Sandi's History of BOO…
My beginning was in 1980. The first party I "attended" was made by the invite of Bernie Reller and Dee Dee Nock, after we had made ourselves known to each other at a jewelry show in NYC. …Bernie says "come to G-Ville for a Scheckite Family Reunion and meet some good people" …Dee Dee says "you and your son (age 9) can stay with us" ...so we did, and so the party began! I remember bales of hay around a huge fire—I remember a guy passed out and his mouth wide open, so worms were placed in his mouth, as a fun joke. I remember a car key being lost, and I found it in a hay pile… (talk about a needle in a haystack!). I remember Tommy Oakes—I remember it being one of the best parties I'd ever gone to, with new friends… in a new place called Archer, Fla. ( I was from Miami in those days). …I was motivated to change my life, so one day, I moved to G-Ville… lock. stock and barrel! The '81 party was in Archer too… at Bernie and De De's. It was much wilder than the 1980 event. I was living at the Archer house at that time, and the preparations were organized at a breathtaking rate… everybody had jobs to do… from the latrines to the stage, to the lights, to the food, to the bar, to clearing brush… to DD's haunted house, to scary things hanging from the trees. It went non-stop for days and gradually merged into an incredible crescendo of wild-dressed partyers in costumes galore… culminating in a hot air balloon ride at midnight. The party went on till dawn… and that's where I got my first flavor and feeling for Survivors Breakfast. I think Bev was doing it in those days… I didn't know a whole lot of names! Just faces and places, but I knew that food was very necessary on that Sunday morn. The '82 "BOO-Extravaganza" was the Garden Party. I believe it was at Tom Cole's in Micanopy—I remember it was really hot and dusty, and everyone was dirty! I made peach cobbler and it all slid around in my car and made a mess and I had no water to clean it up …funny the things one remembers. My car was new and I was bummed… sticky fruity mess that I couldn't clean …but the party moved on and so it was forgotten, and later attended to with minimal results. I remember Strawberry—I remember being really wasted for days! I saw my son occasionally and my dog too …but we were all safe with friends and I never had a worry. We all looked out for one another… our little tented town out in the woods… with music and laughter throughout the weekend …and again, the Survivors Breakfast on Sunday… to save our stomachs (and souls?).
Sandi's History, Part ll I have the '93 T-shirt, but man, I can't remember for the life of me… this BOO. Seems to me, that is if I can remember anything at all during this time, it is of Tom Cole making beaded necklaces, and that the party actually had a retail "biz" going on, and I was impressed! (I can contribute to that! I thought to myself) …T-shirts had been the only "thing" one could buy or barter, and now, at this party there was a "retail alley" ...and across the "street" was the stage… but of course, we couldn't buy that. I was happy seeing Tom sitting and chatting and selling his wares along this country trail. It was at this location that I set up the Survivors Breakfast …both 93 and 95.
I remember I hadn't been to a BOO party in 8 or 9 years, so one can imagine the "cultural" shock and "happy" shock to find out that my friends of the early 80's were, in fact, still friends in the early 90's!! We were still a " tribe" (for lack of better word). We had all been through a lot, but 93 through 95... all was okay in my book. We were alive, and could just take over where we had left off so many years before… that's what's so cool about this early Gainesville group... no shit in-between... let's keep partying ...and so we did.
I had a newer and better tent this year! Do I do remember Bernie and Straw in my tent one early AM?? Hee hee... just can't remember the year, but who cares! Craziness prevailed...
I never knew what to expect at these parties… I was always the one who was doing a lot of traveling, finagling to get there, as I was coming from the Keys ...and D D, now married to my brother Tracy, kept me informed as she was informed, of the current events ...and I always had (and will have) JR to give me a friendly welcoming – beckoning – you better be here – message... like about a week before!
Ahhh… I just remembered the BOO at the Shell Plant! That was in St. Augustine... what year? I don't think I have a T-shirt from that party. I remember DD was dressed as an elf, or was it Robin? I was dressed as a half man – half woman. I remember Strawberry was embarrassed to be seen with me! Oh well... I brought friends from the Keys with me, and they crashed in my tent, which during the night, the cooler leaked and water enveloped my friends, who naturally didn't get any sleep once pronounced "wet" …and naturally had to clamber on top of me... sleeping peacefully on my 2" mattress ( an inch above the water level). But, who ever gets a decent nights rest at a BOO party? —Sandi
Sandi's History, Part ll I have the '93 T-shirt, but man, I can't remember for the life of me… this BOO. Seems to me, that is if I can remember anything at all during this time, it is of Tom Cole making beaded necklaces, and that the party actually had a retail "biz" going on, and I was impressed! (I can contribute to that! I thought to myself) …T-shirts had been the only "thing" one could buy or barter, and now, at this party there was a "retail alley" ...and across the "street" was the stage… but of course, we couldn't buy that. I was happy seeing Tom sitting and chatting and selling his wares along this country trail. It was at this location that I set up the Survivors Breakfast …both 93 and 95.
I remember I hadn't been to a BOO party in 8 or 9 years, so one can imagine the "cultural" shock and "happy" shock to find out that my friends of the early 80's were, in fact, still friends in the early 90's!! We were still a " tribe" (for lack of better word). We had all been through a lot, but 93 through 95... all was okay in my book. We were alive, and could just take over where we had left off so many years before… that's what's so cool about this early Gainesville group... no shit in-between... let's keep partying ...and so we did.
I had a newer and better tent this year! Do I do remember Bernie and Straw in my tent one early AM?? Hee hee... just can't remember the year, but who cares! Craziness prevailed...
I never knew what to expect at these parties… I was always the one who was doing a lot of traveling, finagling to get there, as I was coming from the Keys ...and D D, now married to my brother Tracy, kept me informed as she was informed, of the current events ...and I always had (and will have) JR to give me a friendly welcoming – beckoning – you better be here – message... like about a week before!
Ahhh… I just remembered the BOO at the Shell Plant! That was in St. Augustine... what year? I don't think I have a T-shirt from that party. I remember DD was dressed as an elf, or was it Robin? I was dressed as a half man – half woman. I remember Strawberry was embarrassed to be seen with me! Oh well... I brought friends from the Keys with me, and they crashed in my tent, which during the night, the cooler leaked and water enveloped my friends, who naturally didn't get any sleep once pronounced "wet" …and naturally had to clamber on top of me... sleeping peacefully on my 2" mattress ( an inch above the water level). But, who ever gets a decent nights rest at a BOO party? —Sandi