Wisconsin party prize winners
Pat Jensen
This year’s Brewer Spring Training party was a great success with 207 people attending. The day began with a greeting from our Hot Dog Greeter, Sue White. After a lively social hour everyone settled in to their seats. Our emcee, Rich Elliott, got the ball rolling with our annual card game. There were three lucky winners. Then he introduced our guest speaker, Mr. Bob Uecker (via video) who entertained us with his Baseball Hall of Fame acceptance speech. He is really a funny guy and the crowd was laughing constantly. Then we moved on to a Brewer trivia game which got everyone thinking about baseball. The day ended with the raffle prizes being handed out to many lucky winners.
Additionally, we collected $837 and donated it to the Southwest Lending Closet.
A big thank you to everyone who helped put this day together and also to all who attended. It isn’t a great party unless you are there. See you next year on February 24, 2019.
California State party rocked
Marsha Schneider
Two years ago, PebbleCreek survived the ‘Big One’ when Gary Jensen and his band of merry men and women put on one of the biggest and zaniest state parties ever. Who would have thought they could do it again? They did!
On Sunday, March 4 PebbleCreek rocked and rolled as the ‘Big One’ struck again with an earthquake reenactment! The Ballroom was jammed packed with a sold-out crowd of 370 awestruck PebbleCreekers as a parade of talent dazzled and amazed.
“This is great!” one Creeker exclaimed, as Mickey Mouse (Patti Wegenhaupt), Minnie Mouse (Susie Moy) and Donald Duck (Martha Urbin) mixed and mingled with the crowd, hamming it up and posing for photographs.
“Fantastic!” said another, as slides of everyone’s favorite state flashed across the big screen, compliments of Mike Morgan, Gary’s friend from, you guessed it, California.
PebbleCreeker’s cadre of talented singers Doug Christensen, Patrice Cole, Nancy Davis, Pat Ingalls and Bart Ventura wowed the audience with their renditions of classic songs like I Won’t Dance and I Left My Heart in San Francisco. The party goers were delighted by the crazy antics of the ‘Magnificent Six’: Don Belonax, Rich Elliott, Tony Gonzales, Rich Karp, Dan Rea and Ted Wallace, as our very own The Village People, The Bee Gees and Mariachis. The crowd danced to the music of Pebble Rock Band and DJ Mike Donaghu (The Music Man).
In honor of the Sunday Academy Awards, we had our own red carpet stars: Arnold Schwarzneeger (Don Belonax), Ronald Reagan (Dan Rea), Marilyn Monroe (Ted Wallace), Cisco and Poncho (Rich Elliott and Tony Gonzales) and Yosemite Sam (Rich Karp).
Even Melissa Kallet, the party’s M.C. and comic extraordinaire, was struck speechless as the lights dimmed and the audience was awed and delighted with Gary’s own version of the Disney Electrical Parade led by Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck, the ‘Magnificient Six’, ‘Elsa and Ana’ (Frozen) Janet Crombie, Audrey Morgan and Irene Gonzales, followed by amazing floats of Disney’s Magic Castle, the Golden State Bridge and the Hollywood sign.
A special thank you to Bevy Hogan who donated $1000 from the Jack Hogan Charitable Foundation for the New Life Center along with $591 from the CA State Party 50/50 Raffle.
And another special thank you to Alex Lucas and Judy Hale for the amazing floats, Lynn Lucas, Janet Miazga and Lori Rea for the creative decorations, Chris ‘Rappy’ Raptoplous for the amazing earthquake set, the ‘Magnificent Six’, the Tuscany Falls catering staff and to Gary and his committee: Don Belonax, Janet Crombie, Tony Gonzales, Lynn Lucas, Dennis Miazga, Bruce Otzmann, Ed Schneider and Ted Wallace, for giving us an evening of glamour, fun and fond memories.