St MinneSomePlace In Paradise

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2010 Phlockings
PARROT HEAD NIGHT WITH THE ROLLER DERBY QUEENS

Parrot Head Night with the Roller Derby Queens took place on another Saturday night in St Paul.  Over fifty St MSP Parrot Heads and friends attended the raucous event complete with black eyes, colored hair, wild dress, crazy names and competitive shenanigans....and that was the audience!   Over 5000 people showed up to watch this cultural phenomenon usually reserved for late night television....from the 70's! 
I think the final score was 120 to 47 and the winner was unimportant.  It was all about having fun both on the rink and in the crowd.  Half time featured a local band that played to a standing room only floor of dancers and fans who took over the roller derby rink to get up close.  Then another whistle blew and the game resumed and chaos returned while the cleverly named competitors flew around the circular rink bashing and dashing for points that only a hard core fan could calculate.  And what is a penalty?  There were plenty of them....apparently there were rules!  During intermissions, some of the queens would join us for an opportuntiy to meet them, take photos with them and get further insight into their attraction for this unconventional sport....undoubtedly the 5th most popular sport in MN!
Laura Hoslin organized the event to everyone's greatest satisfaction. She arranged for tickets, LandShark beer, the queens appearances, and a special sitting area, decorated, of course,  for the best view and seating in the auditorium.  It was a job well done!
Following the derby, the St MSP Parrot Heads went to see Jambo ol' Joe Bones play his guitar at a local pub, Tom Reid's.  An excellent finish to another Saturday night on the island of St MinneSomePlace.

   MAARS

 

 15th Annual
THIS HOTEL ROOM PHLOCKING

Island Inhabitants and Visitors from Points Near and Far!

All I can say is WOW.  The 15th Annual This Hotel Room (THR) and the pre-party on Friday night was WOW!!

Jambo Joe Bones with special guest, the mustachioed Doug Rassler from the Cedar Island Band, got us off to a rockin' start on Friday night with great MusTrop or TropTache music in the Beach House Restaurant & Bar at the Ramada.  Approximately 40 to 50 ParrotHeads were there to partake of the good food, good drink, and better PHriends. Oh, and we managed to move the dance floor, too. 

A multitude of PHlockers showed up to help decorate the courtyard on Saturday t o convert it into the Island of St MinneSomePlace.  From the fresh fruit on the tables, to the 25' high parrot, to the great videos on the wall, the courtyard looked more like Key West than Brooklyn Park, MN. 

Jambo kicked off the music at 5 for the early arrivals.  There were a tremendous number of us already there for Jambo's show.  The silent auction was being set up just outside the courtyard and the items that you PHlockers donated were absolutely phenomenal.  The Big Red Captain Morgan chair quickly became the most photographed item at the PHlocking!

The Cedar Island Band kicked off at 8 p.m. and the dance floor filled up immediately.  CIB took a break about 9:30 for our live auction and the drawing for the song board and the fabulous LandShark Bar built by Scott Merrigan with graphics by Jon Iannazzo's nephew, Matt Gorman.  Randy and Marlene Spaise were two very happy PHlockers w hen Randy's name was drawn for the bar.  As soon as the auction was over, the CIB hit the stage again and the dance floor was filled until about 1:30 when CIB closed out their last set. It was great to have Elvis Presley, straight from his gig as the night manager at 7-11, join the CIB for a couple of songs and he did a heckuva cover of Pretty Woman, too!

The final charity results are in and even in these very tough economic times, we raised over $9,200 for our two charities, Huntington's Disease Society of America, MN Chapter and the Anaphylaxis & Food Allergy Association of MN.  I think this is a record for THR which shows your amazing generosity even when we're not in the best of economic times. 

I'd like to send out special thanks for some of the people that made this all possible.  I hope I don't miss anyone, but if I do, someone let me know. 

