LobsterFest 2004

30^th Annual LobsterFest Sets All-Time Attendance Record!

The Chapter's 30th Annual LobsterFest cookout on Saturday, June 5th, at Red Top Mountain State Park in North Georgia set an all-time record for attendance and consumption!  The event was attended by 239 alumni, family, and friends, who consumed 380 lobsters and 240 pounds of mussels!  That's right... we don't mess around!

Also in attendance at this year’s event were several Georgia high school students who have been accepted to the Naval Academy as part of the incoming Class of 2008.  A total of 33 Georgia students received and accepted nominations.  The Chapter extended invitations to them and their parents to join us at the LobsterFest!  Thanks to Cindy Miller ’90 our Area Blue and Gold Coordinator and Tim Phillips ‘89 our Chapter Academy Awareness Rep for coordinating this effort.

This year’s record 380 live Maine lobsters were flown in direct from Captain Morrill's in Brewer Maine a day before the event and "put up for the night" in a Delta reefer at the airport.  Also along for the trip were 240 pounds of mussels!  Marilyn McCallum provided her top-secret custom-made sauce for the mussels.  Yum!

Also available on the serving line was a terrific home-made salad prepared by our "kitchen queens" from fresh vegetables they sliced and diced earlier in the day.  Hundreds of ears of corn and fresh French bread (brought by the Slemendas) were also consumed by day’s end!  This year the “kitchen queens” were again wearing tiaras on their heads (courtesy of Linda Schultz), some of which actually had flashing rhinestones mounted in them.  Linda also provided the kitchen staff with gold lobster lapel pins to adorn their Atlanta Chapter aprons.

Our kitchen queens were:  Marilyn McCallum (wife of Carl '60), Linda Schultz (wife of Bob '71), Sue Rentz (wife of Bill '55), Mary Lou Blair (friend of Sue Rentz), Karen Frederick (wife of Steve '72), Catherine and Will Wood ’66, Ann Caldwell (wife of Stewart ’65), Carole Rowland (wife of Mitch ’71), and Jan Barton (wife of Jon '66).  Our special melted butter chefs were Lisa and Wess Tinkcom (son and daughter-in-law of Sue Rentz).

Volunteers started arriving shortly after 12:00 noon to make preparations for the 4:00pm lobster dinner.  Check-in setup, bar setup, cooking equipment setup, corn shucking, salad making, table setup, decorations, and various other duties were handled by a team of dedicated folks who all put in a full 8-hour day's work on their feet to put on the year's favorite event.

Our check-in crew was Chapter Treasurer Nick Ward ’74 and his friend Jean Jacob, plus Dick Fitzgerald ’62, and Eric Busko ‘88.  Matt Kirby ‘94, sold raffle tickets for the bottles of Naval Academy Signature Wines that were raffled off.  Helena Herger (wife of Mike ’80) handled the decorations again this year, with an assist from Mary McElroy ’87, and a few other roving balloon blowers.

Our hard working lobster/mussel/corn cooks were Carl McCallum '60, Steve Frederick ’72, Al Jones ‘67, and Mike Herger ’80.  A special mention goes to our young cook’s assistants, Austin Kent and Darrin McElroy (sons of Mary ‘87 and Terry ’86 McElroy).  These two youngsters helped unpack and pot the lobsters, plus stack them into the aluminum serving trays and carry them inside to the serving line.  What a great help they were!

We got our duty hamburger and hotdog cook, Mike Donohoo ‘65, back this year after a one-year hiatus!  Mike provided some great bratwurst (surprisingly spicy ones!) for the workers early in the day so that they didn’t have to work on empty stomachs until dinner time.  Thanks Mike. Thanks also to Jim Slemenda '66 who was our beer/wine/soda man again this year!

A big Bravo Zulu goes to the combined classes of the decade of the 50s who won the trivia contest that was Emceed by Mike Herger after dinner.

Musical entertainment was provided again this year by the Hanson's, a local husband-and-wife DJ team.  Somehow we managed to miss the obligatory YMCA line dance this year!

Thanks to the McCallums and Hergers for coordinating the event this year.  And many thanks to all of the volunteers who worked so hard to make this event possible!  It’s an 8-hour day before everything is cooked, served, cleaned up, and put away, most of it spent on your feet and moving!

Bravo-Zulu to all!  (If  I've left anyone out, please e-mail me and let me know.  You all deserve to be listed here for your tremendous efforts.)

The following digital pictures were taken by your trusty Chapter Webmaster Bob Schultz ’71, which is why he (me) is not in many of them!

Click on a thumbnail image to view a full sized picture.

Chapter President Bill Rentz '55, inspects Dick Fitzgerald '62 and the check-in tables!	Check-in team assembles.  Matt Kirby '94, Jean Jacob with Nick Ward '74, Carl McCallum '60 (just hangin' around), and Dick Fitzgerald '62.
The first of the 239 attendees begin to arrive.	LobsterFesters mingle and find the open bar!
Norm Pigeon '61 sets up his flags at the entrance to group shelter #2.	The "Three Amigos" pose with the flags.
The three are: Helena Herger, Linda Schultz, and Sue Rentz.	The "Kitchen Queens": Sue Rentz, Linda Schultz, Mary Lou Blair, Karen Frederick, Marilyn McCallum (careful with that knife!), Ann Caldwell, and Carole Rowland.
More Kitchen Queens on right, Jan Barton and Catherine Wood.  Look at those cucumbers!	Look at those tomatoes!
No store-bought, packaged salad for us!  Not on your life!	Fresh cut and made same day!
How many pounds of melted butter?  Ah... I lost count!	Our butter chefs, Wess and Lisa Tinkcom.
Corn shuckers Jon Barton '66 and Mike Herger '90.	Corn shuckers Steve Frederick '72, and Austin Kent McElroy (son of Mary '87 and Terry '86).
More of the corn shucking team.  Darrin McElroy joined in.	Mike Herger '90, begins lobster pot row assembly with the "duty wrench" provided by Bob Schultz '71.  It makes the trip each year.
Lobster pot row - the business end of LobsterFest!	Lobsters on their way to the serving line.  Thanks Carl!
The live sea critters arrive!	... get stacked.
... and counted!	Helena Herger and Mary McElroy '87, try to spell "N"!!!
Darrin McElroy and Bob Schultz '71 spell-check the "N".	Balloon inflaters.  Hey Jon, careful, don't blow a gasket!
Mussels are served!	... and served!
... and serverd!	... and sauced!
... and sauced some more!	Mussel sauce servers, Linda Schultz, Karen Frederick, and Marilyn McCallum.
Hamburger/hotdog cook Mike Donohoo '65, draws a crowd!	New Chapter member Don Patterson '74 with fiancee Pat, at their first LobsterFest.
First lobsters arrive at serving line for servers Sue Rentz, Karen Frederick, and Linda Schultz.	Serving line opens!
Serving line rolls on.	Cindy Miller '90, with her clan!  Smallest is Class of 2025!
Carl & Marilyn McCallum brought three of these beauties to mark the event's 30th anniversary!	Jeff Lewis '70, first recipient of the fake plastic lobster in the serving line!
Another victim of the fake plastic lobster ploy!	Final plastic lobster victim.  The little plastic lobster was not that frightening, really!
McElroy table.	The Fitzgerald table.  Good seats, huh buddy?!
Young table.	Happy Campers!
Jones table.	Class of '66 table.
Kirby & Busko table.	Candelabra table.

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