UCAR > Communications > Staff Notes > June 1998 Search


June 1998 EXTRA!

Spring party
flings comedy,
Jell-O


The skies smiled on the annual UCAR/NCAR Spring Fling, held on the Foothills Lab patio Friday afternoon, 16 May. "Double the refreshments!" beckoned pre-party flyers, luring many dozens of staff to sample the beer, lemonade, and munchies.

Entertainment led off with the third annual lip-sync contest. The hands-down winners were an interdivisional SCD/CGD group, the Polka Dots, that tripped the light fantastic with "Who Stole the Keeshka?" by polka king Frank Yankovic (father of "Weird" Al). Outgoing SCD director Bill Buzbee showed fancy footwork at his last Spring Fling.

The things division directors must do: SCD's Bill Buzbee (right) manages to preserve some dignity as he takes to the dance floor with Lana Soller as part of the SCD/CGD polka squad, performing "Who Stole the Keeshka?" Other members included (all from SCD unless otherwise noted) Aaron Anderson, Bob Campbell, Paula Fisher (CGD), Mary Haley, Steve Hammond, Erik Kluzek (CGD), Dan Norman, Debby Novak, Mary Ann O'Meara, and Janie Young.
Near-instant replay! Polka in progress.
MPEG video (4.0 MB)
QuickTime movie (11.0 MB)

A special award for composition went to "Blame It on El Niño," a bossa-nova number composed by Linda Mearns (ESIG) and Zhenya Gallon. In a departure from the lip-sync format, Zhenya and Bob Henson (both of UCAR Communications) performed the number live. The song's lyrics have been recorded for posterity.

The lip syncing segued into a set of sketches by The Freaks at Table 9, a new Denver-based comedy improvisation group that includes Debby Novak, party coordinator for the Employee Activities Committee. Before the festivities ended, a few hardy duos competed in a brief relay race that included a Jell-O segment. The team of "Short and Tall," (Austin Stoecklein and Hamish McKenzie, sons of ACD staffer Kelly Stoecklein and visitor Richard McKenzie, respectively) ended up gelatin-encrusted but happy as the relay winners. "Tall" wowed the crowd with two dramatic mosh-pit-style dives into the gelatin. •

VHS copies of the Spring Fling videotapes (by two different videographers, Wes Wildcat and Penny Sadler) will be available for loan from the ML and FL libraries starting Thursday, 21 May.

This ain't no strawberry shortcake: Bob Henson (UCAR Communications) and Barb Bailey (CGD) take a dive into orange Jell-O as part of an interdivisional relay race.

Why "The Freaks at Table 9"?

"We were celebrating 'Singles Awareness Day,'" says Debby Novak of the fateful Valentine's Day last winter that brought The Freaks at Table 9 together. The group emerged out of an improv-comedy class at Colorado Free University. Bonded by relationship discouragement, they quickly formed their own comedy team, drawing their name from a line in the Adam Sandler film The Wedding Singer. The Freaks have since appeared at the Aspen Comedy Fest and worked with the renowned Second City on a Chicago visit in early April. "That's when we decided we'd do the Spring Fling," says Debby. "We weren't sure before then."

Tragic romance made for comic lip sync as HR's The DO-Bobs emoted to the Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack." Laurie Carr (far right) was the lead singer, smitten by biker--well, actually, triker--Bob Roesch (below). We opted not to publish images of the gruesome cycle wreck. Back-up syncers were Katy Schmoll (F&A) and, from HR, Jocelyn Brown, Cheryl Cristanelli, Karla Edwards, Delaine Orendorff, and Terry Woods.

Near-instant replay! The DO-Bobs in action.
MPEG video (2.4 MB)
QuickTime movie (6.6 MB)

In this issue...
Other issues of Staff Notes Monthly

UCAR
NCAR
UOP
Edited by Bob Henson, bhenson@ucar.edu

Prepared for the Web by Jacque Marshall