18 Sep 2005
The First Palooza
Well by now you’ve heard, read or witnessed the power and might what be the PiratePalooza. Here I be, nursin’ a pail o’ water and a wet rag fer me forehead and rememberin’ the truly wonderous things we seen at the Palooza. We seen the lost boys leapin’ about like scalded ass apes in Eddie’s Attic til we be chased down to the Brick Store fer a bit o’ food and a nip o’ that fancy Belgian beer what everybody be ravin’ bouts. Belgium, man, BELGIUM!
The march down to The Angel were quite special, attractin’ more than a few of the folk what hadn’t heard about the PiratePalooza. We were happy to provide a bait o’ shirts to the pirate faithful and newcomers alike, the new folk were some of our favorites.
It be fairly obvious to anyone that were there that the PiratePalooza were entirely indebted to the skillful songs o’ the minstrels. I doff my tricorner to the Lost Boys, to Miss Juliana Finch, to Wine, Woman & Song, to Joni Minstrel, to Susan Hickey, to the Brogues and to Three Quarter Ale. If you didn’t buy a CD from each of them then more’s the shame, for they all have incredible albums that you’ll find yourself singin’ along to all year (and didn’t some of you wish that you’d known the words to some o’ them songs??).
Our thanks to the fine folks at Eddie’s Attic, The Brick Store and The Angel. Their hospitality was a treasure. I’ve heard that folks weren’t happy with the wait for beer at some of the venues. Please, mark that down as a teethin’ pains… none of the bars expected the turnout we received. I was given a definite nod that next year they’ll all be ready (assumin’ that anyone wants to come to the Palooza ever again).
A HUGE tip and my never-endin’ thanks to the folks what helped to plan the PiratePalooza: Capn’ Mal Feasance (Geoffrey Brown, who is currently starring in the Dad’s Garage production of “Rocky Horror Picture Show”), Tall Drink o’ Rum (Tracy Wilson, a reporter for a company that tells you “how come stuff works dot something”) and Naughty Nellie Peachbottom (our pub mistress who’s been sorely missed by the pub sing regulars). Without these three this would have never gotten off the deck.
And here’s to my friends Dwight and Barbara who took the time to pick up our errant order of T-shirts. Without those two you’d have all had to go to sleep without clothes and who wants to do that? Okay, please all of you put your hands down now.
And finally, here’s jolly good luck to the company… that be YOU. Without YOU we couldn’t have ever done the PiratePalooza and mark my words: you’ll be braggin’ to people one day that you were there for the very first PiratePalooza in Dectarrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, Georgia. You will, trust me on that – has Cap’n Drew ever steered you wrong?
I’m sure that there’ll be more congratulations and recriminations later, but for tonight I bid you all farewell until the black spot is issued again. Until that time, keep your pegs polished, your hooks sharp and keep reachin’ for the spars.
This be your old Cap’n Drew puttin’ a big fat “The End” on this year’s Palooza. I’ll have more information in a few days about the T-shirts what we’ve left over, so stop by later.