LobsterFest 2005

31^st Annual LobsterFest Just Sneaks in Past Tropical Storm Arlene!

The Chapter's 31st Annual LobsterFest cookout on Saturday, June 11th, at Red Top Mountain State Park in North Georgia just managed to sneak in around the outer bands of tropical storm Arlene as it worked its way north from the Gulf through Alabama and Georgia!  The event was attended by 196 alumni, family, and friends, who consumed 285 lobsters and 200 pounds of mussels!  The rain managed to hold off until after most people had eaten and headed home.  Only the cleanup crew got rained on!

Also in attendance at this year’s event were nine Georgia high school students who have been accepted to the Naval Academy as part of the incoming Class of 2009.  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.

The 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 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!  Of course, Marilyn McCallum brought her secret recipe special sauce for the mussels.

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 Wood (wife of Will ’66), Ann Caldwell (wife of Stewart ’65), Carole Rowland (wife of Mitch ’71), Jody Borer (wife of Paul '70), and Karen Waldrop (wife of Keith '64).  Carol Sue Ravenel (wife of Jim '45) had special duty melting pounds of butter for the lobsters.

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.

From one of the pictures below it looks like Jody Borer put up all of the tables by herself!  However, she had much help from others in the crew including Bill Rentz '55, Stew Caldwell '65, and others.

Our check-in crew was headed by Chapter Treasurer Eric Busko '88, with a team consisting of Jim Ravenel '45, Cherylin and Doug Cutter '64, and Lissa and Tim Phillips '89.  Mitch Rowland '71 sold raffle tickets for bottles of Naval Academy Signature Wines and a $100.00 Home Depot gift certificate.  Mary McElroy '87 and husband Terry '86 handled the decorations this year, with an assist from Jody and Paul Borer '70 on the big gold N-Star that went up on the wall.

Our hard working lobster/mussel/corn cooks were Carl McCallum '60, Steve Frederick ’72, and Paul Borer '70.  A special mention goes to our cook’s assistants, Austin Kent and Darrin McElroy (sons of Mary ‘87 and Terry ’86 McElroy).  They were a great help unpacking and potting the lobsters, plus stacking them into the aluminum serving trays and carrying them inside to the serving line.  Oh, and by the way, official corn tester Bob Schultz '71 was on hand to make sure the corn-on-the-cob was done.

Our duty hamburger and hotdog cook, Mike Donohoo ‘65, was back again this year!  Mike provided bratwurst for the workers early in the day so that they didn’t have to work on empty stomachs until dinner time.  Thanks Mike. Many thanks also to Jim Slemenda '66 who was our beer/wine/soda man again this year!

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!  Though, a few hard corps YMCAers danced in place at their tables.

Thanks to the McCallums 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.

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

Check-in team assembles.	Jody Borer sets up tables... all done, no problem!
Tables start filling.	and filling...
and nearly full!	Our DJ's, the Hansons.
Wicklund family arrives, with lobster-heads!	Gold N-Star is up, courtesy of Mary McElroy '87, with Paul & Jody Borer assisting.
Chip McCallum family.	Julia McCallum.  One more balloon and she'll be flyin'.
Class of 2009 Georgia High School students.	The "Kitchen Queens".
Linda Schultz, Fern Johnson (mom of Sue Rentz), and Carole Rowland.	Jim Ravenel '45 sneaks in and  gets a kiss!  RHIP!
Carol Sue & Jim Ravenel '45 at book sales table.	How many pounds of melted butter?
Corn shucked.  That's not even all of it!	Corn cooking.  Many more pots full to go!
Corn ready!	Lobster delivery truck.
Lobster packaging.  One makes a break for it!	Lobster on the loose!
Loose lobster draws a crowd.	Let's see if he's friendly!
Lobster pot row - the business end of LobsterFest!	Lobster pot row & mussel serving line.
Lobsters cooking.  Ten pots going at once!	Lobsters on their way to the serving line.  Thanks Carl!
More lobsters ready.	Erin & Kelsey McCallum with Lobster!
Cary & Kevin McCallum with the big guys.	The "big guys" are unpacked.
The "big guys" ready to eat!	Mussels right out of the pot!
Mussels are served!	... and served!
... and serverd!  (to Jack Clay '56)	Mussel servers.
Hamburger/hotdog cook Mike Donohoo '65 (standing)	Burgers, dogs... hey, who ate all the bratwurst?!?
Serving line opens!	Serving line moves on
... and on,	... and on.
Carl & Marilyn McCallum brought two of these beauties to mark the event's 31st anniversary!	Linda & Bob Schultz '71.  Hey the Webmaster, and duty camera man, actually got in a picture!
Jaudon table.	Macarena table?  Who knew?  (See next picture!)
Spontaneous do "The Macarena" dance breaks out.	Knoetgen table.
Hill table.	Wood table.
Waldrop table.	Ward table.  (Ahh... the newly-weds!)
Maddox table.	McElroy table.
Alverson (Parents Club) table.	Wicklund table.
Hey, go away... I'm eating lobster here!	McCallums... cook eats last!
More McCallums!	Line Dancers.
Still going!

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