August 1, 2008
Photo by Mary Craft
The Only Island In Texas Were People Understand What You Mean When You Say, “No, Turn At The Other Light.”
Around The Island
by Dale Rankin, editor@islandmoon.com
Wow, where to start. It has been an eventful fortnight around our Island. First it was Hello Dolly. We have a unique relationship with hurricanes here on The Island. Editor Mike always says that we play chicken with every hurricane that makes it way into the Gulf. When they come across the Yucatan they head straight for us then usually turn one way or another. Dolly barely made the turn. The King Ranch just south of here has proven over the years that it is a hurricane eater. Numerous storms have come straight at us then turn south at the last minute only to be lost in the vastness of the King Ranch acreage. Dolly decided to go a little further south. We got the winds in the 50 m.p.h. range and about six inches of rain. It pushed water up to and in some cases beyond the dune line but the waves, from the surfers standpoint, were disappointing. They were mostly mushy but that didn’t stop our surfing friends from getting out there and trying. All in all we were lucky. South Padre took the brunt of the storm and is still digging out. A wise Moon Monkey once said that it is truly an ill wind that doesn’t blow someone some good and that was the case with Dolly. The burn ban on The Island has been lifted for the first time since anyone can remember so that will allow some overgrown areas to be cleared. And there was an unexpected boost to the local tourism industry as South Texas refugees flooded the lodging business in Port A and as of this writing many are still here waiting for services to be restored in The Valley. It was a bad day to be Ernie Buttler over at Snoopy’s Pier. It seems when the wiring was put in over in that area some crucial components were put below ground, in fact below the water table. So when Dolly came plowing through the high water knocked out the power to Snoopy’s and Doc’s for about twenty hours. That left our good friend Ernie with a lot of seafood and ice cream without refrigeration. So here comes the good news, Ernie turned lemons into lemonade when he and Snoopy Paul loaded the food up and headed for Timmons Ministries where the lucky residents were treated to a seafood dinner with ice cream for dessert. Way to go you guys. Here’s hoping our luck holds and we don’t have any visits more serious than Ms. Dolly. We lost an Island institution last week when MiMi’s By the Sea closed its doors. We had The Last Supper and cleaned out the fridge and drained the bar. Snoopy Paul closed it down with his imitation of Maurice Chevalier with a flowerpot on his head for a beret. We’re all having to rework our weekly dinner migration schedule since MiMi’s was usually at least a twice-a-week destination. Here’s hoping that the rumors are true and MiMi’s may re-open in the not so distant future, we sure do miss it. Maybe the strangest happening around the Moon office was when we got the key stuck in the door and it wouldn’t come out. It worked the lock just fine but anyone who came along could use it to open the door. We had just bought a fresh supply of paper clips that we didn’t want to lose and while we were contemplating what to do there was a loud pop out on SPID. Turned out a van had a blowout. And guess what, it was a locksmith’s van. Really, no kidding! But when we asked him to fix our lock he said he had another call to make. We pointed out he was probably going to be late anyway since he had a flat tire and all but then he just drove off. (It wasn’t our friend Westin Wade over at Eagle Lock and Key, Westin eventually fixed us up). But it seemed like divine intervention had brought a locksmith down the street and ruined his tire right in front of our office for a reason. But away he went. If you run the light at Whitecap and SPID these days be aware that Big Brother has come to our Island. Crews last week put up traffic cameras to monitor the coming and goings of motorists thereabouts. They have had them OTB for quite a while but these are the first ones to be visited upon Island drivers so be careful. Mike has been making regular trips to the Holiday Inn on Sundays so come by and see him if you can. Football season is upon us and Mike and the Moon Monkeys are ready for the fantasy season. Stop by and say hello if you are Around The Island.
Traffic continue on the beach in front of the seawall One month after city council ordered action beachgoers still dodging traffic More than one month after the city council voted to discourage driving in front of the seawall by placing bollards The Island was once just and signs to restrict one big ranch A 91-year-old cowboy tells drivers no action has been taken the tale and cars continue Page B1 Seastian the missing Yorkie to drive along the 4200 linear feet of returns home beach often reduced Doggone found to less than ten feet Page B4 wide by high water. How to avoid brain freeze The council when you’re eating ice voted in mid-June cream to instruct the Page B2 city staff to place Hello Dolly bollards twenty-five See pictures as The Island takes a glancing blow from feet out from the base of the seawall, the hurricane. Page then leave a twentyA3 five foot opening Traveling Moon goes to for vehicles, Hell then place more Literally bollards on the Page A4 beach towards the Business Briefs water’s edge. City Page A8 staffers said at the time they did not have the bollards on hand and ordered them from a company in San Antonio. So far none have been put in place. City ordinances have banned driving within fifty feet of the water for the last ten years, and it is also illegal for vehicles to drive within twentyfive feet of the seawall. Traffic has also been restricted to one-way – north to south - for the past twelve years. DRIVING cont. pg A10
Inside the Moon
Island Political Action Committee Set to Decide on Bond Bote Next meeting set for August 13
Island United, the political action committee formed to united Island voters in city elections, will decide in its next meeting whether to take a position on the proposed $150 million citywide bold election scheduled for November. The meeting is set for 6 p.m. on August 13, at St. Andrew by the Sea Catholic Church. To get on the PAC mailing list contact Colleen McIntyre at colleenmci@msn.com.
