ParrotHeads,
A Transfer of Power
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Friday night, June 16 at Deckhand Social, come out and hear the new “Who’s Your Sugar Daddy”. PLUS — Our new BOD will be announced! Woo hoo!! You can still vote if you haven’t. Voting can occur up until Thursday night at midnight!
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From the President, Geno Redmon
“And even if we are occupied by most important things, if we attain honour, or fall into great misfortune — still let us remember how good it was once here, when we were all together, united by a good and kind feeling which made us…better perhaps than we are.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
I have always enjoyed being part of a team, where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. For me, the Panama City Parrothead Club will forever be that kind of organization. We are a diverse collection of revelers, brought together in the celebration of the music and the Margaritaville lifestyle of our muse, one Jimmy Buffett.
Some of us come for the music, some are called to the social aspect, but all of us are enjoined to party with a purpose. Whether we total the monthly charity receipts or the larger dollar amounts we raise in our Super Bowl called Rendezvous, we have raised over $500,000 supporting all manner of local charities, almost too numerous to remember them all. And along the way we have formed some very close friendships, thrown millions of beads, claimed to be pirates and pilots looking back at 40, collected toys and school supplies, partied with a purpose, and yes, eaten a few of Grandma’s brownies. And as I write this letter we have an active membership of over 500 members….man I’ve lei’d a lot more women than I could ever imagine, and promised to “be a good Parrothead so help me God and Top Gun Maverick.”
And like any good team, we didn’t do any of this alone, we did it together. I owe so much to so many members of this club I can’t begin to list them all but at least I can acknowledge the board of directors I I had the honor of serving with, members at large Rick Fasciglione and Pat Hart who were the men in charge of our wonderful float. Ken and Sharon Boyk, who worked merchandise tirelessly for nearly seven years and most recently threw themselves at organizing all of our charities. They have reorganized our storage area countless times and bought hundreds of boxes of beads back from Mobile for our parades, Judy Jenson who created more wreaths and baskets than one person could conceive, Jerry Swank who served as secretary and organized a magnificent Christmas party, Vickie Bennet also filled in as secretary and most recently has taken on the duty of team photographer. In fact Vickie served as our treasurer for several years automating processes and tracking thousands of dollars during the Hurricane Michael days. Marty Weddle has served as more than an excellent treasurer, he has been the steady hand, the voice of reason and a wonderful friend and confidant for life. And to Brenda Weddle who ran membership and wrote up countless membership applications…well not really countless…more like 515. And finally my best friend Jeff Brewer, who served as co-president, the real brains of the operation, chief innnovation officer, and with his band of Camaros he was our own in house band. Jeff’s constant desire to automate our processes took the club into the 21st century. We talked nearly every evening as he gained inspiration and insight after a few Miller Lites. As Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, about the scarecrow, “I will miss you the most.” I consider each of these members as friends, as family, and we cherished our board meetings just because we loved getting together.
I am so very proud of what we have accomplished. I am so happy to have been part of our worthy work.
My momma always said, “Leave the party while you are still having fun.” And I am still having a ball. And I leave thankful that this board of directors has been a good steward of this wonderful organization.
Thank you for letting Kristen and I share the magic our club created. And we will still be at as many meetings as we can be, while taking some trips on our bucket lists.
I am supremely confident that the new board of directors let by Pat Mudd will truly take this club to a different level.
Let me say to you all , thanks for the fun, thanks for the memories, and as Jeff has always said, “Ain’t it great to be a Parrothead?” And I don’t need Dostoyevsky to tell me, we all found our better selves working together and partying with a purpose. Lets continue to look for that “lost shaker of salt.”
Geno Redmon, President, PCPHC 2021-23
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Yes we are now at 515 members!!
HOW COOL IS THAT?
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YOU CAN STILL VOTE IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY!
Here are the nominees!
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Steve McDonald, Member at Large
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I am asking for your vote as Director at Large because I’m pretty good at directing large things. I have the Parrothead spirit of general nonsense and frivolity. I bring years of musical and adult concoction knowledge to the table. Most importantly though, I beleive in the cause of raising funds for our local community charities.
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Diane Hodgdon – Member at Large
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I accepted the nomination for Member at Large for several reasons, but the main reason is because I love being a Parrot Head, and also what belonging to this group means. I enjoy attending and participating at the monthly meetings as we try to raise as much money as we can for lots of worthy charities. Meeting new members and making new friends is also high on the list. It is by forming these bonds with the members that I feel I can help to bring their voices to the meetings. I look forward to helping give our over 400 members a way to be heard and be more a part of the goings on within the club. Thank you for considering me for Member at Large.
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I think I would be a good fit as a Member at Large as I would be willing to communicate other people’s needs to the board.
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Jordan Michael Hollingsworth – Member at Large
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Rhonda Grainger – Member at Large
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Thus far my time in the Parrothead Club has been such a great adventure. I’ve enjoyed meeting new people and really appreciate the new friends that have made me feel so welcome. I’d love the opportunity to help spread the feeling of camaraderie and community that I’ve experienced. Side note – I also love to dance!
