PHINS TO THE WEST CHRONICLES

Chapter One: The Dreams

Many years ago, a Parrothead from Los Angeles stumbled into the AVI Resort in Laughlin, Nevada. Now being that all Parrotheads are phriendly, outgoing, and phun loving, this Parrothead thought this place would lend itself to the Parrothead nation for a great event. As he began to ask questions, much to his surprise, the General Manager, Les Clavir was a fellow Parrothead and that the AVI had a Parrothead weekend event in summer. Well, thought Jim Hill, the LA Parrothead, let me go back and talk to my club and see if we can build a bigger event.

Across the border and over in Arizona, another Parrothead had visions of his own. Pete Ferralli aka 'Headbeak' had dreams of a regional parrothead event out on the west coast. Pete had been to several of the great regional events on the east coast and wanted to bring that accessibility and experience to all the Parrotheads out west. Someday he thought, this will happen.

Chapter Two: Reality at Last

In 2003 Parrotheads from all over migrate to Long Beach, California for Migration. This annual event always proved to be a successful 'party for a purpose'. But this year the AVI sent a spy to see how such a successful event was run. Jim was aware of the spy and knew this was the perfect chance at last. The parrothead club from Arizona had migrated on this event. Some of the LA club members are also members of the Arizona club. While Jim and Pete were having drinks and lounging in the pool, they began to swap dreams and ideas. What Jim had found and Pete envisioned seemed to be the perfect fit. They decided to corner the spy and do some talking. In the end, Pate and Jim agreed to take it back to their respective Boards and get approval to go forward with this event.

In late 2003 a group from the Arizona and Los Angeles clubs met with Les Clavir and his management team. After tough negotiations, we had a weekend picked out, room rates negotiated, an entertainment contribution, food costs and 99 cent Coronas and Margaritas for the weekend. What Parrothead could turn this down? In return for the AVI's contributions to this event it was decided to donate 50% of all charity funds raised to the Indian Reservation Aha Macav Boy's & Girl's Club. Now, Pete being the communications expert that he is, got the word out quickly to many of his fellow club leaders. There was to be the first PHINS TO THE WEST event in Laughlin, Nevada in April 2004.

Chapter Three: The First Year

While Pete worked the communications with the help of his partner in crime, Doug Murray, Jim worked on getting a web site ready and an artwork design put together. Patti Kochanek worked on lining up entertainers and finding sponsors. Pete, the keeper of the budget and break even study gave us our limited phuns and told us to work miracles. Kelli Wesolowski was in charge of the money and registration, Sandi Murray and Kathy Ferralli, 'The Flamingo Queens' were in charge of amusement and zaniness. Steve Wesolowski, the 'Raffle King' took care of raffles and silent auction. Nina Hill was in charge of 'goody bags' and T-shirts. Mike Billings headed up the Security Committee and served as a liaison between AVI Security and fun-loving Parrot Heads.

April 2004, PHINS TO THE WEST happened. With very few glitches, 289 people migrated to the AVI resort for a weekend of phun. From Friday morning through Sunday morning the AVI was 100% Buffett. They had Jimmy's music and videos going continuously. We had a slot tournament, pool side music and cheeseburgers in the afternoon, great nightly music and partying in the Pavilion until the wee hours of the morning. The competition between the LA club and the Sarasota club in selling raffle tickets led to scantily dressed women having too much phun. There were 15 participating clubs in this event. We raised enough money to give $5,000 to the Aha Macav Boy's & Girl's Club. The remaining charity money went to the participating clubs. The Committee, tired and weary, heard praises of 'Great Party', 'Can't wait for next years' and 'Please give us more down time, we need sleep'. Thanks to all the generosity and hard work by the founding committee, PHINS TO THE WEST was a success. And how do we measure that success, the AVI an out of tequila and Coronas.

Chapter Four: PTTW Number Two

How do we make it bigger and better in 2005. It was for certain that we needed more help. It was fortuitous that Alan Conklin, who had founded the Colorado River Club, was a natural fit to join the founding clubs and become part of the Board. The enthusiasm and commitment that Alan bought to the group was a great addition. In order to become a partnering club with PTTW, you must donate to the silent auction and contribute man hours to the event. All hours are reported to PHIP in your club's name as well as the financial contribution to the charities. Your club is also posted on the web site with a link to your club's webpage. This proved to be a successful formula and increased the participation for 2005.

Now with extra help where do we start? It was decided that we needed to change our charity donation policy and add a National Charity Organization. All partnering clubs would be given credit for the donation to this organization as a whole. The American Children's Cancer Research Fund was chosen. Now all monies raised for Charity would go to the Boys & Girls Club and the American Children's Cancer Research Fund.

Next we decided to take over the entertainment for the entire AVI Resort for the weekend. Thanks to all of Patti Kochanek's hard work, we accomplished this undertaking. But what we forgot to realize is that we were competing with ourselves and many of us struggled with where we wanted to go and which musicians we wanted to see. Lesson well learned. It won't happen again.