Big Brother has arrived. If you run the red light at SPID and Whitecap you may be getting a letter from the city. These cameras were recently installed at the intersection to monitor traffic. Wave as you go by.
Complimentary
Year 13 , Issue 316
Padre Island 1st Annual Beach Party and Music Festival is HERE
by Linda Walsh The Padre Island Business Association (PIBA) Beach Party and Music Festival is Saturday August 9, from noon to midnight. Get out your sunglasses, beach hats, bathing suits and dancing shoes. There will be seating under the tent, but it is limited so don’t forget the lounge chairs. The RTA is bringing out a bus for the STUFF THE BUS program. Bring some new school supplies, backpacks, note pads, lunch boxes, paper and pencils and stuff the bus and help the children who need it. They will also be supplying a trolley that will taxi people back and forth from the public parking on Windward next to the Holiday Inn. Besides the parking at the pavilion, there is a free public parking lot behind the Pavilion on the beach. You can also park on the beach, but just remember to get your beach pass, available at all Stripes stores and there will be someone from the Park Department selling them on the beach that day. NO COOLERS WILL BE PERMITTED IN THE FESTIVAL. Our sponsors for this festival are Cinnamon Shores as Festival’s Stage Sponsor. The Longevity & Wellness Center of South Texas, Value Bank, The Beach Club, HEB, The Office Lounge, Budweiser, Hunter and Handel PC, Beach Radio, and The Padre Island Moon. Kim Erwin with Realty World is donating
a weekend getaway to the Jazz Capital of the Nation, New Orleans, Louisiana, This fabulous weekend along with commemorative t-shirts, koozies, wine and other beautiful gifts will be raffled off during the day. The Crush Girls will be selling the tickets during the festival for $10.00. If you love Jazz, don’t forget to buy your ticket! We will be selling commemorative TShirts with the 2008 Beach Party and Music Festival logo starting at $15.00, koozies at $2.00, and our own Label, Red and White Wine in beautiful commemorative bottles. Some of the Craft Vendors include Garden Delight, Metallic Elements, Seaside Sudz, Divas S’s Jewelry & Accessories, Esmeralda Potts, Massage Therapist, Sage Creations, and Peruvian Specialties. Food Concessions include TJFS serving beer, wine, soft drinks and water; CMB Concessions serving funnel cakes and snowballs; Oma’s Snack Shack will serve Hamburgers and chopped beef sandwiches; Rainbow Snowball will be serving up hotdogs, nachos, snowballs, Diana’s Wings, and Bayside Grill. We also have a turkey leg vendor! It’s not too late to become a sponsor, food or crafts vendor. Email Linda Walsh at lawalshva@ MUSIC cont. page A4 Photo by Mary Craft
From Gilligan’s Island to Padre Island. Dawn Wells (Mary Ann from Gilligan’s Island) visited The Island last weekend for the grand opening of The Backyard Place. Pictured is Backyard Place owner Brian Daggett. His suppliers from San Antonio gladly made the trip to meet “Mary Ann”. Mark Phillips is on the left and Richard Ramirez on the right.
Mary Ann from Gilligan’s Island visits our Island Takes a three hour tour of The Backyard Place by Mary Craft Padre Island got a little bit of Gilligan’s Island on Saturday July 25th. Mary Ann from the show, her real name is Dawn Wells, made an appearance at the grand opening of The Backyard Place, a new shop in Loma Alta center specializing in items for the backyard. The turnout was heavy and almost all male for her appearance. I did not realize that Mary Ann was the heartthrob of most men over forty but there they were in a long line waiting for their opportunity to spend some time with her. They sheepishly handed her a photo to sign and she chatted with them while doing so. She is very down to earth, attractive and looks fortyish although she is 69. Gilligan’s Island ran from 1964 until 1967 and is the longest continually running syndicated show. It is shown in 30 countries which Dawn can attest to. “I was on the island Sulufu in the Pacific with literally no running water or electricity and the Chief’s wife recognized me from the show. She had gone to nursing school somewhere in the 70s where she watched the show.” Dawn is originally from Nevada but went to the University of Washington where she got her degree in Theater Arts. She was Miss Nevada in the Miss America pageant in 1960. She auditioned for the role in the TV series with 350 others one of which was the then undiscovered Raquel Welch. Before
Gilligan’s she had guest roles on Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip and Bonanza. The original pilot had three schoolteachers but the network said they wanted that changed. It was changed to a movie star, a wealthy mature woman and an all American girl. Mary Ann was patterned after Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz who was also a girl next door in an exotic place. The pilot was shot in Hawaii and the first couple of episodes were shot in Malibu but according to Dawn the fog there was only lifted from 11am til 2pm. They moved filming indoors in a studio in North Hollywood where they built a lagoon. The lagoon was just recently cemented over to make room for a parking lot. Dawn still keeps in touch with “The Professor” who is 84, still in good health but frail. The other living cast member is Tina Louise, “Ginger,” who was the first one cast. Dawn has not kept in touch with her because Tina wanted to dissociate herself from the show. Natalie Schafer “Lovey” convinced the writers who wanted a humorless grande dame to make her character more scatterbrained. According to Dawn, “Natalie had no children and I was like her surrogate daughter. She did not want anyone to know her real age until her death because she wanted people to say, “What”??!! She swam MARY ANN cont. pg A4