Week 20 - Starpalooza X

The Fiser 52 hit the road this past weekend. Of all places, we took the show down to Star, MS! I know what you are thinking, and NO we didn't see Faith Hill down there. In my opinion, we did one better, we met up with all of my old high school friends at the Ridgway cabin for some swimming, pickin', grillin', and just straight hanging out.

Here is a brief history of Starpalooza:
Back in 2000 all of my guy high school friends decided to escape Jackson for the weekend and enjoy a relaxing weekend in Star, MS. During that weekend, we decided to make it an annual tradition to come down to Star for a weekend and the name "Starpalooza" was born. All of us who made the trip down to Star that first year are now what we call "Founding Fathers". Well...here we are 10 years later and Starpalooza is still going strong. Some things have changed over the years; admittance of non-Founding Fathers, women, family, and children, but the basic premise is there...relax and enjoy a weekend away.

Sarah made the journey down with me for the first time, and from what I can gather she had a good time...(Sarah feel free to edit this comment if this wasn't true). We couldn't make it down on Friday night, but we woke up early on Saturday and made the trip. There is something about hitting the gates at Star that adds a little giddy up to my step. When we got to the cabin we started up all the activities for the day, swimming, corn hole, crawfish eatin' and sitting around enjoying old friends. Unfortunately, it was a quick trip, but a great one!

I'm keeping the details short because I want to profile the Founding Fathers of Star:

Robert Ridgway - Robert is the cornerstone of Starpalooza. It is his family's place that we get to enjoy every year...Thank you Robert! He currently lives in Miami working construction and has a wife named Brittany.

David Weems - David is the local logistics coordinator for Star. I like to think that he is Robert's eyes and ears in the Mississippi area. David is an attorney in Jackson, has a wife named Kyla, and the most handsome new baby Xan, which I should point out is the first offspring of the Founding Fathers.

Matt Herrington - Matt currently lives in Charlotte, NC. Hats off to Matt for making it to Star this year...He is getting married in New York to his fiance, Meg, on the Friday after Star. Matt is currently a fearless flight instructor who takes all sorts of people up for flying lessons.

Josh Evans - Josh is in the process of moving from Canton, MS to Jackson, MS with his wife Mary Elizabeth. They have two dogs and Josh runs a totally organic farm in Canton. He is responsible for Starpalooza going "Green" this year. Josh - Thank you for making sure that Star will be there for future generations.

Nate Richardson - Nate traveled the farthest to get to Star. He lives in Boulder, CO and works for Whole Foods. Nate is the master guitar player who entertains us with song during Starpalooza. It's not uncommon for Nate to pen a good story for a dramatic reading every once in a while.

Hu"Bert" Green - Bert currently resides in Shreveport, LA where he works in the oil and gas business. Thanks to Bert for being a master chef and providing our dinner on Saturday night. Bert is also the master "Who Let the Dogs Out" from the Hangover dancer. Sarah is still laughing.

Mark Steele (Founding Father Emeritus) - Mark was with us for the first six years of Starpalooza before cancer took him away. He was an excellent friend to all of us and is always remembered at Starpalooza through stories and songs. Not a year goes by that we don't reflect back on what Mark meant to us. I believe that Mark is an integral reason why we still get together every year for Starpalooza and for that we say THANK YOU!  

Some Classic Star Pictures of Mark

Enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend and we will see y'all next weekend!