Psychedelic Sixties rally is top of the pops
By Lori and Dave Guertal
The Psychedelic Sixties Lake Erie Rally at Middle Bass Island, Ohio (E-18.5) was truly a happening trip down memory lane. Such top hits as Peppermint Twist, The Age of Aquarius, Sugar, Sugar and Come Together and pretty much everything in between was playing all weekend long. This magical music was lovingly produced on CDs by Tom and Diane Tucker.
Thursday evening’s flatbread pizza party with Sixties trivia was enjoyed by 27 early attendees. The top 3 winners for trivia were Director Tom and Diane Tucker, GLCC Commodore Doug and Port Captain Pam Carr-Jackson and Doug and Chris McCray. There were 25 questions and each winning couple had 21 or more correct so they received a 1960’s word search puzzle book to continue the brain work.
Friday’s lake conditions were perfect: light winds, small waves and plenty of sunshine; enough for GLCC members to sail or motor to Middle Bass Island State Park Marina with ease.
Friday evening started with the traditional flag ceremony. Navy Veteran and GLCC Rear Commodore (Ret.) Dave Miller unfurled the American flag, Becky Hall, a dual US and Canada citizen, unfurled the Canadian flag. Vietnam veteran and GLCC Rear Commodore Jim Ehrman unfurled the GLCC burgee. Doug McCray led the singing of the US and Canadian national anthems. Janice Ehrman gave the Blessing of the Fleet.
Dinner was a trio of Italian main dishes, followed by chocolate gelato and raspberry sorbetto.
Doug Jackson was the photographer for the weekend. There were 10 first timers at the rally: James and Kerry Mullally, Bill and Donna Caruthers, Chris Lentz and Maggie Standing, Jim and Ann Brooks, and Becky Gutmann and Wendy Rupp.
Saturday was filled with fun and camaraderie. A pancake, sausage and bacon breakfast was followed by a port captains meeting, then rowdy hippie-themed games in the afternoon. Team winners for “feeding the flowers” were Jim Ehrmann, Doug Jackson, Port Captain Denny and Sharon Dutcher, and Charlie and Esther Graves. Each won a drink cup with the tasty “nectar” of lemonade packets.
Hooping the magic mushrooms proved to be a real challenge for this group. Persistence paid off, and the winners, Diane Tucker, Jane Kusnir and Denny Dutcher, took home the coveted mystical mushroom pens and matching notebooks.
Tossing rings through the peace signs was artfully done by Mark Radabaugh, Tom Tucker and Greg Arnold. These athletic guys won bright rainbow-beaded, 4-inch hanging peace ornaments. It seems tossing each ring ‘baseball style’ was the trick.
Last, and best of all, was the group relay, guys against gals. Professional crowd surfers, Ocean Wave and Moon Beam, were more than ready. Each sailed over top of the crowd, through the hula hoop and back to the starting line, over and over, until the end of the race.
The gals won big and had the perfect strategy to “sail” Moon Beam smoothly over the crowd again and again. Ocean Wave fell a few times, and may have some bumps on his head, but he is still smiling. These two hippies live for crowd surfing. The gals relay team each won a box of Cracker Jacks complete with a prize in the box.
Saturday evening’s festivities started with each couple autographing the hippie bus, then getting their picture taken “driving” the bus.
Doug Jackson did a fantastic job of taking pictures and printing off a copy for each couple.
The costumes were fabulous, wild and colorful. It was a tough choice, but the crowd voted for the best three; Dick and Nancy Coleman (Sonny and Cher), Doug and Chris McCray (2 of the Beatles in Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band) and Kerry Mullally driving her artistically made VW hippie bus.
Each winner received a handcrafted rainbow dream catcher.
So many others dressed in wild tie-dyed, hippie clothes, fringe, and wild hair. It was amazing to see how many men grew so much hair in just one hour.
A fabulous Lake Erie style “surf and turf” dinner of walleye, beef tips, crab cakes and shrimp cocktail was enjoyed by all.
Commodore Jackson presented GLCC member Ken Kabb with a burgee for his 50-year membership and years of service to the club.
The table centerpieces were designed and crafted by Dave Guertal. A tied-dyed wine bottle with a colorful flower wind spinner inserted in the top and a peace necklace wrapped around its neck was won by answering a trivia question. “How many songs did The Beatles record between 1960 and 1970?” The answer was 213. Jon Hollander had the top answer with 211. The closest answer to 213 at each table won a centerpiece.
The evening concluded with dancing and upbeat live music by Cap’t D’s Crew band (Denny and Sharon Dutcher, and their guests, Jim and Ann Brooks).
Sunday morning brought lots of sun and a light wind, perfect for heading home. A continental breakfast featured bagels and flavored cream cheeses, yogurt and granolas, coffee and juices. Jane Wolnik, owner of The Island Grind Cafe and Prohibition Bar on Middle Bass Island, provided wonderful meals with superb service
The weather was perfect, and even the mayflies were tolerable. “Hippie” attendees numbered 55.
Dave and I have completed five years as Lake Erie Rally hosts. We have enjoyed the camaraderie and support each of our GLCC boating friends have given us over the years. It has been our reward to watch everyone get into the spirit of these special rallies.
It is time for us to step down, and we want to thank all of you for having fun with our themes, and for your help in setting up, tearing down, and most importantly, your genuine friendship. We value each of you. See you on the water, and at future GLCC events!