Pictures continue to pour in from the surprise birthday party for Tony James, and they are great. Documenting years of friendships, amateur photographer LaVerne Flowers did an excellent job of capturing the moment. This was a must, as couples such as Wes and Renee Allen had driven down from Philadelphia to Egg Harbor Township, located in South Jersey, where the Jameses reside; Flowers and husband Kendall came in from Freeport, Long Island; brother Kendall and Tracey Brown James came out from Harlem; and Richardo and Robin Alexander Assaf drove up from Washington, D.C., all to yell surprise to dear Tony.
You may remember Robin, as she was Camp Atwater’s queen of the Mardi Gras [[ED: NUMBER MISSING]] years ago. In fact, all of the abovementioned were former campers, and it was at Camp Atwater where the bonds of friendships were formed, you guessed it, [[ED: NUMBER MISSING]] years ago.
Speaking of Robin, condolences go out to her and her cousin, Curt Foster, as Curt’s father, Eddie “Red” Foster, passed away. The family resided in Riverton for many years before moving on. Curt is now tucked away in the hills of western Massachusetts getting ready to bundle up and bunker down for the winter.
Thanksgiving was celebrated with a different twist this year as “the family” went out to eat. Not knowing what to expect, dinner at Carmine’s was exceptionally fun and delicious. Of course, the meal had to start out with a little pasta. Served was the penne with vodka sauce, heavy on the vodka, along with zucchini fries-I could have made a meal of just that. Then came the traditional holiday fixings. There were huge platters of everything, including the cranberry sauce. As Carmine’s is known for serving family-style, there was more than enough food and everybody dug in.
Of course, in my house the tradition is to wake up Thanksgiving morning with the smell of turkey wafting through the air. I put the turkey in the oven set at 250 degrees around midnight the night before. Low and slow is my motto, so when we woke up the next morning, voila! Turkey ready for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was a beautiful Thanksgiving.
Traditionally, I like to take a plate out and give it to a homeless person on the street. While I didn’t do that this year, I did see a man sitting on the stoop and asked if he had something to eat. He replied yes, so I felt satisfied.
Also thinking of others was Michelle Stent, who sent around the funniest Thanksgiving email that read, “I love Thanksgiving. It’s the one day that big thighs are a good thing.” Oh, ha ha ha. Thank you for thinking of us.
Both Dr. Chester Redhead and Roger Daniels are currently residing in nursing homes. It is a coincidence that these two popular men-about-town are both convalescing at the same time. Chester, one of Harlem’s longtime dentists, is known for his jovial spirit, commitment to Howard University and for hosting some pretty swinging parties at his beachfront home in Sag Harbour. He has come down with a bout of amnesia and is getting special care.
Roger, who was recently in a terrible car accident, is known for spicing up Harlem Week when he introduced the Bud Girls on behalf of Anheuser-Busch. Roger also produced the jazz concerts on the Hudson summer series at Riverbank State Park, which was definitely the thing to do and place to be for many, many summers. We wish them both a speedy recovery.
Happy birthday to appellate court judge Cheryl Chambers and Sandra Matthison. Happy 40th wedding anniversary to Cyril and Doloris Poindexter.
While you may have missed Frank Senior performing at Smalls Jazz Club, 183 W. 10th St., corner of 10th Street and Seventh Avenue, you can put on your headphones or turn up your speakers and tune in to the livestream and jazz archives at www.smalls jazz club.com. It’s really a groovy site.
It’s not too late to get your ticket for the sixth annual Women’s Holiday Tea to be held Saturday, Dec. 3 at the Columbia University Faculty House, 116th Street and Morningside Drive.
The tea is held annually as a benefit to celebrate the accomplishments of the Brotherhood/Sister Sol (Bro/Sis). All proceeds benefit their holistic youth development programs, which provide essential resources and services to the Black and Latino youth of New York City. To purchase tickets or make a donation, go to www.brotherhood-sistersol.org or call (212) 283-7044.
The 118 St. Block Association is sponsoring a bus ride to Foxwoods Casino on Dec. 10. Tickets are $30 and include a $10 rebate, keno and $10 meal ticket. Buses will leave from 118th Street and Eighth Avenue at 7 a.m. sharp! A light breakfast will be served, movies will be shown and there will be a 50/50 raffle drawing on the bus. It’s a fun way to kick off the holiday season-who knows, you might hit the jackpot. For more information, contact Cleveland Manley at (917) 543-5930.
Until next week…kisses.