Where's the Party, Mon
Where's the Party, Mon
By Dick Mauer
Working 4 to 12 in Niagara Falls one summer Saturday night in the early 80's Jim Carroll and I received information that a Jamaican steel band was to be playing that night at a party in Youngstown, New York. Youngstown was home to a fancy yacht club that was hosting the largest sailboat race in the country that weekend. The party was the yacht club's social event of the season and the steel band was to be the main entertainment. From a distance we watched the band, dreds and all, pull up and start unloading their instruments and sound system.
We went over for a chat, and the drummer of the group turned out to be wetter'n a sock. Even better than that, he was found to have an outstanding warrant of deportation!! A "bag and baggage" case, our all time favorite, maximum job enjoyment, minimum paperwork. (I never understood the term "bag and baggage", isn't that the same thing?) We had the guy cuffed and in the back seat when the beehived chairwoman of the yacht club party appeared on the scene and started questioning our parentage and legitimacy. The steel band had decided that they could not perform without their drummer. The poor woman was working herself into red faced, mascara streaked hysteria as we departed with our prize.