Good Morning All Parrot Heads!
As usual we had a great tailgate and concert in Tampa last night! I want to thank the Sarasota Club, and Virtual Parrot Head and everyone on the Tampa Tailgate committee for a great time….it’s a lot of work to prepared for so much Phun…you did a Phantastic job!
Below is an article that came out in Friday’s Tampa Tribune…I included the link at the bottom as well….it does great job of telling our story as Parrot Heads….it continues to be honor to serve and be a part of this great organization.
By CLOE CABRERA
The Tampa Tribune
Published: March 30, 2012 Updated: March 30, 2012 - 12:00 AM
"When Bill Connolly calls his wife, Helen, on her cellphone, his ringtone is "If the Phone Doesn't Ring It's Me."
When Helen phones her husband, a cover of "Brown Eyed Girl" plays.
What else would you expect from two die-hard Jimmy Buffett fans and members of the Tampa Bay Parrot Heads in Paradise Club?
"We love Jimmy Buffett, we love his music and we love being with other like-minded people," said board member Bill Connolly during a recent meeting of the Tampa Bay Parrot Heads at Whiskey Joe's." "We love to have a good time, but we also party with a purpose."
The Connollys will join thousands of other kindred souls in welcoming their patron saint, Jimmy Buffett, tonight to the 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds.
The couple will set up the portable tiki hut Bill built three years ago for tailgating parties with the palm-frond roof dubbed "Landshark." You can bet it will be overflowing with that frozen concoction to help them hang on several hours before the concert starts at 8 p.m. The tailgating is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. in the parking lot. Food, live music, contests and raffles also will be included.
"We're a parrot head club on steroids," said Helen Connolly with a laugh.
The Parrot Heads actually started celebrating Buffett's arrival last Saturday with a pre-pre party at Quaker Steak & Lube, and a pre-party Thursday at Green Iguana. In between, the club holds meetings the first and third Wednesdays of each month at Whiskey Joe's.
From 100 to 200 members "phlock" (Parrot Heads replace "f' s" with "ph") to the meetings. Many of the men wear Hawaiian shirts; some come with toy parrots perched on their shoulder; some wear Mardi Gras beads and walk around barefoot in the sand.
"They come here because of Jimmy Buffett," said Vera Moore, known as "Queen Vera." She greets everyone with a hug and a kiss. "They stay here because they find love and acceptance. We're like one big, happy family."
Walter Walker III couldn't agree more.
As a band sang Buffett tunes on stage, he shared how Buffett and the Parrot Heads helped him through a painful divorce in 2003.
"I was lonely, and I was looking for family and friends and someplace where I fit in," said the Land O' Lakes Web designer. "I walked into my first meeting, and Vera gave me a big hug, and I immediately felt so much love and warmth. I was one of the first black members to join."
Walker, who has seen Buffett in concert 13 times, said Buffett's music puts him in a "Margaritaville" state of mind, particularly when times are tough.
"It's that tropical lifestyle he sings about," Walker said, swaying to the music. "It's very easygoing and relaxed, just like it is here. You can come here and just be yourself. There's no drama, just hugs all over."
Carol Korotkow attended her first Parrot Head meeting this month after running into some members at a St. Patrick's Day celebration in Ybor City.
After mingling a few hours, downing a few shots and dancing to some Buffett tunes, the Clearwater nurse was ready to join the flock, er, phlock.
But first, she had to take the Parrot Head oath, administered by a member they call "Cougar": I, (your name), promise to be a good Parrot Head, to volunteer when called upon, save the manatees, help clean the beaches and, most of all, go out there and meet some of the greatest people in the world."
The oath was followed by a team shot of "Sex on the Beach," then Korotkow was an official Parrot Head. Even the rain couldn't put a damper on this Parrot Head party.
"I'm the flip-flop queen," said an enthusiastic Korotkow after taking the oath. "(I joined) because I wanted to tailgate at Jimmy Buffett concerts. And (Parrot Heads) know how to tailgate. This is a fun bunch."
That's all good, said Dorothy Bedlin, the club's "first mate" (vice president). But there's a lot more to being a Parrot Head.
Outsiders might think they're just a bunch of free-spirited, sun-drenched, tequila-downing slackers, but Parrot Heads have charitable hearts, Bedlin said.
"We want to leave the world a better place than when we came into it," she said. "And we want to have a blast doing it."
Case in point: The Tampa Bay Parrot Heads raised more than $18,000 last year to benefit charities, including Save the Manatee, Florida Parrot Rescue, Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, Clearwater Marine Aquarium and Shriners Hospitals for Children. They put in more than 1,400 volunteer hours cleaning beaches, they help build oyster domes for Tampa Bay Watch and they hold an annual "flip-flop" drive to benefit local children's homes. This month, the Tampa group joined forces with seven Central Florida Parrot Head clubs for "Music on the Bay," an event that featured 14 bands and entertainers to raise money for Shriners Hospitals for Children.
"There are a lot of opportunities here to be an example for others," said Bryan J. Crews, the club's "skipper."
The Tampa Bay Parrot Heads club received its charter from Parrot Heads in Paradise in 1994. It has a membership of about 500, making it the third-largest club in the country.
Crews expects those numbers to swell as Buffett takes the stage here and people discover how much the Tampa Bay Parrot Head club offers.
"We're proof you can enjoy life, care for other people and the environment without being judged," said Crews, a former minister. "This is where you come to have a good time, do good work and feel safe. No matter what's going on in your life, no one is judged here."
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww2.tbo.com%2Fentertainment%2Fentertainment%2F2012%2Fmar%2F30%2Ffxnewso8-jimmy-buffett-ar-386082%2F&h=RAQG-TuHQAQGG7HHxIKEPncIjNL6hGzft1-ZNd9I0yfr69Q
Fins Up!
Bryan Crews
Skipper & President of the
Tampa Bay Parrot Heads in Paradise Club