  • Jambo and the Cedar Island Band for great entertainment.  My dancin' flip flops have holes in 'em.
  • Scott Merrigan, Jon Iannazzo, and Matt Gorman for the exquisite LandShark Bar that brought in a net of $800 after expenses.
  • Dan Hendrix (Doug and Crystal's son) for the great liquor-themed donations --- especially the Big Freakin' Red Captain Morgan chair, the most photographed item at the PHlocking.  His donations brought in over $600.  I'm thinking Jambo/Mini will have to bring that chair to Alpine and Jon I. will bring the double Cuervo chair with the built-in cooler and umbrella.  I'm just hoping that whoever bought the Greg Norman windbreaker won't need that at Alpine!
  • Jeff Ragatz for his frame artwork including the autographed collage that was sold for $500 in the live auction.
  • Kris Morgan, Stumpy, Marilyn Listvan, Jon Gaasedelen and the silent auction and song board Krewe. And to Marilyn for her Live Aution enthusiam and auctioneering!
  • Everyone who donated the great items in the silent auction.  It had to be one of the best, highest quality, silent auction we've ever had. 
  • Brenda and John Fryc for donating and assembling the LandShark Lounge Chair. 
  • Vince and Bridget Smale for donating 2 dinners that were auctioned for a total of $700.
  • Dawn the Artist for another great Buffett-themed Chair --- that looks great in my family room  for now and will look even better on my deck when it gets warmer!
  • Vickie Berg for 2 beautiful quilts that were auctioned for a total of $450.
  • Linda Charnley for donating the chair massages.
  • Heidi Wulf for organizing registration and to everyone who volunteered at registration and made registration hassle-free.
  • Everyone who helped with the decoration, especially Connie Nelson and Terri Merrigan for the table centerpieces and Jon Iannazzo with the big palm tree, the 25' high parrot backdrop for the band, and the beach videos (and Stumpy for providing the projector) that played all night and make the courtyard feel more like Key West than Brooklyn Park, MN.
  • Mike Grogan for organizing the Buffett Buffet - not to mention Grogan's Bar and Grill- and everyone who brought a dish to pass at the Buffett Buffet.  What a spread!
  • Joe Ross who was committee chair and has already volunteered for THR 2011 committee chair.
I just want to say that the 15th Annual THR epitomizes what ParrotHeadonism is all about.  We definitely Partied with a capital P and made sure it was for a great Purpose. 

I think I speak for the great majority of the THR Phlockers..... a great time was had by all and we can't wait for the 16th Annual THR in March, 2011!!!!

PHINS UP!

John Sherwin

To All My Parrot Head Phriends,
Wasn't it fintastic to back once again to where the THR all started, THIS HOTEL ROOM, the Courtyard at the Ramada Inn!  Turn out the lights, turn up the music, put away your watches and cell phones, grab a boat drink and some munchies from the Buffett Buffet, hang out with your Parrot Head Friends....what a great event!  More than enough reason to say that I was glad to be a Parrot Head that night!  Thanks to everyone who came out or in any way helped to support this Hotel Room Phlocking, St MSP's premier event of the year and one of the longest runnin' events in the whole Parrot Head Nation!  Good to see everyone down island for the 15th time!
Hideeho!
Jerry

2nd Annual
BEER BUST

 

Down South Bar and Grill in New Germany filled up with ParrotHeads on Saturday, April 17, to Party with a Purpose at the 2nd Annual St MinneSomePlace Beer Bust.  Our hostess and Down South owner, Jill, had decorated her place in true Parrotphenalia.  Jambo JoeBones kicked off the day of music with his always great Mustache Rock - a mixture of Buffett, rock, country, and his own original songs.  The admission price entitled everyone to 3 hours of FREE BEER - 4-5 pm, 6-7 pm, and 8-9 pm and the beer really did flow like water.  Jambo rocked til 7 pm and then our special guests, Jerry Gontang and Mike Broward hit the stage running.... literally!  Mike and Jerry rocked the place for the next 4 hours.  All the while there were raffles for hats with $50 in the headbands and many other great ParrotHead door prizes.  The Coconut Bra contest was a definite crowd pleaser.  The ladies looked terrific and everyone was a winner!  There was also a live auction and finally the drawing for the main door prize, a Margaritaville Key West Frozen Concoction Machine won by Cindy Petersen.

 

And if Saturday night wasn't enough, we enjoyed the "Fine Line Between Saturday Night and Sunday Morning" Bloody Mary bar on Sunday.  Jill and her crew were up early and had Down South ready for us with a huge bloody mary bar with over 15 ingredients.  You got your vodka and your beer back and took it to the bar and made your own.  Several different mixers, hot sauce, green onions, Slim Jims, pickles, beans, lemons and limes, celery, cheese, and who knows what else was available for the Bloody Marys.  Jerry and Mike were up early, too, to provide the laid-back music for the Sunday morning PHlockers.  Well, at least it started off laid-back.  Tim Wulf was a great teleprompter with Jerry's iPhone for This Hotel Room and Jerry Shea reprised his role as the introducer of Gypsies in the Palace --- In days of old, when knights were bold.........

