Dare I say it - Another fabulous party on the Ola Lola deck! Last night we welcomed singer/songwriter/musician Anna Cheek and her musician friends Cookie Rodriguez, Joe Scannell, Tachi Ruiz and Ronnie Abreu for their "For Friends and Neighbors" jam.
Anna used to live here but now lives in mid-state New York. She comes back to visit periodically but rarely has the opportunity to perform here "for friends and neighbors." Cookie is a great guitar player who lives here on the island - and a long-time friend of Anna's. They hatched this scheme for a "friends and neighbors" gig and Cookie asked us about having at Ola Lola's.
ABSOLUTELY!
So last night the place was rocking with Anna's original music and some good ol' rock 'n' roll.
We took the "friends and neighbors" bit one step farther. For many years, when we've done kite festivals or other events, we've always tried to connect them to a cause. This gig was no different. We had a little fundraiser for our friend Dottie. She's had a very tough year. Her mother passed away unexpectedly this year. Her husband was diagnosed with cancer. After her mother passed away, she had to move out of the house where they were living. While moving a huge metal gate fell on her and knocked her out. Some years in doesn't pay to get out of bed.
Through the kindness and generosity of our community we raised nearly $400 to help Dottie with expenses. And that was with an event put together in less than 48 hours.
Huge thanks to Anna and Cookie for having their get-together at Ola Lola's and for allowing us to piggyback our efforts for Dottie. And huge huge thanks to our wonderful "friends and neighbors" who made this such a success.
Next up - our holiday/anniversary party coming up December 29.
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