Metro Parrot Head Newsletter Vol. 16 No.
(NY, NJ, CT) September 2008
STORIES FROM MY BANK OF BAD HABIT
Greetings Metro’s,
I wish to thank everyone who pledged their support as I assume the role of Metro’s 8th President. I also want to thank our 7th President, Al Straaik, for making this transition not only painless, but a pleasure. Al has worked hard to maintain a growing club, great fundraising and quality events that all Metro members can be proud of, all in the same spirit and dedication as the six Presidents before him. I also want to thank my wife Carol, for all of her support up until this point and into the future. I know that Al has had a great asset to draw on during the last four years, that being his lovely wife Marianne, and I couldn’t be happier or more proud than having Carol by my side.
Where do we go from here? Very simply, club officers and area coordinators should continue to encourage strong membership involvement in both the planning and execution of new events and fundraising ideas. This is after all, your club, and we need your ideas and your efforts to continue the Metro legacy. Carol & I plan to continue Metro’s June fundraiser in Bridgeport at the Acoustic Café and Captain’s Cove Seaport, trying to make it a little better each year, but the club calendar has room for more “parties with a purpose”, be it on Long Island, up-state , in the City or over the river in New Jersey. If you have an idea, please let us know.
Currently, we are looking forward to this year’s Meeting of the Minds in Key West, “Bar Stools and Beach Chairs” (isn’t that someone’s song title?). Carol & I have arranged for a large balcony suite at the La Concha Hotel directly over the street festival stage for a Metro Party. All are invited. Details in next month’s newsletter.
Let me assure many of you who know me well, the above message is as formal as I will ever get. So let’s just continue to help out some people in need, and at the same time have a few laughs with our friends in the club. As Jimmy sings “If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane”.
Dave Pohorylo
just another candlea trip around the sun….
John Mize
Susan Mize
Diane Leslie / 1 / Fruitcakes
David “Poseidon” Mantovani / 2 / Carnival World
Liz English / 4 / One Particular Harbor
Martha Nash / 4 / Pencil Thin Moustache
Eric Rosenblum / 4 / Trying To reason
Greg Warnokowski / 4 / One Particular Harbor
Gerry Travers / 5 / Come Monday
Ron Willemstyn / 6 / Margaritaville
Mark Burr / 7 / Pencil Thin Moustache
Dawn Chase / 7 / WDWGDAS
Tom Dalton / 7 / Far Side of the World
Marilyn Martino / 7 / Vampires, Mummies,…
Tracey Markland / 8 / One Particular Harbor
Ken Auer / 8 / Cowboy in the Jungle
Nancy Penncavage / 10 / Far Side of the World
Cory Reinhart / 10 / Margaritaville
Lisa Dubrule / 11 / Cheeseburger in Paradise
Susan Mize / 11 / Holiday
Lisa Durkin / 14 / Fins
Thomas Issing / 14 / One Particular Harbor
Melissa Unger / 15 / Delaney Talks to Strangers
Nancy Reinhart / 15 / Stars on the Water
Linda O’Neil / 17 / Mental Floss
Fred Ostuni / 19 / One Particular Harbor
John Hartnett / 20 / If the Phone Doesn’t Ring…
Tara Sauer / 21 / Too Many!!!
John Ruggiero / 21 / Changes in Latitudes
Richard Fellagara / 22 / Stars on the Water
Ellen Gallagher / 22 / Migration
Karen Contegni / 23 / Son of a Son
Gene Gamache / 25 / Changes in Latitudes
Karen Smith / 26 / Savannah, Fare You Well
Ellen Kwiatkowski / 29 / One Particular Harbor
Robert Troyano / 29 / A Pirate Looks At 40
August Newsletter Correction:
John Kwiatowski was the first non-Long Island resident Metro president. John served January- May 1995.
