“IF WE COULDN’T LAUGH, WE WOULD ALL GO INSANE!” So true from every perspective and especially at our 16th Annual Beach Bike Poker Run. We laughed and even cackled, yet some of us still went insane. What a great day of making history! We’re donating $20,000 to Semper Fi Fund Kids Camp, bringing the total funding from EIPHC since 2014 to $67,050 to help change the lives of military children.

This is a huge event and I love watching it unfold every year. I’m so excited that it’s hard to reign in everything I want to share with you! Let’s start by throwing out a few facts you may not know. The day started with a clean-up crew at the E-Club at 7 a.m., giving everything outside a thorough cleaning from top to bottom, arranging furniture, posting signs and much more! The day progressed with folks selling t-shirts, registering our guests, preparing and selling raffle tickets, judging bikes, gathering and selecting winning poker hands, and assisting with the silent auction and door prizes. Card sharks were everywhere greeting the players, monitoring the poker cards and making sure folks had a good time. Also, behind the scenes and well before the event date, volunteers were generating donations, making deliveries, running errands, sorting and packaging silent auction items, making copies, designing and putting out signs, and lots more! While this is not an all-inclusive list, it should give you an idea of why I am so proud to be a part of this A+ team of over 65 volunteers! We couldn’t make this event a reality without their huge commitment and active contribution!

Bear with me just a little longer. Our surrounding community also stepped up to the plate and supported us and our cause in every way possible with 8 establishments participating in the run, 21 businesses graciously serving as corporate sponsors, and 48 local business and individuals donating cash, door prizes, and silent auction items! Our phlock is fortunate to be located among such a caring family of businesses and individuals in our area. They make us look good!

And finally, I want to thank all of you who showed up for the event, brought your bicycle, spent your money, shared your smile and experienced a good time with new and old friends during your ride! I hope each one of you will join us again next year where we can start this madness all over again! Hope to see you soon at our next event! Take care and continue to “Party with a Purpose!” Jan Hicks

It’s Phlocking time this Friday, May 3rd…join us at 7:00 at the Emerald Club. Marcia Bair has lots of fun planned, including Best Decorated Sombrero and a Limbo Contest !!! This month’s 50/50 will benefit the Bogue Banks Surfrider Foundation. Their active groups are dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s beaches.

It’s finally getting warm and sunshiny…looking forward to sharing the weather with you all Friday.

Jessi Holland

Spring has sprung and it’s time for our monthly Phlocking on Friday, April 5th from 7:00-9:00pm.  As always, we will gather at the E-CLub for some Parrothead Phun!! April is Autism Awareness Month and while we “Party with a Purpose”, we will be raising money for The Crystal Coast Autism Center. We will have Autism Awareness bracelets available for a small donation and our 50/50 drawing will also benefit The Crystal Coast Autism Center. Matt will be providing free food, drink specials and music for our listening pleasure. The weather is improving everyday, so hopefully we can enjoy the outside area and celebrate the end of winter. Come out and help us welcome Spring and raise some money for a GREAT CAUSE!!

Good day my fellow Parrot Heads! February has gone by fast with its Super Bowl celebrations and its sweet hugs and kisses on St. Valentine’s Day. Now, get ready for a cheery “Top of the Morning!” as we celebrate the Emerald Isle St. Patty’s Day Festival on Saturday, March 16. Come support our volunteers working at the EIPHC booth onsite. We are proudly sponsoring as our charity Family Promise of Carteret County whose mission is to assist the homeless.
We’re rolling out more events this Spring for your enjoyment! Be sure to Save the Date for our infamous EIPHC Beach Bike Poker Run on May 18, 2019. Personally, this is one of my favorites because it involves a bunch of Fruitcakes like me enjoying a chaotic but somehow organized poker run on bicycles to participating establishments on the Island! All profits will be donated to Semper Fi Fund Kids Camp for local Onslow and Carteret County children of wounded warriors. The families of these kids are so grateful for our love and support every year.
In addition, don’t miss our “Fins Up” Party Weekend. The Beer & Baseball Bus Tour begins at 12 noon on June 1. On June 2, the Emerald Club is hosting a “Fins Up” Party with live music from Rick Lamb and the Phin-Addicts. I can’t believe these guys are performing for us at the Wood Ducks game on Saturday and then again Sunday afternoon at the E-Club. They are an award-winning, popular and loved band on the Trop Rock Circuit and played inside and outside the States! These are Parrot Head party music veterans and have promised us a great show at both events! So, spread your wings and come fly with us! NOTE: Registration for the Beer & Ballgame Adventure is available on-line until March 10.
Details of these and more events can be found on our website at www.emeraldisleparrotheads.com. Make sure you SAVE THESE DATES! I can’t wait to “Party with a Purpose,” can you? Jan Hicks