I am so sorry I missed the Billiards for Benefits charity event this year.
Last year, Tracee contacted Keith McCready and asked if he'd like to participate in the 2004 charity event to help raise monies for promoting awareness of ARVD (arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia) and supporting the Nicholas Ryan Over Foundation. The funds raised last year were used to purchase AEDs (automated external defibrillators) for area schools.
This is their FOURTH year, and it looks like they're going strong. It's a win-win for pool (IMO).
Here's my trip report written March 1st of last year:
Just got back from an incredible weekend in Carlisle, PA, where KM had the privilege of participating in the Third Billiards for Benefits Tournament. No, he didn't play in any of the actual tournaments which consisted of individual mini-tournaments, a big 9-ball tourney, 8-ball women's, and doubles. He put on an exhibition Keith-style, and the reception was overwhelming, to say the least.
Carlisle was just a 2-hour drive from home, and when we left Friday evening, I had no idea what would unfold this weekend. When we arrived, I couldn't help but notice the small-town atmosphere, almost Andy of Mayberry-ish, as we endeavored to locate the Carlisle Moose Club where the event was being held. There was a beautiful church I noticed on the way in, one of many, that was over 200 years old, and when we turned right on High Street to look for a parking place near the entrance, every spot was taken except one, which was in front of an old jail building on the corner, probably another 200-year-old relic of the past, a stone building with actual iron bars on the windows.
It was about 11:00 p.m. Friday night when we arrived. The big day was supposed to begin at 11:00 in the morning on Saturday, but we wanted to get there early and check out the place. The sign on the door said "Moose Club," and so we entered, only to be greeted by a locked door. I wondered if there was some sort of secret password needed, but as we pushed a buzzer, the door magically opened and what came next was a surprise to both KM and myself.
The place was jam-packed with people playing pool on 11 Valley bar boxes, women, men, and youngsters. Tracee Clepper, the promoter and TD, greeted us and introduced us to the staff, all volunteers, and some of the players. Coming from a metropolitan city environment, I found these genuinely nice people refreshing and was immediately comfortable. Everybody was there for one purpose, and that was to raise funds for promoting the awareness of ARVD and the Nicholas Ryan Over Foundation. Some of our friends from Baltimore had already gotten there and were having a great time, but the best part of the whole trip was meeting these pool enthusiasts from Carlisle and the surrounding area. Most of them were TAP league players. The big tournament filled up so quickly for 64 players, they had to extend the chart to 90-some and held qualifier rounds for the few remaining open slots.
I took a hiatus from pool before I met KM, and so I was unfamiliar with TAP. I used to play on the Busch League over 20 years ago, and I always enjoyed the competitive spirit at those weekly get-togethers. Well, the TAP league players take their pool very seriously. One guy had a pool case called Whitten I had never seen before, a nicely designed case with a steel bar reinforcement and a spring mechanism inside of the lined case to protect the cue as it is dropped inside the hole. Some players were showing off their old Schons, original Schons before they were mass produced, and I saw a genuine Balabushka cue, real sweet. I enjoyed chatting with a retired gentleman I met who used to place horseshoes on some famous racehorses. There was a young 16-year-old blond girl who beat a lot of topnotch players, and she had that infamous double-fulcrum stroke. Everybody was excitedly talking about attending the upcoming Valley Forge/Super Billiards Expo.
One of our friends from Baltimore, Little Joe, came over to me and said, "Man, I really like this Moose Club. Three Budweisers for 3 bucks. How can you beat that?" There were Moose volunteers cooking hot Italian sausage sandwiches, jalapena poppers, ham melts, just to name a few of the home-made delicacies that were available. The jalapena poppers must have been homemade and actually had the stem of the pepper hanging out, and they were really delicious. We hung around for several hours and then drove to our hotel room to get some rest for the big day up ahead.
KM was given a designated table, and anybody could challenge him for $5 in a game of 9-ball. If they won, they received an autographed photo, and if they lost, they received a T-shirt just for trying. All of the monies went to the charity, and the list of players was over 2 pages long, with some folks playing him twice and thrice.