Atlantic City Aug 24th
This weekend, Metros will be phlocking to Atlantic City to hear Jimmy Buffett’s concert at Boardwalk Hall. JimmyDreamz Radio will be broadcasting live from Bally’s Bikini Beach Bar beginning Friday night. The party will officially begin Aug. 22nd when Howard Livingston and Mile Marker 24 kick off the weekend bash at Bally’s at 9:30 PM. Howard Livingston and Mile Marker 24 will continue to provide the music for the pre-concert festivities on Saturday (9:30PM-1:15AM) and Sunday (2-8PM). Giveaways, including Buffett tickets and cruises will also be part of Sunday’s celebrations.
If you think for a second “The Donald”would miss out on an opportune moment to party, you are quite wrong. Trump’s Beach Bar will also be taking part in the phun! Steppin’ Razor will be playing 12:30-4:30 PM,and then ParrotBeach will be hosting a post-concert party.
/ Jones Beach Aug 27th
Directions: From Westchester, Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens: LIE (495) East or Grand Central Parkway East to Northern State Parkway East to Wantagh Parkway South to Jones Beach State Park or Belt/Southern State Parkway East to Wantagh Parkway South to State Park.
From Eastern Long Island: Northern State Parkway West or Southern State Parkway West to Wantagh Parkway South to State Park. Parking: Concert goers will be able to party...oops..I mean park…in Field 5 free of charge
Items to best leave home:
No sharp/dangerous items
No Professional cameras
No backpacks (SMALL HANDBAGS ARE ALLOWED) / No laser pointers
No audio/video recording devices
Pre-Concert Music
Ed Travers…Shows at 1 & 5 PM just west of the bathrooms
Toucan Band…southernmost parking lot (look for the pirate)
This 3 day event will feature 25 performers, four stages, rides, children's entertainment, and arts and crafts throughout the village.The Friday Night Kickoff will begin 8 p.m. with a free concert featuring Peter Tork and Shoe Suede Blues. On Saturday at 8PM, there will be a free concert with Buckwheat Zydeco on the ferry dock. At 10 p.m., The Kerry Ferry Blues and Brews Cruise (fee) will set sail.
Sep. 12 - Sep. 14
Fridays: 8 p.m.
Saturdays: noon - 7 p.m.
Sundays: noon - 6 p.m.
Call for more information: :631-473-1414
Jim Morris & BBB @ Captain’s Cove Recap
Almost 300 Parrotheads/Bocanuts descended upon Bridgeport for the June 2008 Metro/Morris weekend. Ten states and eleven Parrothead clubs were represented. The attendees came by car, ferry, train, motor boat and even a sailboat from Boston. Jim's solo show Friday night at the Acoustic Cafe sold out within three weeks of going on sale last February. The acoustic album which Jim released at the show featured a photo taken of him at the Cafe in 2007 by our club's own Karen Contegni.
Raffles and silent auctions played a major part in contributing to the $14,000.00 check which Metro presented to Swim Across the Sound. Some of our silent auction items included tickets to The View, Martha Stewart TV show, Rolling Stone Magazine special events, Yankees, Mets, Broadway and Buffett at MSG. Club members also created and donated the most beautiful and unusual handcrafted items, including a portable tiki bar, a fish shaped Adirondack chair, a tiki tequila table, shot skis, and framed T shirts. The list could still go on. And, of course, our raffle items were the annual event T shirt and the special edition recording of the June 2007 show from Captain's Cove Seaport.
The weather was great and everyone had a wonderful time. Truly, we all partied with a purpose. Thanks to everyone who came to the show(s) and to everyone for all of their hard work. Next year is in the works. Of course, the Metros will be the first to know all the details.
Carol & Dave
Team False Echoes is at it once again…and looking your help for Rockland County Memory Walk 2008! This is the Alzheimer’s Association’s largest event and your perfect ParrotHead service opportunity! This year’s walk will again be inPearl River, NYon Sunday, October 12th. False Echoes was ranked #4 nationally for PHIP in 2007, raising$8,400 with the help ofa dozen Metros and ‘keets.
