the high-carb ode Jimmy Buffett wrote in 1978:
I like mine with lettuce and tomato,
Heinz Fifty-seven and French fried potatoes.
Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer.
Well, good God Almighty, which way do I steer
For my cheeseburger in paradise.
As those who were once down and out and determinedly different began counting
their carbs, Key West became more predictable.
The city took out a contract on the sunset. The Key West Cultural Preservation
Society pays the city $63,432 a year, in a 10-year contract, for use of Mallory
Square for two hours before the sunset and two hours after. The hippies are
gone, replaced by shoulder-to-shoulder tourists, who buy souvenirs and snacks
from vendors and watch city-approved street performers - before joining in the
ritual applauding of the sunset. They are not yet your ordinary street
performers. One fellow gets himself wrapped up in a straitjacket, hanging upside
down from a big hook, before extracting himself in less than 4 1/2 minutes.
Another has the world's most patient dog, Moe, who walks a tightrope wearing
shorts and provides the foil for his master's patter with the audience.
Fire-eaters, bagpipe players, jugglers and musicians abound. It is all very
orderly. Except for the chickens.
There are chickens everywhere - 2,000, by some counts. You find them in
backyards, you see them crossing the road, you even observe them heading to the
beach. And, of course, you hear them. They are descendants of chickens who
escaped their flocks and went out on their own. They found plenty to eat, and
plenty of shelter, and no one bothered them. Until now.
This year, the city began a "chicken relocation program," as The Key West
Citizen described it. The city hired a local barber, Armand Parra Sr., as
chicken catcher, paying him $20 for each chicken caught, with a limit of 900
birds. Once caught, the chickens are sent to a farm near Miami. Some might
consider this a nice solution, but not Katha Sheehan, chicken protector and
owner of the Chicken Store, which sells chicken memorabilia. Talk to her, and
Sheehan tells of their charms. "They keep the insects down," she says. "You feed
one, and it's so gratifying. You make them so happy." She flaps her elbows and
cackles a bit, illustrating chicken delight. People cause problems, she says,
not chickens. "The teen-agers take the chickens and put them where they don't
belong," Sheehan says. "Next thing you know, they're in the street, and the
chicken catcher gets them and deports them. And it's not the chickens' fault.
It's the
teen-agers'."
Hope for the future.
This week, Key West is in the middle of celebrating Conch Republic Independence.
On April 23, 1982, Dennis Wardlow, then the mayor, declared independence from
the mainland, angry because the U.S. Border Patrol was disrupting traffic by
setting up a roadblock to the north, checking for drugs and illegal
immigrants. After seceding, the mayor quickly declared war, then even more
quickly gave
up, submitting a request for foreign aid. The Conch Republic was born, and its
motto offers hope for Key West's future: "We Seceded Where Others Failed." The
man who was Hemingway would have liked that.
======================================================================
Growing Older But Not Up -
Upcoming Birthdays:
June’s birthdays:
Tom Hoff – June 2nd
Gail Geesaman – June 5th
Jen Alexion – June 9th
Stephen Ross – June 11th
Linda Novosel – June 23rd
A big Happy Birthday TEEEEEAAAAAMMMMM
drink to all of you !
Please send me your birthday (month & day) if you haven’t done so and want me
to note it in an upcoming newsletter.
======================================================================
Manana - DSPHC
upcoming meetings & events:
June’s meeting:
Wednesday, June 16th…. 7:30PM at Shucker’s Pier 13 Just south of
the Dover Mall.
Future Meetings: (Locations to be announced)
July’s meeting: Saturday, July 17th
August’s meeting: Wednesday, August 18th
September’s meeting: Saturday, September 18th
October’s meeting: Wednesday, October 20th
November’s meeting: Saturday, November 20th
December’s meeting: Wednesday, December 15th
Other up-coming club events:
1. Annual coastal Dolphin Count – Sat July 17th 9 – 11AM. We
will meet at the Indian River
Inlet parking lot by the ranger station at 8:30AM.
2. Cemetery clean-up (Dover): on hold - date to be determined.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That’s all
pholks ~
This
newsletter brought to you by:
Angela Ross
5/2704