Another change this year was that the entertainment started a day earlier. Seems Parrotheads like to get a head start on the weekend and party early. We accommodated that with pre-partying and for those seasoned partiers added an extra day on Sunday with the Song Writer's fest.

In April 2005, 298 Parrotheads made PTTW another great success. It started in the Arrowweed Lounge on Thursday night and was non stop phun the entire weekend. The entertainers where energized and you never knew who was going to show up on stage to harmonize on any song. There were terrific items to out bid each other on in the silent auction. The late nighters were given an opportunity to win great door prizes Friday and Saturday night. The AVI provided some great meals and a wonderful poolside cheeseburger lunch. Their hard working staff would enjoy the craziness as they provided great service. The slot tournament was a success again this year.

This year was very special to us and the Parrothead's from Seattle who chose this event to tie the knot. Saturday morning, poolside, Gordy Bryan & Karen Walter became one. Keeping with a tropical theme, one attendee decides HE would wear the proper attire of a grass skirt and coconut bra to go with the flower lei. Ahh, the memories. And every year they can celebrate there love at PTTW with a few hundred of their closest phriends.

Thanks to all our partnering clubs and their efforts, we increased our attendance and the donation to our charities.

Chapter Five: PTTW Number three

PTTW 2006 is well under way. The construction plan is completed and there are some great changes in store for everyone. First, you can mark your calendars in ink. From now on, PTTW will be the first weekend in MAY. Second, we are in the Beach Tower at the AVI resort. And if you didn't procrastinate and registered early, you will have a great view of the river and the brand new pool area. Yes, we get to christen a new lagoon pool along the river front of the hotel. The keets have their own pool and there is a snack bar and a big kid's bar at poolside. Thursday night the phun begins out by the pool. Also new this year is gambling to win a free PTTW 2007. Having phun for free, what's next. Be sure to use your Avi Advantage cards and win free stuff.

Come the first of May the AVI Resort began its transition to a tropical, Parrothead friendly oasis in the desert. The worker bees started arriving on Monday to tend to the last minute details and get a few hours of rest and relaxation before the Parrothead Nation began to descend upon the oasis in the desert. By Thursday morning everything that could get done was done and registration was about to open. And by mid-day Thursday a large portion of the Parrotheads had arrived at the AVI and migrated to the outdoor pool area. Where else would Parrotheads migrate?

Warm breezes, water falls, night sky filled with twinkling stars, tropical music by Bob Karwin and plenty of tropical drinks with a few hundred of your closest friends on a Thursday evening. If you were there you know what I mean and if NOT you need to be there next year. Listening to the music and catching up with old friends you haven't seen in awhile. If you didn't pace yourself, chances are it was going to be a real long weekend.

Friday morning the sun rose too early. As I gazed down on the river from my room and tried to wake up, a smile came to my face. As dependable as a golden retriever, there were Parrotheads, lining up lounge chairs, putting on suntan lotion and drinking Bloody Mary's for breakfast. This was going to be another day at our own Parrothead Island. Registration opened with anxious Parrotheads wanting to get their goodies and meal tickets. About the goodies this year, each registrant received a big fluffy monogrammed beach towel, way to go Doug. After this weekend a colorful monogrammed watch was given to everyone. That was so you didn't miss being where you needed to be, whenever you needed to be somewhere, like the Party!

Friday night started with a mad dash to the seafood buffet. Much to our dismay the lines were long but the food and the staff were great. They got us in and out and full and ready to party at the Pavilion. The decorated Pavilion was in true Parrothead standard. We were a little crowded this year but that did not dampen our spirits. Kelly McGuire and Sunny Jim started the night and Hanna's Reef took us into the early morning hours. Special guest T.C. Mitchell joined in the phun and gave the crowd an extra shot of Buffet music.

Deja vue, Saturday morning, with the exception of an increase in number of the crowd around the pool. Saturday was all about the sun, the pool, cheeseburgers, beer, the slot tournament, Jim Hoehn and Kevin Mulvenna, margaritas and a friendly game of volley ball. Well it started out friendly, then like all boys who mix phun and beer, it became a game of war. It ended up in a cease fire due to the need for more beer!

Saturday night hosted more great entertainment. Stars on the Water got your feet moving and body swaying. Special guest Amy Lee joined the guys and cranked up the crowd to a higher level. Keeping the party going Boat Drunks carried on until last Parrothead standing collapsed.

Sunday morning was a more subdued crowd, with Bloody Mary's and matching eyes. Breakfast, checking out, and saying good byes for some while others stuck around for a Sunday Song Writer fest around the pool. In all it was another successful year.

Sunday morning also gave the partnering clubs an opportunity to meet and discuss what PHINS is all about. The club reps got to meet with Les, the AVI general manager and listen to his take on our event. We talked about the past, the present and the future. It gave an opportunity for the ground work for 2007 to be laid.