As you may know, Alzheimer’s has touched our lives personally as well as those of our walkers. We prepare for this event throughout the year, but we’re asking for your help justonce! We’re counting on our regulars once again (for many of us, it’s our sixth year), but we need your help to make those dollars grow! Please join us and make this year our biggest ever. First, get everyone you know (and anyone who’s ever asked you for a donation) to sponsor you. Then join us on the 12th for the walk and get in the team photo. Follow us home afterward for our post -walk “party with a purpose” where the cheeseburgers will be hot; the beer and margaritas cold, and the music familiar.
As fellow team leader Dangerous Dave (Last Mangos) mentioned last month, there are some clubs who continue to raise tons of money for this walk (Chicago, Sarasota, Jacksonville, just to name a few). It’s time to show them what the Metros can do; with the number of members we have, this should be a no-brainer! We will be at MOTM again this year and would love to continue to brag about the Metros’ charitable efforts!
The Metros will be participating in three Memory Walks on three different dates, at three different locations, with three different groups of Metros, so pick one! You can walk and raise money for one or all. Choose the location that appeals to you as well as your choice of party! If you cannot participate in any of these walks, you will be missed, but please make a donation and sponsor another Metro walker! No amount is too small, and some of you probably work for matching funds companies, making your contribution even bigger! For further info contact us:.
Our thanks in advance! Team False Echoes Captains, Larry and Denise DeGennaro
Long Island Memory Walk & Festival
Sept. 13, 2008
The Long Island Memory Walk, Alzheimer's Association Long Island's annual fund-raising event kicks off with registration and breakfast 8:30 a.m., opening ceremonies at 10 a.m., the walk at 11 a.m. and lunch, expo, International street festival and entertainment, noon-3 p.m.
Please contact Helene “Malibu”Pino if you wish to join the LI Walk which will be held on Saturday, Sept. 13th at the Old Bethpage Restoration Village.
Contact Malibu at
or 516-633-7185
Bar Stools &
Beach Chairs /
17th Annual Meeting of the Minds 2008
October 30 - November 2, 2008 Key West, FL
REGISTRATION CLOSES AUGUST 31, 2008
Key West Jersey Boyz/Listserv Party Moved
Over the last eleven years The Jersey Boyz have had different degrees of involvement in the annual Listserv Party held on the opening Thursday of Meeting of the Minds.
Looney, Drifty and I (The Jersey Boyz) started at Turtle Kraals in 1998 with just Jim Morris and Conga Dave playing for just passing the hat. We had such a good turn out that in 1999 we moved it to Ricks/Durty Harry's and added St. Somewhere & Sunny Jim to the lineup along with The Big Bamboo Band.
Over the years it has moved from the now defunct Crabby Bill's & Sands and then back to Rick's Durty Harry's all along the way the Jersey Boyz have either run it, hosted it or at least showed up. Since my retirement from the Board of Directors from PHiP and stepping down as Convention Director I have decided to just dip my hands back in the party planning bucket again and re-invent the Jersey Boyz/Listserv Party one more time.
We are again moving to a new location that is familiar to all from past MOTM's and The Paradise Charitable Foundation will sponsor the show. We are moving to The Conch Republic Seafood Company, also called The Conch Farm, on Thursday October 30, 2008 from 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM on the Courtyard Stage overlooking the water and in front of Shrimp Boat Sound.
This will be a rocking acoustic show that will be reminiscent of the early Jersey Boyz Key West shows. This year will feature Jim Morris, James White and John Frinzi performing from the Courtyard Stage at the Conch Farm. This show will showcase three extremely talented singer/songwriters with three guitars and three microphones. They will be playing many of their originals with each other and some covers that are crowd favorites. At least that is the plan, who knows what will happen when these three friends take the stage.
The Paradise Charitable Foundation will be recording this show and has a plan to release this show on a Charity CD sometime in 2008. With the success of our first Charity CD "Live from Key West" we wanted to follow up with a second CD that is a little more intimate with the Charity being chosen by Jim, James, John and the Paradise Charitable Foundation.
