Spike’s Birthday Party

We will celebrate Spike’s tenth October 22nd 2012 with a gala event in Dr. Gibson’s garden in Connecticut. Invitations are in the mail and arrangements  made. This will become an annual event though it may not always happen at the same time every year. Spike is, first of all, fictitious and, second, will always be ten years old.  So the exact date of his celebration is arbitrary.

The birthday party is a way of announcing to the world that everything associated with Spike is now on-line and accessible. The party will also be a fund raising event for the Windham Region No Freeze Project.  The No Freeze Project is literally a life saver as the homeless now have a warm place to go during the winter months, rather than taking their chances in old cars out in the woods or under bridges.

The fund raising goal for this first event is $10,000. We will see how close we can get to it.  There are numerous items for the live and silent auction.  Admission is a bottle of wine from a Spike approved list which will be auctioned off.

The party will feature Jerry Traunig on the piano.  It will also showcase  a troupe of young people from the local arts magnet school dressed as clowns who will act as waiters. Another actor, who will play the role of Spike, will be the master of ceremonies. October is late for much to be showing in the garden, so a committee from No Freeze is tasked with creating a garden of artificial flowers  cut from tag board to fill the void.

Our local State Representative, Susan Johnson will say a few words about the shelter followed by Leigh Duffy who is the executive director of the shelter. Ms. Duffy will also introduce a former guest of the shelter. Not all guests are chronically unemployed, psychotic street people or alcoholic veterans.

Many guests are simply those who, through a combination of events that occurred during the recession, are out on the street with nothing to their names.  Those stories are particularly compelling as there is little difference between that guest and the people he will be speaking to in the audience.  Sometimes the only difference is luck.

You may have read elsewhere on this website about Spike’s Beer Bread(tm). A long term relationship between P.A.C.T. and social service agencies, of which No Freeze is one, is being created.  No Freeze will select a former guest for training as a baker of Spike’s Steam Bread(tm). The intention is that this guest will, through working with Spike’s Beer Bread(tm), be able to get back on his/her feet.  It is P.A.C.T.’s responsibility to get contracts from restaurants, etc to make certain that there is a venue for the bread once baked. You can sample the bread by ordering a loaf from this website (click here to go to Spike’s Beer Bread(tm).

You can participate in Spike’s Birthday Party either through making a contribution to No Freeze. Those who make a contribution will be placed on next year’s invitation list.

Send your check to :
Windham Region No Freeze Project
attn: Spike’s Birthday Party
PO Box 46
Willimantic, Connecticut 06226