Stars Fell on Alabama will bring 600 Parrot Heads to Orange Beach

Stars Fell on Alabama will bring 600 Parrot Heads to Orange Beach
Public invited to join phlock for March 17 live auction/concert on LuLu’s Beach

By Fran Thompson
The annual Stars Fell On Alabama, an annual gathering of Jimmy Buffett fans, whil celebrate its 18th “Phlocking” by bringing around 600 parrotheads and trock rock musicians to Orange Beach March 16-18.
The mostly closed event, sponsored by four Alabama parrothead clubs, raised $12,000 for its chariteis in 2017 and more than $150,000 for charities since its inception.
Saturday features an “unforgetable bus ride to LuLu’s’’ for a public concert and live auction. Jimmy & the Parrots (11 a.m. – 3 p.m.). The auction will include four bar stools from the now shuttered Margaritaville Saloon in the French Quarter.
The auctioneer at LuLu’s will be Greg Dumas, a former DJ on Margarittavilel Radio on Sirius XM.
Skinner, who also answers to Mother Hen, said Stars, co-sponsored by the Lower Alabama, Mobile Bay, Isle of O’Bama Towns Around Bilxoi Parrot Head Clubs, sells out every year. And each club gets to pick a beneift charity.
Skiner said. “Each club picks a charity. We get grand total and split it four ways,’’ Skinner said.
The LuLu’s extravaganza will be followed by “The Unforgettable Bus Trip back to the Hotel.’’
Based at The Island House Hotel, the gathering’s closed events include group breakfast buffets and the Bottomless Bloody Mary & Mimosa Bar at the Beachside Bistro & Bar at the Island House, Mini-Mart meetings, silent auctions, raffles and cookouts. Another event is titled the “Thank God The Tiki Bar Is Open.”
Bands SFOB booked include Tropicool (Sunny Jim, Jimi Pappas, John Patti, Jerry Diaz) & Hanna’s Reef, Pleasure Island’s own multi-time Trop Rocker of the Year Brent Burns, The Detentions, The Southern Drawl Band, Danny Taddei, Donny Brewer & the Dock Rockers
“We have a lot of people that come each and every year,’’ Skiner said. “and each club picks a charity and get grand total and split it four ways;
Skinner, a Sastuma resident with JB ties that go back to 1998, has also organized the 3,500 strong National gathering in Key West.
“There is a lot of partying and cocktails, bgut we like to say it’s ‘partying for a purpose,’’ Skinner said.
And a final note to attendees from the registraiton form: “Don’t miss the conga line away from the sand and sun and back to the bus. The phun always seems to happen on the ride back to The Island House!’’

Parrot Head madness and mayhem!”

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History of Stars Fell on Alabama

The idea for the Stars Fell on Alabama gathering was hatched in April 1999 when leaders three Alabama Parrothead clubs decided while doing tequila shooters at the original LuLu’s on Weeks Bay to organize a regional phlocking. It was only a year earlier that the Mobile Parrothead Club was revived. Soon after, the long dead Biloxi PHC was revived, and a few months later the Montgomery PHC was founded. Being all within close proximity and age, there naturally were new bonds and friendships formed, and the three clubs began to work (and play) together.
Charlotte Skinner formed the Coastal Alabama PHC in 1995, but there was not much interest at the time. In 1998, John Thornton, Larry McNeese, Dave Luley and Sean Eifert got together and started the Towns around Biloxi Parrothead Club. Vince Allison, a longtime Atlanta Parrothead club was desperate to find more like minded parrotheads when returning home. So he founded the IsleO’Bama Parrothead Club.
There was already an annual parrothead party hosted by a Mobile hockey team, but nothing much bigger than that. After a few more shooters, Thornton, Allison and Skinner decided the party they were having at Lulu’s was a perfect foundation for what would follow. The very first Stars was held in downtown Mobile. Over 150 parrotheads enjoyed hockey games, a parrothead parade on ice, conga line parties, a balcony contest, parking lot parties, a bus trip to LuLu’s and, of course, entertainment from parrothead bands. Attendees also raised $3K for the Alzheimer’s Foundation.
The Lower Alabama Parrothead Club is now 150 members strong and extremely active on the community service trail and the Stars gathering.
“Hurricane” Jane Tarver, the Stars treasurer for the past 10 years, said members volunteer at local marathons and bicycle events, the Shrimp Fest, Coastal Clean-up and other places where help is needed.
“We always have a good time when we phlock together,’’ the Miflin resident said. “We party for a purpose, and that purpose is raising money for charity.’’ She added that this year’s event will be the biggest yet both for participation and dollars raised. “I love seeing friends I’ve made through the years, but it’s all about the music, too,’’ she said. “We have some of the best trop rock bands in the country coming in.’’