The pace of the Isle is picking up with an influx of visitors and friends crossing that bridge to hang out and enjoy what “locals” hopefully don’t take for granted.  Parrot Heads got into the summer spirit at our regular PHirst PHriday PHlocking  at the Emerald Club with PHunky tunes by Scearce and Ketner out in the Tiki Patio while enjoying some great grub and crazy games.  Special guest Chef Jack Synan and his trusty assistant James “I’ll Have Another” Hicks were on hand to cook up a bunch of Jack’s world renowned beer can chickens.   Supplement that with Eddie’s salads and such and you’ve got a great feast for the PHlock to enjoy while laughing at a variety of dressed up loonies.  The theme for this event was “Solid Gold Summer” so people came dressed up in their favorite music era; hippies, Elvis, disco, whatever.  Good times, fun people.  We also collected pennies to help out Atlantic House (a recovery program for adults with mental health illnesses) with their Miles of Pennies fundraiser and added 3500 pennies to their chain.

July’s an R&R month; time to kick back, enjoy the beach, walk/ride/jog the Town’s extended multi-use PATH (hey, we just completed a new section with donated and Town funds that makes the total distance almost 5 miles), work with the Sea Turtle Protection Program (12 nests already!), do some fishing, and just plain ol’ lounge and live it large.  We’ll be resting up for our 10^th Anniversary weekend in August (3^rd through 5^th) with a PHlocking and then an Island Party on Pelican Island.  This is just a FUN raiser with Scearce & Ketner playing tunes, lots of grilled up food, swimming, chilling, games, laughter, and all around fabulous day in the sun coming by boat, kayak, canoe or whatever and enjoying what we have around us with friends and family.

And speaking of friends (nice segue, eh?) don’t forget to wish those Parrot Head friends a big Happy July Birthday, including… Marsha “Turtle” Horner, Natalie “Mrs. Super Trooper” Crumpler, Tara “Unwinding Lady” Dyer, Marilyn Acker, Pat Bills, Bill Lewis, Ann McBeth, John “Church Boy” Dyer, Karran McGlothlin, Carl “Coastal Outlet” Meeks, Robin Sanders, Sue “Susie Cutie” Swiderski, Eric McCuen, Margaret Wells, Janet “Fishing Treasurer” Lewis, Doris “Teeth” Black, Sandra McCuen, and last but certainly not least… Pat “El Presidente’s Neck” Haut.

With summer upon us and the number of people on the Isle and in the surrounding areas increasing like crazy, I have to remind myself and all y’all too… “Slow down, this ain’t the mainland”, “It’s only a movie”, and “Practice random acts of kindness; pay it forward”.  If you’re a visitor and reading this, please remember to respect and be kind to everything and everyone here and you’ll be a more than welcome guest.  One other very serious piece of advice… if you’re inclined to have a cold one (or two, or so), DON’T DRINK and DRIVE (or let anyone else for that matter)!  PHins up, and see you around the Isle.   Ken