The Capitol Bowl was filled with people young and old. They were ready for a costume contest. After all, a bunch were in costume.
“Okay, let’s have the kids first!” Suddenly, as the youngsters paraded in front of the audience, I realized that I had no idea what to do next. Sue whispered advice which led to my announcing, “We’ll judge using the ‘applause-o-meter.’ . . .” After a few rounds, a winner was selected. Wonder Woman received a $25 gift certificate to the Capitol Bowl.
Then Sue handed out swag to all of the young participants. Eye ball rings. Spider rings. Skull bracelets. Temporary tattoos. Necklaces. The looks on the kids’ faces said that was the best $25 ever spent at a party store.
Time for the adults. We introduced each contestant. I even tried a Swedish accent -- probably poorly done -- for the Swedish cowgirl. Many of the contestants turned around and strutted their stuff. Applause-o-meter. “One more time.” We were down to two finalists. Witch or Flapper? Applause. One received a $25 gift certificate; the other an “Into the Flow” CD.
The crowd cheered. I reminded them to eat, drink, and put money in the tip jars. “And remember the Sneaky Tikis will be back!” Vigorous applause.
While the crowd buzzed about the costumes and the fun being had, the Lava Pups set up to play. We adjusted a few knobs to take the volume down a notch or two.
“We are the Lava Pups. We drew straws with the Love Cats to see who would play after the Sneaky Tikis. We got the short straw.” Laughter.
I hit the chords that begin Mr. Moto, and our set was underway. As we played, I thought about how well we were playing and how much fun the event was. The throbbing pain in the right side of my face disappeared into the exhilaration of performing and sharing our music with others. The Lava Pups were kicking out the jams.
We finished our Link Wray medley with Glenn and my exchanging looks to the ever-accelerating tempo and my semi- or mini-jump.
My wig literally was coming unglued. Hair glue, spray, and paint were not enough to keep it standing on end. Parts were beginning to fall. Oh, oh, my fake hair was losing its body!
And we were not done.
“Okay, let’s have the kids first!” Suddenly, as the youngsters paraded in front of the audience, I realized that I had no idea what to do next. Sue whispered advice which led to my announcing, “We’ll judge using the ‘applause-o-meter.’ . . .” After a few rounds, a winner was selected. Wonder Woman received a $25 gift certificate to the Capitol Bowl.
Then Sue handed out swag to all of the young participants. Eye ball rings. Spider rings. Skull bracelets. Temporary tattoos. Necklaces. The looks on the kids’ faces said that was the best $25 ever spent at a party store.
Time for the adults. We introduced each contestant. I even tried a Swedish accent -- probably poorly done -- for the Swedish cowgirl. Many of the contestants turned around and strutted their stuff. Applause-o-meter. “One more time.” We were down to two finalists. Witch or Flapper? Applause. One received a $25 gift certificate; the other an “Into the Flow” CD.
The crowd cheered. I reminded them to eat, drink, and put money in the tip jars. “And remember the Sneaky Tikis will be back!” Vigorous applause.
While the crowd buzzed about the costumes and the fun being had, the Lava Pups set up to play. We adjusted a few knobs to take the volume down a notch or two.
“We are the Lava Pups. We drew straws with the Love Cats to see who would play after the Sneaky Tikis. We got the short straw.” Laughter.
I hit the chords that begin Mr. Moto, and our set was underway. As we played, I thought about how well we were playing and how much fun the event was. The throbbing pain in the right side of my face disappeared into the exhilaration of performing and sharing our music with others. The Lava Pups were kicking out the jams.We finished our Link Wray medley with Glenn and my exchanging looks to the ever-accelerating tempo and my semi- or mini-jump.
My wig literally was coming unglued. Hair glue, spray, and paint were not enough to keep it standing on end. Parts were beginning to fall. Oh, oh, my fake hair was losing its body!
And we were not done.