On an elevated stage to the left where the tournament charts were kept, it was full of donated items, over 50 American flags with pole attachments, probably over 300 Rubbermaid coolers of assorted sizes, picnic tables with umbrellas, barbecues, a motor scooter, lawn chairs, home-made cakes and cookies, pool ball cleaners, pool sticks, road map atlases, autographed photos donated by Allison Fisher, Karen Corr, and a few other pros. KM donated an autographed picture of Jeanette Lee that I bought for 10 bucks at the DCC, some photos of KM in action, and a break cue.
BTW, Allison Fisher's photos were a hot item. A local told me that she found out that her issue of InsidePOOL magazine with Allison on the cover was worth $25 and wouldn't part with it for anything. Allison has a lot of pool fans in PA.
When InsidePOOL found out KM was going to be making an appearance at this worthy charity, they notified their staff and the response that poured in was heart-warming. Jimmy Reid sent some videos to be auctioned off. Bob Henning donated some books. Allison Fisher sent some 8-1/2-by-10 autographed photos, Chef Anton donated some videos, just to name a few. Inside POOL donated two subscriptions to the magazine. The best surprise for me was when I saw the publisher and editor walk in Saturday afternoon with boxes of the latest issue, hot off the press, which were free to anybody, a usual custom with InsidePOOL at any event they cover, and people were grabbing two and three copies like hotcakes.
Nick Maninno, a pro player who lives close by, came to support the charity and actually played in the big 9-ball tourney. He plowed through a surprisingly tough field. Punkie, an old road agent from Hagerstown, was there. I hadn't seen him in over 20 years, and he still plays strong. The TAP players brought their families and friends, and everybody played pool. Nick won the big 9-ball tourney and, the gentleman that he is, donated his winnings back to the charity.
Long live the Moose Club! KM and I were having a ball. There was mini action everywhere, pull-off tabs, a poker game for 50 cents and a dollar, a dice game which wasn't craps (not sure what it was), raffle items, and all proceeds from beer and food were donated by the Moose Club. Tracee Clepper and Jim Geedy, the TAP representatives, are responsible for making this event a huge success. They actually purchased 11 Valley tables a year ago or so to have on hand for their tournaments and move them from site to site as needed. In fact, there is a TAP event this weekend at the Clarion Convention Center in Carlisle.
It's a good thing KM wore his comfortable leather shoes because he was on his feet all day long on the challenge table, autographing photos and InsidePOOL magazines, playing one-handed, joking around with the crowd, posing for pictures with fans, and he told me later that evening that even though his feet did hurt a little, he was having a blast.
On Sunday morning, a doubles tournament was held. We checked out of our room just before noon and drove on over to the Moose Club to bid our farewell. Well, we didn't leave until 9:30 last night because when the afternoon rolled around, KM was having too much fun. He decided he wanted to partake in a little Texas Hold 'Em game of 50 cents and a dollar which consisted of six and seven players, and he laughed all night long, cutting up with the regulars. And I couldn't leave those pull-tabs alone. They are like potato chips because you can't pull just one. You get four pull-tabs for 5 bucks, and if you got the one and only Big Moose Head, you would win $50. There were nine $25 standing Mooses and 15 "holders." When all pull-tabs are sold, they pull one lucky "holder" number out of a hat at random, and that lucky winner gets 150. Everybody left with their hands full of gifts, door prizes, and raffled-off items, including me. I got a couple of nice upholstered folding chairs, two plastic outdoor side tables, a Lemon-Poppy cake, an American flag pole with attachment, and a nice cooler to which will come in handy for road trips.
When the Sunday newspaper hit the stands, there was a front-page article on the tournament, and the tournament folks bought and brought in over 200 copies of the newspaper and just handed them out to everybody as a gift. KM got his picture in the paper, too.
This was a great weekend, and KM and I will be back to visit Carlisle, PA and the Moose Club. It was truly very rewarding, and we both came away with more than we expected, a sense of joy to know that there are some good folks out there, pool people actually making a difference.
So I post this thread and give a huge TAP, TAP, TAP to the Third Billiards for Benefits Tournament and am grateful that KM and I got an extraordinary opportunity to experience this wonderful event.
These are some of the NICEST people on the face of the earth, and believe me when I say, pool is alive and well in Pennsylvania, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Billiards for Benefits organizers!
Tracee and Lisa attended the Super Billiards Expo last year, and I'll betcha they'll be there again this year! How about that Nick Maninno, a real class act, too (IMO)!
JAM
