George
will be celebrating his 88th birthday next Wednesday, January 22.
The Shrewsbury State Bank director's meeting takes place that same day and
so George's wife, JoAnne, and his four daughters are hosting a
dinner party that evening at the Navesink Country Club in Middletown, New
Jersey. Below is a poem written for the occasion by Don Bonhaus, a
travel writer and one of George and JoAnne's good friends:
By George! There's a geezer named Blair
Whose moves are all made with a flair;
Always ready to do
Any challenge that's new;
His next: who knows what, when or where?
After dinner, George will be playing drums along with his grandson,
Oliver Fetter, and they will be accompanied on the piano by Bernard
Yaged, another talented guest.
Speaking of drums, George was invited to play on January 9 at the Florida
Music Educators' Association convention in Tampa, Florida. Al Hager,
a top barefoot water skier as well as a music educator, has a band which
played during one part of the program. Al conducted as well as playing a
few numbers on his clarinet and George sat in on the drums for a few
selections.
Also, George has been playing at Al's Place in Lake Wales on Sunday
afternoons. There is a jam session every Sunday from 3pm to 6pm with
professional musicians playing mostly New Orleans jazz and they welcome
George to sit in on the drums whenever they see his yellow Lincoln pull up
at the front door.
As a result of this, George was invited to sit in with the band at
Christy's Sundowner Restaurant in Winter Haven last Saturday night. Is a
new career in the offing?
Friday, January 24, George and JoAnne head to Steamboat Springs, Colorado,
known for its great snowboarding "powder." They'll be back in Winter Haven
on February 15 when, hopefully, the weather will have warmed up and be
more condusive to barefooting!