 

When all was said and done, we had truly Partied with a Purpose.  Saturday with Jambo, Mike and Jer and Sunday with Mike and Jer were both phenomenal and we raised approximately $1500 for the 2nd Harvest Heartland food shelf.

 

So a big PHINS UP to Jill and her staff at Down South and to everyone who came out or who donated on line to make this another in the long line of terrific St MinneSomePlace PHlockings!!

John Sherwin

HDSA



Jim and Patty Goodchild and John Sherwin presented a check for $4750 from St MinneSomePlace in Paradise to the MN chapter of the Huntington's Disease Society of America.  Our Island Inhabitants raised this money at the 15th Annual This Hotel Room (THR) PHlocking.  

Pictured from left to right:  Leigh Peterson-HDSA Regional Development Director (Leigh made the presentation at our BNB Bidness meeting for HDSA), Bryan Viau-President of the MN Board of Directors, John Sherwin, Patty Goodchild, Jim Goodchild-MN Board and St MinneSomePlace member, and Rob Wilkey-MN Board Member. 
Some of the HDSA MN Board members attended THR and saw first-hand how St MinneSomePlace "parties with a purpose" and a couple are making plans to attend our Holiday and Member Appreciation Phlocking because they had so much phun at THR. 

Nationally, HDSA spends 87% of their contributions on their programs and funding research.  HDSA MN is even higher since all of their board members are volunteers.   All of our contribution will be used by the local chapter for programs to help the sufferers of this horrible genetic disease.  

John Sherwin

AFAA

On Sunday, May 16, Sue Hegarty, Carol Sherwin, and John Sherwin presented a check for $4750 to the Anaphalaxis and Food Allergy Association (AFAA) of Minnesota.  This was 1/2 of the phenomenal amount raised at the 15th Annual This Hotel Room PHlocking in March.  The presentation was made at a workshop for children who are food allergic and their parents,  one of the many functions that AFAA holds during the year to raise awareness of food allergies and to give advice to parents of allergic children in things like how to prepare food and snacks, what medicines a child should always carry, how to wash your hands, etc.
AFAA was founded by Nona Narvaez and her husband, Jeff Schafer, when their son, Max, was born with severe food allergies.  AFAA has worked to get a bill passed by the legislature to require all ambulances to carry epinephrine, the only antidote to anaphylaxis.  AFAA sponsors one of the very few food allergy conferences in the US.
In the picture from left to right are Sue Hegarty, John Sherwin, Jeff Schafer, Nona Narvaez, Dr Nancy Ott (Board certified allergist specializing in pediatric allergies), and Max, who was the inspiration for AFAA. 
John Sherwin

KIDS AGAINST HUNGER



Several members of St MinneSomePlace took part in the Kids Against Hunger meal packing event at Xcel Energy Center in conjunction with the Minnesota Wild.  The goal for this 2-day event is to package 200,000 meals which will be shipped via the US Navy to Haiti.  As of the end of the 2nd of 8 shifts, 42,000 meals had been packaged.
Laura Holslin, Denny Thompson, Jon Gaasedelen, Jim Goodchild, Dave Appelbaum and John Sherwin represented St MinneSomePlace very well!
In the pictures, Jon Gaasedelen adds a scoop of powder which is very rich in vitamins and minerals and has the chicken flavoring of the meal in it.  John Sherwin adds a scoop of dehydrated vegetables (carrots, tomatos, bell peppers, celery, and onions).  Dave Appelbaum adds a bigger scoop of soy powder which is very rich in protein, and Jim Goodchild tops it off with a heaping scoop of rice.  Nancy, our honorary Parrot Head for the day, holds the bag for these ingredients under a big funnel.   From here the bag goes to a weigher who makes sure the bag contains between 390 and 400 grams of food.  The weigher adjusts the weight if necessary by adding or removing a small amount of rice.   The bag is heat sealed and packed in a case that contains 36 bags.  Each bag when cooked with 6 cups of water will yield 6 very nutritional, easily digestible meals.  
John Sherwin

CAJUN MARTINI AND AFTERNOON GOLF (CM&AG)


BEACH BUM DAZE

HAMA

(photos provided by Bob Kocon)

 
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