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 Check out the links below for other exciting Parrothead or Jimmy Buffett news.
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 Board of Directors
(our fearless leaders)
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 Welcome to the Official Website of the Vancouver Island Parrotheads (VIP) Club! We invite you to browse our site and check out how us folks living on the West Coast of British Columbia, Canada, can “party with a purpose.”
What exactly is a Parrot Head, you ask? Simply put, Parrot Heads are Jimmy Buffett fans. However, like Star Trek’s “Trekkies”, Parrot Heads may, from time to time, blur the line between reality and Margaritaville. Our favourite tropical troubadour’s music and the laid-back island philosophy he stands for has encouraged more than one fan to wear tacky floral print shirts, adorn themselves with flamingoes, and even keep a pirate outfit in their closet. Parrot Heads are also prone to random acts of kindness.
This tenuous hold on reality affects every one of our sixteen members and we are proud to admit it. VIP is actively involved in our community (most of our members live in Ucluelet, BC) by supporting local events, fundraising for our causes, and having fun doing it. True to the Parrot Heads in Paradise creed, we participate in activities that are charitable, educational, and that promote the general welfare of our community.
Please help us party with a purpose by supporting our local fundraising efforts and by checking out our web advertisers. Fins Up!
“And watch the sun go down
Listen to the sea roll in
I'll be thinkin' of you
And how it might've been
Listen to the nightbird cry
Watch the sun set die
Well I hope you understand
I just had to go back to the island.” |
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 Keep up to date on all the Vancouver Island Parrothead Events right here. Below is a list of upcoming events. If you have an event you would like to see listed here, please contact us at info@vanisleparrotheads.com.
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VanIsleParrotheads Adopts Ginny the Parrot :
Ginny's story - As a result of a police bust on a crack house in Toronto, she was discovered in a dog crate in the garage. The animal control officer that went for the rescue has parrots himself. He looked after Ginny for the time it took for her to be no longer part of the case. He had heard about us from a friend who had visited the refuge and thought this would be ideal for Ginny. One of our members is a captain of a 727 for Cargo Jet - he fly's into Vancouver once a week. He persuaded the management to allow him to bring Ginny along in the jump seat in the cockpit. Ginny went from rags to riches in a very short time. From being a starving forgotten featherless little parrot locked in a dog crate in a garage in Toronto in the winter - to a well traveled (first class flight, followed by a car ride and a ferry ride ) young lady living the life of luxury in the World Parrot Refuge. She is one of the very fortunate few who have been virtually adopted. |
 Experience Parrothead'edness Up Close & Personal |
The Vancouver Island Parrotheads are going to be back this year supporting a couple of our favourite events - the Edge to Edge Marathon and Ukee Days.
The Edge to Edge Marathon has been an event that VIP has supported from the beginning. Ask anyone that has participated in the marathon over the years and I guarantee they will remember the Parrothead water station.
Huge margarita glasses, spewing volcanoes, and a cheeseburger that would choke a T-Rex are all hallmarks of the VIP water station experience.
Watch for us this year as we do a "best of" VIP and bring back all your favourite props with the unique style we hope would make our Island troubadour proud.
Then there's the Ukee Days Parade. We've used lots of the same stuff as the Edge to Edge water station over the years but we kick it up a few notches for this event.
Why check us out at these events? Because we've won "best of" every year we've participated. Why? I'm sure it has nothing to do with my Mother-in-Law Moogie sharing her 'Rita recipe with the judges...
Fins up!
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| Posted by Blain on Thursday, April 02, 2009 at 21:14
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| More Info About Peaches |
This is the description that Wendy from the World Parrot Refuge gave us on Peaches - how could we not adopt her?!
"Peaches is an Umbrella cockatoo female. She is about 15 years old. We received several phone calls from a lady who told of this cockatoo in Calgary that lived in an apartment with alcoholics and drug addicts and was not cared for. Unfortunately we do not have the powers of the SPCA so we could not just walk in and seize the bird.
"There seemed to be a connection between this lady and the apartment dwellers so it was hard to know if this was just retaliation for another situation. We told her to report to the Alberta SPCA but they apparently did not do anything and the lady was becoming more and more concerned.
"Finally she told us that a couple of years earlier the people had broken the back toes of the parrot to make them come forward. They thought that parrots feet should be like chickens feet - 3 toes forward and one toe back. The bird was unable to stand on a perch and just sat on the floor of the cage full of poop.
"We have a great young man in Calgary who offered to go and rescue the cockatoo. He went to the apartment knocked on the door walked in and said he had come for the parrot. The place was full of smoke. Beer bottles stacked to the ceiling and the whole place stinking like marijuana. Ash trays on the mattress were spilled over, and people were passed out everywhere. One of the people pointed to the cage in the corner.
"RJ found this tiny little cockatoo brown as brown could be instead of snow white. She was laying down and her feet were stuck together with the toenails overgrown and wound into each other. There was no food or water. Apparently they had run out of it a couple of days previously.
"Peaches was picked up and taken directly to an avian vet in Calgary. She remained there for a week in intensive care. She had lost almost half of her body weight.
"I flew to Calgary and brought her back to the sanctuary. She is the sweetest most loving little Umbrella cockatoo on earth. She is now white.
"She seems to be in constant pain with these crippled toes so we plan to get her to the vets as soon as the elective surgeries we have booked are completed. We feel that she will be better off without the 2 broken toes. She does receive pain medicine - and a lot of cuddles every day. She has to wear an Elizabethan collar to prevent her from chewing holes in her legs. We think this is her way of trying to make the pain go away. It seems as though she wants to chew her legs off.
