Greg’s Happenings by Greg Kristapovich
Friends from left to right: Merle Haggard, Dave Steeley of Twain Harte and Rick Carter, lead guitarist for the Chapparals.
Life is good! Jerry Lewis raised more than $60,481,231 during the MDA Labor Day Telethon!…The NFL football season starts on Sunday, September 13th!…the Beatles ARE BACK! (No, I’m not going crazy))….The cast of Seinfeld is re-uniting!…Downtown Sonora has a humongous candy store now – AND a new “hot dog” restaurant!…I’ve found a sit-down restaurant where I can get a 65-cent cup of coffee – with free refills!…and Crosby, Stills & Nash are coming to Ironstone!!! Yes, LIFE IS GOOD!!!
You know, the more I go to Ironstone concerts, the groovier it seems to get! It’s almost a “love-in” – especially with the “free hugs group” there! And I’ll see friends and acquaintances from all over the Mother Lode. I also spot local celebrities – like Maryann (of Star 92.7) at the concerts! And I love to play those little games at the Black Oak Casino and Guaranty Bank tables. Before the Brian Setzer/Chris Isaak concert, I spun the wheel at Guaranty’s table and won a handsome “Embassy” wristwatch by Gruen! I was blown away! But now I’ve got to slide all my concert wristbands out of the way to accommodate the watch. I’m still wearing my wristbands from the August 8th Sonora Blues Festival and the August 28th Jason Mraz concert! (And yes, I even sleep and shower with them on!) I just like to see how long they’ll stay on. Call me strange. People, seeing the wristbands, kept asking, “Did you just get out of the hospital?” So, now, I’ll take a Sharpie and print the artist’s name on the wristband so there’s no confusion. Still, one dude asked me that same silly question; to which I replied, “Yes, I just got out of the hospital. Jason Mraz is the name of my doctor.”
CORRECTIONS: In my review of the Mraz concert, I wrote about the words stenciled on a car window that read “I ( ) Jason Mraz!” Well, there should have been a little heart, ie., ?, within those brackets. If you ever see “I ( ) whatever” in any of my columns/reviews, just try to envision a little heart within those brackets. I don’t want you to think I’m heartless. Also, I want to apologize for telling my readers that the MDA Labor Day Telethon started at 6 p.m. on Monday. It started on Sunday. Fortunately, most people didn’t listened to me – and tuned in at the correct time!
License plate seen in Jamestown: “IM 4 MLK” Cool! I like milk, too, especially with my Cheerios. But as the flu season approaches, IM 4 TEA. Green tea, especially, has anti-oxidants that can strengthen your immune system. And remember: if you’re gonna sneeze, PLEEZE: sneeze into the crook of your elbow! You might end up with snot on your sleeve – but at least it’s not in someone else’s face!!
My groovy find of the week, I obtained through “underground” sources. When I was in Murphys, a friend, Ron asked me if I wanted to get “Stoned?” From what he was saying, I understood him to have a whole bunch of Rolling papers, too. The deal went down; I gave Ron a twenty and now I have an outstanding collection of 23 vintage Rolling Stone Magazines! What did you think I meant? You see, back in the ‘70s, Rolling Stone was printed on actual newsprint paper – not glossy paper like today. Ron told me that if he had tried to sell them at a garage sale, people probably would have offered him only about a dime per issue. That would have been an insult, for issues like the “Elvis Presley (1935-1977)”, issue #248, dated September 22nd, 1977, and the “Frampton, Rock Star of the Year”, issue #232, dated February 10th, 1977! (See, I’m not totally stuck in the ‘60s; I’m stuck in the ‘70s, too.) Hey, thank you, Ron! I know I probably had those issues at one time, but I think they got lost in a move from Hawaii to Sacramento. My parents and I left O’ahu on November 21st, 1982 – at midnight – through the eye of Hurricane “Iwa”! No lie! Anyway, when we landed in San Francisco, I said to Mom and Dad, “I have a feeling we’re not in Hawaii, anymore.”
O.K., you probably think I’ve lost my hippy dippy mind, when I said the Beatles ARE BACK! Well, I was sitting there, enjoying my Kobe 1/3-pound beef burger at Huckaby’s Sonshine Station on Hwy 108 when I read the news! USA Today reports that “…the shaggy Mop Tops and their scores of indelible pop hits are digitally reborn in The Beatles: Rock Band video game, which (has) hit the store shelves….along with the band’s newly re-mastered catalog, a long-awaited sonic upgrade of 14 titles!” Don’t forget: this year it’s the 40-year anniversary of the release of Yellow Submarine and Abbey Road! To borrow a phrase from our publisher, Tim McCaffrey, “ZAMBERS!!!”
By the way, that burger at Sonshine Station was incredible! The Station’s new owner, Tim Huckaby, has had a long-time dream of owning the place! “The reason I wanted to re-open this place was because my first encounter in Tuolumne County, my first burger was here at the Sunshine Station when I was only eight years old! That was over twenty years ago!” Tim recalls. Tim’s proud of his eatery, too! All my burgers are 1/3 lb, and I hand-make them every morning! My corndogs, I hand dip! Nothing comes frozen.” The Station also serves chicken wings, salads, several types of sandwiches, Ice cream and shakes! And dig this: coffee is only 65 cents – with free refills!
GROOVY HAPPENINGS: Chains Required again in Copperopolis! Back by popular demand at Micki and Larry’s Sports Pub on Copper Cove Drive! Friday night, September 11th they’ll rock and roll (and play some jazz/funk/blues, to boot!) from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. (21+/ID req’d). The next night, Saturday, September 12th, is gonna be BIG for local artists, too! At the Jack Douglass Saloon in Columbia State Historic Park, the popular Pink Vinyl will jam, starting around 8pm! Mike Keene, owner of the Saloon in constantly bringing in great local bands! Says Mike, “I like to support local bands who play original material!” Admission is only $1.99! Here’s a story: “One time a guy came and paid with pennies!” Mike remembers. “We accepted the pennies,” Mike recalls. “But, if you do that, and you order a drink; don’t be surprised if you get your change in pennies!” Hey, that’s only fair, right? Up in Twain Harte, Rick Carter and the Chapparals reunite to perform at the Twin Harte Golf Club! The group was HOT in the ‘70’s and were very much in demand at the Twain Harte Inn and throughout Tuolumne County! And now, they’re are back!! Hey, check out the photo! It’s Rick and his friends, Dave Steeley and Merle Haggard! If you like good acoustic music you can dance to; and if you remember the Chapparals – you gotta be there Saturday night!!! If you love car shows, be at the Murphys/Angels Lion’s Club show Saturday! Check it out, plus a lot of other cool events, in our calendar on page 4!
Once again our SMT correspondent, Jerry Maxwell, will be in the pits at the 46th Annual Reno National Championship Air Races this year from September 16th through the 20th. Drop by the Warlock pit and say hello.
Hurry and get your tickets for Lynyrd Skynyrd and Crosby, Stills & Nash! Log on to IronstoneVineyards.com, or Ticketmaster.com! You know, I’ve been asked many times, “Hey dude, are YOU David Crosby?” It really isn’t that hard to look like Crosby: all you gotta do is grow your hair long and have a big bushy mustache. That’s all. But I might go to their concert and wave a big sign saying, “Hey Crosby, I’ve been mistaken for YOU!” Maybe that’ll get me on stage! That would be totally awesome! Hey, I can fantasize, can’t I? See ya next week. Till then, peace, love and fantasies!