On behalf of the boys playing and the Boyz throwing the party we invite you all out to one very special event. We'll have Landshark Lager and Margaritaville Tequila drink specials along with a few other surprises in the works.
So mark those calendars & palm pilots and set the alarm on your cell phone, whatever it takes, if you are going to be in Key West on October 30, between 1 & 5PM there is only one place to be and that is at the Jim, James & John show at the Conch Farm...
See you at the Conch Farm!!!!
Alex Leist
Paradise Charitable Foundation
Margaritaville Biloxi Casino’s
Scope and Size Shrinking /On July 23rd, The Sun Herald reported that work was slowing down on the Margaritaville Casino project in Biloxi, Mississippi. Now, Harrah’s says that the scope and size of the project is shrinking considerably:
The original $700 million estimated cost of the casino resort on the beach in Biloxi is being revised “down, down,” Harrah’s officials said during a conference call Friday.
About $110 million has been invested in Margaritaville as of June 30, and the company anticipates another $40 million to $45 million will be spent through the remainder of the year.
Harrah’s President Gary Loveman said they slowed construction of Margaritaville casino for a couple of reasons. “First, because business conditions in that market are very trying and new capacity is not exactly what that market needs in the short term.”
Loveland said Harrah’s also intends to refine the scope and the cost estimates for Margaritaville Casino “as carefully as possible to make sure that we build exactly what it is we think is prudent in that market. So we have slowed down the pace to regather ourselves” he said, to ensure Margaritaville “is appropriately sized and configured for the marketplace.”
“Meet the Phlockers is the premiere destination on the internet for tropical minded individuals to connect and share personal experiences and memories. Create a custom profile, share photos & videos, publish your blog, plus much more!”
I couldn’t have said it better myself! This social network currently has over 5,000 members. It is a great place to meet & chat with Parrot Heads like ourselves. There are a plethora of groups you can join once you register. Events, blogs, music, videos, and photos relating to all things tropic & Buffett can be found here. It’s basically a MySpacefor Parrot Heads. Check the site out at . As of now, I don’t believe there is a Metro Parrot Head Club Group. If anyone sets one up, please let me know, and I will get the word out.
Editor’s Note: Casey is the daughter of Metro Parrot Head Bobbi Kelly. This is a great chance to party with a cause for one of our own.
Fundraiserto CelebrateCasey Evans
Casey Evans suffered a serious head injury in a car accident onJuly 3. Friends and Family of Casey are hosting a fundraiser to help support finances related to her recovery.
Please join us for a Buffet Dinner, DJ, and Open Bar
and Chinese auction to celebrate Casey Evans.
Date:Sunday, August 31, 2008
Time:5PM – 10PM
Place:Stuart Thomas Manor
2143 Boundary Avenue
Farmingdale, NY 11735
Price:$75 in advance; $85 at the door
RSVP: Laura at
or 516-710-9159
Mail checks to: Casey Evans, Inc.,
54 Maple Avenue
Farmingdale, NY 11735
Make checks payable to: Casey Evans, Inc.
Donations are welcome if you cannot attend the fundraiser.
Chinese Auction donations are also welcomed and appreciated.
Jeremiah 17:14
Heal me, O Lord and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for
you are the one I praise.
Thank you very much for helping Casey!
Bobbi Kelly
SAVE THE DATE!!!!!!!Save this date...Autumn Road Clean-Up on Saturday, October 17. Since we skipped the Summer Road Clean-up in order staff the rest stop for the Soldier Ride Bike Ride, we'll definitely need a hand roadside.
We'll meet at the King Kullen in Bridgehampton at 10AM. Those interested in participating should RSVP Joe Lombardi at
Phlocking Phun
NYC / Metro North / Long Island
Brother Jimmy’s BBQ
8th Ave & 31st St.
2nd Friday of each month at
5:30 PM / East Side Café
232 East Avenue Norwalk, CT
2nd Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM. / Zoinks
West Islip, NY
Saturday, May 17th
7PM
National Cheeseburger Day”
Sept. 18th /
/ “Talk Like a Pirate Day”
Sept. 19th