"It has taken months to get her to her proper weight and introduce her to different foods. She needs to have good health and weight before any surgery can be done."
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| Posted by Blain on Thursday, April 02, 2009 at 20:19
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| RIP Ginny |
| If you have checked our site over the last couple trips around the sun you will have noticed that it has not been kept very current. I wish I could say it was due to too many 'ritas...
I am sorry to say that our beloved Ginny the Catalina Macaw passed away last year. Our understanding is that Ginny never really recovered from the injuries she sustained from her previous owners and she ultimately died from their cruel mistreatment.
VIP really identified with the World Parrot Refuge's work and felt proud of our contribution toward making life easier for these beautiful creatures. With this in mind we decided to adopt another parrot named Peaches.
Stay tuned for Peaches' story and for some photos.
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| Posted by Blain on Monday, March 30, 2009 at 20:58
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| VIPs Take the Cup Again! |
The Vancouver Island Parrotheads stole the show once again at the Edge to Edge Marathon in Ucluelet. As if there was ever a doubt, the E2E organizers awarded the VIPs "Cheeseburger in Paradise" water station with the the coveted "Water Cup" for the third year in a row.
The "Cheeseburger in Paradise" water station was dominated by, what else, a huge cheeseburger measuring at least four feet in diameter. The burger was perched upon a tacky bamboo stand complete with a make-believe menu offering "lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and french-fried potato, big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer". The VIPs famous erupting volcano, margarita bubble machine, and a bevy of pink flamingoes were a sight for sore eyes (and feet) as marathon runners began the last leg of the arduous race that follows the coastline from Tofino to Ucluelet. Countless runners added precious seconds to their times just so they could get a photo taken with the VIPs latest water station creation.
Special thanks to VIPs Shirley, Riley, Lorane, Geoff, Lucia, Patsy, Maureen, Julie, Armerina, Gord, Lisa, Rose-Marie, Aaron, Andrea, Chris, Blain, and their 'keet Miranda. See you in July at the Ukee Days Parade!
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| Posted by Blain Sepos on Saturday, June 16, 2007 at 12:24
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| VIPs take the Coveted Water Cup |
While showing their community spirit by hosting a water station in the 2006 Edge to Edge Marathon on June 11th, the Vancouver Island Parrotheads secured the coveted Water Cup for the 2nd year in a row for best decorated station.
Amidst a full-serve Tiki Bar and a 7-foot volcano spewing smoke, refrains of "Water...Gator-Aide...Margarita...?" could be heard, intertwined with the music of Jimmy Buffet, as tackily-bedecked parrotheads passed out refreshements to the marathon's runners, relayers, and walkers alike.
It seemed that many of the marathoners, understandably exhausted from their efforts, perked up when passing our water station, some even stopped to ask questions, take photos, and/or get a photo taken of themselves by the volcano. Those who did not know what a Parrothead was before starting the marathon left our water station educated as well as hydrated.
Thanks to the hard work and efforts of the VIPs - Shirley, Riley, Lorane, Lisa, Gord, Maureen, Lucia, Geoff, Julie, Merina, John, Rose-Marie, and Chris with her 'keet, Miranda. See you next year!
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| Posted by Blain Sepos on Wednesday, August 24, 2005 at 19:25
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| VIPs win blue ribbon at Ukee Days |
The Vancouver Island Parrotheads wowed the crowds with a spectacular float at the Ukee Days Parade on July 29/06 in Ucluelet. In fact, our float won the coveted blue ribbon for "Best Club Float". If strutting our stuff to "Volcano" and handing out leis and suckers wasn't enough, the 7-foot-tall realistic-looking papier mache volcano blowing smoke and bubbles clinched us the top honours. Checkout the PHOTO GALLERY and see it for yourself!
The VIPs (especially the Varns Family) spent many hours getting the float to the finishing stage including shoveling 4,000 pounds of sand to recreate our volcanic island scene. The night of July 28th found the rest of the group at the Varns' sipping frozen concoctions and adding the final touches including christening our wrecked rowboat the "Black Pearl" - we also have some Johnny Depp fans (read fanatics) in the crowd... Somehow the float was built with no injuries and only minor hangovers to speak of.
The morning of the parade the VIPs reconvened at the Varns', rebuilt the portions of the float we didn't want vandalized or wilted by the fog, and made our way to the marshaling/judging area. We had the pleasure of being held between our local MP and the "Bear Naked Ladies" of the West Coast Bear Aware Committee who were decked out in little more than trash cans for the parade (they also won their category).
As the judging committee approached our float lead by the Mayor of Ucluelet, Her Worship Dianne St. Jacques, the VIPs cranked "Volcano" and hammed it up enough to bring more than a few smiles and chuckles with no Jose Cuervo involved. After waiting with much anticipation, the judges returned with the blue ribbon.
As the parade wound its way through Ucluelet down to the Ukee Days grounds at the Seaplane Base, it was flattering and, frankly, amazing to hear all the cheering and see countless people take photos of our float. People saw how much fun we were having which resulted in countless inquiries of how they too could become a Parrothead! We can't deny the fact that they liked us, they really liked us!! Everyone wanted to be leied by our bevy of beauties - if only the ladies had a margarita for every time they heard that original comment.
The VIPs had a great time with our Ukee Days float and planning has already started for next year. Thanks to the Varns Clan (lead by Shirley and Riley), Lorane, Patsy, Lisa, Gord, Maureen, John, Rose-Marie, Blain, Chris, and our 'keet Miranda. Special thanks to Walter McBrine for loaning us his flat deck. See you next year!
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| Posted by Blain Sepos on Friday, August 05, 2005 at 22:34
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Tel: 250-726-7178
