In March we started out the new “club year” at the North Shore Golf Course Members’ Lounge for an evening with our old Phriend, Gene Mitchell. The music was great, as always and we made some new phriends. Thanks go out to the North Shore Members for sharing their clubhouse and the evening with us.
A large group of PHOPS members headed down to the Bay area for a weekend of Jimmy Buffett concerts. The largest attendance was to the St. Patrick’s Concert at the San Jose Arena, complete with the San Jose Sharks mascot flying overhead. Speaking of concerts, some members also headed down to Southern California to attend concerts in Irvine and San Diego in April.
April also found us skating “Fools” hanging out with the Keets at Roll-a-way Roller Rink and heading across Puget Sound to the Suquamish Clearwater Casino to see the new Jimmy Buffett tribute band called the "Parrot Heads" with a Pre-Party at Wendy's home in Poulsbo.
The Zoo was the Happening Event in May and several Phamilies got together to spend a day with the animals (the one’s in cages as well as certain PHOPS members).
June was a busy month: we spent a Phantastic weekend at the Atlee Families’ Beach House On The Columbia (BHOTC). Water Phun, Great Phood and Phantastic Phriends made the weekend an enjoyable event. And JIMMY was there bigger than life!
Washington Summer Microbrew Festival June 16th and 17th provided us with a volunteer opportunity. We worked selling tickets at the entrance gate, getting paid by the hour, which we donated to the Starlight Children’s Foundation. We had a great turnout of PHOPS members and had a terrific time with the festival guests. The coordinators of the event, Bold Hat Productions enjoyed us as much as we enjoyed our time there.
July 3rd was our BIGGEST annual event/phundraiser, The TIN CUP CHALICE. This year we raised $1,300.00 each for Fred Hutchinson and Wolf Haven International. This event grows every year, thanks to the hard work of our Phops members, Curt & Dawn Dempsey & their Phantastic crew there at North Shore Golf Course. This year we were introduced to Scott Bryan, a local musician who loves to play Jimmy Buffett music. After the Golf Phestivities, he treated us to some “Six String Music” & the evening ended with the “Paint the Sky Fireworks” provided by North Shore.
Later in the month we held our Second Annual PHOPs night with the Mariners. Seventy-five people turned out for this event which is turning into a Phops family favorite tradition. Some of the phunds raised went to adopt a Manatee and an Orca in the name of The Parrot Heads of Puget Sound.
In August Dave’s Annual Cheeseburger in Bothell Bash was a success. For several years in a row, Dave has invited Phriends, neighbors, local law enforcement and the Fire Fighters of Bothell to his home for some tasty treats, lots o’ suds, the music of Scott Bryan and JELLO SHOTS to celebrate the end of the summer. A ton of food was also donated for Northwest Harvest.
August also found us at the phirst Ever Keet Kampout. Salt Water Park in Des Moines was the setting and Barbara came up with some phun activities. Keets hiked, had a scavenger hunt, made flamingo wreaths, ate smores and had an almost unending tournament of a beanbag toss game she brought with her from St Louis.
September was a month none of us will ever forget. Our lives were forever changed by the events of September 11th. There probably wasn’t a single member who did not feel the effect of this tragedy yet we found support in each other and forged ahead with a membership appreciation Bar-B-Q at the home of Kathy and Russ Chase. Scott Bryan was on hand to entertain us and was wonderful as usual. While we had previously planned on raising phunds for another charity, members overwhelmingly decided to support the 9-1-1 Fireman’s Relief Fund in New York. Phriends & PHOPS members raised more than $900.00 for that cause. The afternoon ended with a club choir rendition of God Bless America and probably more than ever we were grateful for the Phriends we have in PHOPS.
Later that month we were invited back to work with Bold Hat Productions, this time it was Freemont Oktoberfest. The funds earned there also went to the 9-1-1 Fireman’s Relief Fund. This event lasted two and a half days and provided opportunities for members and keets to participate. Then to wrap the Month up, the LAND SHARKS swam on the land all the way up to the Suquamish Clearwater Casino which we kicked off with another Phabulous pre-party at Wendy’s in Poulsbo.
Early in October in a joint effort between PHOPS and the Starlight Children’s Foundation we hosted a Tropical Party for the children at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma. With our good Phriend, Scott Bryan for entertainment, we were able to share an unforgettable evening with the kids and their families. Most of the kids there were seriously ill or injured. With the help of the Tacoma McDonalds, we were able to enjoy Cheeseburgers in the paradise we created for them with decorations, leis and tropical gifts. The kids received gift bags from Starlight, which included kazoo’s from us and stuffed animals as well as other items to keep them entertained during their stay in the hospital. Many of the children could not leave their rooms so special arrangements were made so that Scott could play music for them in their own rooms. Starlight provided photos so we could all share in the magic. These kids touched our hearts in a huge way and our thoughts continue to be with them.
Later that month the largest group of PHOPS members ever headed to Key West Florida for the 10th Annual Meeting of the Minds (MOTM) for the celebration of the “Decade on Duval.” Twenty-four of us made it there and back, despite Hurricane Michele. MOTM was cut short as the State of Florida ordered the evacuation of all tourists from the Keys. Some of us heeded…and some of us didn’t. It was apparent that if you didn’t get out early you weren’t getting out any time soon. The rental cars were all gone, there were no more planes taking off and no other transportation available. Most of us were staying at Marrero's Guest Mansion & the owners, Jody, Heather and John made us right at home throughout the storm. When it finally hit, the eye had moved so far south that Key West only got wind and rain. Before things got too bad, we were able to spend a morning at Nancy’s Secret Garden, the last undeveloped acre in Key West. We had raised money for the birds earlier in the year and as a “thank you,” Nancy arranged for us to have a hands on experience with some really beautiful birds.
Once home the PHOPS Phamilies got together again for the second annual Keet Bowling outing and PHOPS Unbirthday Party. The Phirst ever High Score Bowling Pen went to Missy Hower. The unbirthday tradition of exchanging tropical gifts produced some really beautiful items this year. It turned out to be a great combination of events and the start of a new tradition.
The year wrapped up with unwrapped “Toys for Tots” and a holiday get-together at the home of Ron and Cindy. Through the generosity of PHOPS members, we filled the empty space under their Christmas tree to the point of overflowing and looked like a child’s dream come true. We also brought food for Northwest Harvest. The holiday ornament exchange was a hit and the PHOPS members outdid themselves in finding new and unique Buffett themed ornaments.
This year the club found some inventive ways to raise phunds while enjoying our standard Opportunity Drawings and Raffles. We found out that we have some very talented Parrot Heads amongst us and proved what we knew all along, Parrot Heads are a great group of people. We managed to have a ton of Phun and raise around $6,000.00 for charities such as Make a Wish, Nancy’s Secret Garden, Starlight Children’s Foundation, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Wolf Haven International, The 9-1-1 Fireman’s Fund and more. 2001 will be remembered for the good things we have been able to accomplish.