Here are some interesting facts;
- We had 488 attendees, not including musicians and vendors.
- The AVI had to borrow 200 cases of beer from another resort.
- Through your generosity, we raised $10,000 for charity. This year we gave a portion to the Boys & Girls Club, the American Children's Cancer and to Arwin Renner. Star's drummer Randy's daughter had a freak accident which left her with major damage to her eye and mouth and no insurance.

Plans for 2007 are already in the works and registration will be open sometime in September. There were close to 500 in attendance for 2006 and we anticipate continued growth. Register early so you don't miss the 750 cut-off limit. We will have a big new convention center to accommodate our growing crowd and give us lots of partying space. We can only accommodate 750 so you better HURRY!!!!!!!!

Chapter Six: PTTW Number Four



WOW! Every year they keep on getting bigger and better. I can not remember an event that was this much phun! There were thirty different clubs attending the event this year. We have not only reached across the United States but a group from Canada joined in too. This truly was the best event of the year.

This event doesn't come off this smoothly without a lot of behind the scenes work. And the crew putting this event together is top of the class. Soon after the holidays this crew puts it into full gear. Entertainment is booked, the web sight is activated for registration, goodie items are purchased, negotiations with the AVI are finalized, and the momentum grows from this point forward.

The week started off with the worker bees getting the ball rolling early. When Thursday May 3rd rolled around, registration was ready for their first registrant. Adding to this year's event was the AVI's addition of the Convention Center. This Center is large enough to accommodate our registration tables, several Club mini-marts, musicians and a bar, and this was in the hallway!! The Center itself gave us room to grow. The round tables allowed for Conga lines to easily move around the room and regroup once again on the awesome dance floor. The silent auction was set up in the back of this room too! The huge stage gives the entertainers room to set up and move around and avoid being mauled by their adoring phans!

Thursday night found the early birds catching up with old friends around the lagoon pool and listening to Stars on the Water. As the night rolled on the numbers increased as more of our phriends arrived for the weekend. Under the watchful eye of Mike Billings and his security crew, the phun and friendship continued into the night under the desert stars.

Friday morning started with a host of volunteers stuffing raffle bags and goodie coolers. Yes, coolers of red filled with colorful luggage tags, duffle bags, eye glass cases and eye glass hangers. Once again Doug found some awesome souvenir items. And a big THANKS to all who helped completes this task in such a short time.

The parrot heads around the pool started smearing on the sunscreen and tipping back the brews in grand fashion. To the surprise of some it was not a bathing suit optional event. The temperature was great and the water was even better. Parrot heads, music, sun and water and you have all the requirements for a phun filled day.

As the sun dipped towards the west, the music and phun moved to the Convention Center. To those who had attended previous events at the AVI, the new accommodations were overwhelming! A bar in the hall and one in the back of the Center, room to move around and dance, and an awesome sound system for the performers was enjoyed by all. And the addition of a jumbotron gave new meaning to seeing yourself on the big screen. As the crowd regrouped for the evening, Hanna's Reef rocked. Parrotheads danced the night away to their great music. Saturday morning came too soon for most. The Club Leaders met to discuss this year's event and future year events. Your Club Leaders add to the decisions made as next year's event is being planned. While the serious meeting was going on, the phun crowd migrated towards the pool while others tried their luck at the Slot Tournament hosted by the AVI Casino and still twenty four others had a golf outing on the beautiful course the AVI has available. Back at the pool the music had begun. Jim Hoehn and many of his phriends started the day off with our favorite tunes. Once again sun, music, a sing along, kazoos, drinks and cheeseburgers equaled a great Parrothead day! New this year was a flip flop contest and a hat contest. The contests gave everyone the opportunity to use their creativity. Scott Sperber from The LA Club won the flip flop contest with his pirate ship shoes. The hat contest was judged that evening with honors going to Linda B. of the High Desert Club.

Saturday evening was the time for special recognitions. With the use of the jumbotron our troops were saluted, our departed phlock members were remembered, a birthday mile stone for Pete and the recognition and retirement of co-founder Jim was shared by a few hundred of their phriends. The girls from the Santa Barbara club sold special buttons that signified the support we give to our troops and raised $1,200, which paid for the postage for all your donations to our men. The Boat Drunks once again entertained us in high fashion. Les Clavin, General Manager of the AVI and a Jimmy Buffet look a like thanked the crowd for a great event. It is truly with the cooperation of Les and the AVI that this event works.

A big THANKS also goes out to Shaun and Sothern Wine and Spirits for all their contributions to the silent auction that allows us to donate to the Boys and Girls Club and our other charities. This year we were able to donate over $11,000 to those charities.

It's only October and work has begun for the first Anniversary of Phins to the West. We have reached our fifth year and you can expect a major party.