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The oranges know your secret
I rather like the encouraging message printed on the side of the box for the microphone stand I ordered (it holds two mics — one for voice, and one for the accordion!).
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When Spider-Man saved Easter
There’s no such thing as “too silly” when it comes to comic book villains, and that was the case in 1975 when Spider-Man faced off against the Funny Bunny in issue 9 of Spidey Super Stories.
The Electric Company was an educational children’s show that produced 780 shows from 1971 through 1977. It’s the show that you’d watch after graduating from Sesame Street, and its original cast featured names you might recognize: Rita Moreno, Bill Cosby, and Morgan Freeman:
The Electric Company had an arrangement with Marvel Comics to use the Spider-Man character in skits named Spidey Super Stories that would teach reading. The version of Spider-Man they used lived in his costume 24/7, had no life as Peter Parker or Miles Morales, and spoke only in comic book word bubbles, requiring the viewer to read:
The skits had a companion comic book series, and issue 9 featured an Easter-themed villain:
Trust me, Funny Bunny’s isn’t the dumbest supervillain origin story:
But let’s get back to the Funny Bunny, who’s out ruining Easter for the Electric Company’s cast, who are rather weirdly dressed, even by 1970s standards…
Spider-Man deduces where the Funny Bunny will strike next, and literally hops on a train for D.C. (the district, not the rival comic book publisher…):
…and quickly dispatches the Funny Bunny, even though she’s not even a mall cop-level threat:
Happy Easter, everybody!
(Also worth checking out: Spider-Man’s greatest Bible stories!)
Two Saturdays from now, I’ll be the one of the distinctly non-ukelele players at the Ukulele Fest in the District, which will happen at the District on Cleveland Street in downtown Clearwater on Saturday, April 23rd from noon and straight on through to the evening!
The event is free to attend — come on down to Clearwater and enjoy some music!
Afternoon jams
![Ukulele Fest in the District acts: Spirit Band, Ukulele Russ, Chris Tracy, Roaming Busker, Connie Mason Project, Moon Dog, Tom Hood and the Tropical Suns, and Joey Davilla [sic] The Accordion Man](https://www.joeydevilla.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/ukulele-fest-musicians-1.png)
- Spirit Band
- Ukulele Russ
- Chris Tracy
- Connie Mason project
- Moon Dog
Just listen for the accordion!
Evening concert
The evening concert starts at 6:30 with Steve and Amanda Boisen…
…and The Birdwatchers:
Come and play ukulele! 
You don’t have to be a spectator at this event — there are many opportunities for you to play the ukulele in a group, or learn how to play!
- There’s a “Breakfast Jam” session at 11:30 where you can get started with your fellow ukulele players with some warm-up numbers.
- At noon, the first “Strolling the District” walk will begin, where you’ll stroll through the District and make a few stops to play a number or two. If you have a ukulele and can play the chords C, Am, F, and G, you’ll be good to play along with most of the songs. Emily Stehle, Mike Stehle, and Cosmos Sagristano will lead this one.
- There’ll also be a “Happy Hour Jam” session at 5:15. Once again, it’s a chance to warm up with your fellow uke players.
- The second “Strolling the District” walk starts at 5:30, and once again, it’s a walk roll through the District with stops to play a number or two. The stroll winds up at the Peace Memorial Lawn where you’ll play the last medley at the pre-concert reception. Cosmo Sagistrano and Two Happy Ukers will lead this one.
Learn how play ukulele!
There will be three 45-minute “Introduction to the Ukulele” classes — they’ll be held at 12:30, 2:00, and 3:30. Bring your ukulele if you have one, and they’ll have some ukuleles on hand if you don’t.
Are you an experienced ukulele player looking to sharpen their skills? There’ll be a couple of classes for you:
- 1:30 – 2:30: Steve and Amanda Boisen will lead a “Ukulele Chord Solos” workshop for experienced players. Cost is $25.00.
- 3:00 – 4:15: The Birdwatchers will lead a “Sing the Strings” workshop for experienced players. Cost is $25.00.
- Want to attend both workshops? You can save $10 and sign up for both for $40.
Four years ago today, I was flying into Washington, DC to both attend and give presentations at RWDevCon, a conference for mobile app developers.
The winds were high that day, and as the pilot made their first attempt at a landing, the gusts hit the plane with enough force to make it obvious that we’d have to do a go-around.
On our second landing attempt, the gusts were still there. There was a nervous vibe throughout the cabin, and one of the flight attendants decided to lighten the mood by making an announcement over the PA system:
“If we need to do another go-around, I’m getting the accordion man to play us a song.”
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You know what day it is…