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Bill White – Member at Large
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Fellow Parrotheads,
When my wife, Jill, and I moved to PCB over the New Years Day weekend of 2023 and attended out first Parrothead meeting at Margaritaville in January we had no idea of the many great adventures ahead 🙂
As new members to the Panama City Parrothead Club we dove in headfirst not only attending monthly meetings but got involved in charity opportunities. We had the pleasure of meeting James “Tip” Tipton, founder of the Florida Panhandlers Golf Therapy Alliance, at a meeting and volunteered at his fundraiser at the Bay Point Golf Club. What a wonderful event, I would encourage all members to support Tip’s non-profit organization for veterans with disabilities, Goldstar families and veterans with PTSD, flpanhandlegolf.orgI have been nominated and accepted nomination as a member at large to the Parrothead board of directors for the next cycle. I am asking for your support and pledge to support the Parrothead Club and the membership.
Thanks for your consideration and God bless,
Bill White
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Beth Sturdivan – Secretary
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I feel both qualified and excited to serve on the Panama City Parrot Head board of directors as secretary. You may know me as the stand in for club photographer Vickie, or as one of the Rendezvous raffle and auction team. I also brainstormed and organized the cake auction to benefit Hurricane Ian relief. I have served on the boards of much less prestigious organizations in different capacities and understand the commitment and diligence it takes to do a good job without losing my ever loving mind. My background as a special education educator, and as a real estate agent has provided experience and patience in communicating with all types of individuals, including tipsy, unfocused or distracted. I have some specific ideas to help enrich the club, and increase member involvement. Through well thought out strategies, effective communication, and planning, or with alcohol bribery, my hope is to work with the team to help implement and improve ways to party with a purpose!
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Hi, my name is Sommer Orr. I am a relatively new member of the PCPHC. My husband (Kevin) and I moved to PCB a little over a year ago, knowing very few people and embarking on a brand-new journey of empty nesting and retirement (partially) all at once. We were introduced to the PCPHC by one of our awesome neighbors, and instantly found ourselves surrounded with some of the most amazing friends and family anyone could hope for. I accepted the nomination for secretary to hopefully be to all new members what this group has been to me. A place to belong.
I was also asked to give a little background on my qualifications. I have served on the board of directors for two other organizations in multiple positions from board member to vice president. I currently work part time as the CFO for a non-profit in Africa. Since I am accustomed to working 60+ hours a week, and now work around 10, I have plenty of time to dedicate to helping continue and grow our drive to “Party with a Purpose”!
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Heidi Fehling – Treasurer
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Hello Phriends! I am excited to have the opportunity to run for treasurer of PCPHC. I have been involved with several nonprofit organizations in my lifetime, including being a long-standing board member of East TN Pilots association, Skyranch Airport and Captain at the Blount County Rescue Squad. With that being said, I realize the amount of time that it takes to be a board member. My husband and I own an e-commerce business that specializes in home improvement products and have been doing so since 2015. In addition, I also manage our two rental properties. Besides counting all the booty, my goals as treasurer would be to continue what Marty has already started by streamlining the member application process. I’d also like to get more members involved in leadership roles — we have a lot of talented members that could help our club get to a new level and achieve more than we have ever done. As all of us set sail on a new adventure, we will have our new captains steering the ship, with our former fearless captains by our side to make the transition of the new board a smooth transition —plus they know a lot more than we do.  � Fins up Parrotheads! Let’s set sail and find that lost shaker of salt!
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Jimmy Dotson – Vice-President
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I have over 40 years of experience in public service. Having retired from the USAF and Urbana Fire Department in Illinois my focus has been on helping others in need.
As an Assistant Chief I have hours and hours and hours, did I mention hours of training in managing people, events, conducting training, responding to calls, and putting out fires! Any organization including our Parrot Head Club has the occasional spot fire and I want to help extinguish those as quickly and smoothly as possible.
I currently work with a diverse group at a software company that provides applications for fire departments, EMS Agencies, and hospitals. There are many voices from many backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. Lots of great ideas that require collaboration and prioritization. We have great ideas coming from fellow PCBPH. As a board member working with the rest of the board, we can facilitate those ideas and move them forward to Party With a Purpose!
The “nominees” for the board have already been meeting, we work well together but know we cannot do it all. If elected, we plan to rely on the past board members (who are being more than generous in their guidance) and our fellow Parrot Heads for help!
We must have group participation to pilot our Pirate Ship. We have over 400 members now with lots of talent. Step on up Matey’s raise the sails and jump on board!
That’s enough of an introduction cuz it is 5 O’clock somewhere and there’s a party going on without me!
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As a candidate for President of the Panama City Parrot Head Club, I would like to share my experiences that I feel qualify me for the position. For over 15 years (and for the foreseeable
future), I have run my own civil engineering consulting business. During that time, I was President of the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers for 2 years, President of our HOA for 3 years and Chairperson of our County wide Chamber of Commerce. I am not a musician or a performer, but a businessman. As such, I understand the importance of building consensus,
setting specific objectives, and maximizing the diverse talent and expertise of our membership as we plan memorable social events that entertain us and benefit our community. One of my goals would be to create new committees to tackle tasks identified by the Board with which we need member support to implement. I have found that being a member of this club has been both rewarding and fulfilling. We have
made some great friends and enjoyed a lot of great music. I would be honored to be elected President of the club as we continue to Party With A Purpose.
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IMHO–we got a GREAT group of folks running for office! Excited for the future!
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Finally, remember our online store:
You can get all kind of stuff here, even Rendezvous 2023 gear, make sure you check it for t-shirts, hats, most everything!
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