Three things about this trip really stick out in my memory.
- It was unseasonably cold,
- Busch Gardens and the creation of the Budweiser man and,
- park staff probing the alligator ponds when we later reported him missing.
Bet that last one caught your attention didn’t it?
Dunedin is a suburb of St Petersburg Florida that has a strong Scottish heritage. They even offer Highland music as an elective at the middle and high school levels and the school bands are Pipe Bands. They have hosted a Highland Festival, with Highland Games and a Military Tattoo, since the late 60’s. The Toronto Scots were invited to perform there.
We were hosted by a Colonel in the US National Guard and bunked on cots in the National Guard Armoury. Free accommodations and the loan of his wife bright red convertible to boot. All right now we are talking!
Sounds like the perfect recipe for a classic blowout doesn’t it? A group of predominately middle aged men set free from day to day worries for an extra-long weekend in a vacation paradise – let the good times roll!
I wish I could tell you some great stories about how we tore the town apart but I can’t. Actually I have very little recollection of the whole trip.
I seem to remember helping to break up a fight at the Armoury, wandering around the Blue Jays baseball spring training field and freezing my ass off at the beach, kind of anti-climactic. Maybe crazy by this point in time was becoming the norm.
But wait, the one thing I remember in detail is a visit to Bush Gardens. At that time it was still owned by Anheuser-Busch and as such fully embraced the beer culture. We made friends with the staff and took full advantage of the Hospitality centre and the many beer-affiliated traditions of the times. Paradise.
Sufficiently lubricated we decided to shop for souvenirs. Anheuser-Busch had a massive display of Budweiser clothing and we nominated the most inebriated of our group to become a walking billboard for the brand. I remember almost pissing myself laughing at the antics of our little group.
By the time we were done (or was it kicked out of the store) every piece of clothing had been upgraded and we staged a mini parade on our way back to the bar.
Hours later as we approached closing time for the park we noticed that our friend was missing. We panicked and as efficiently as very drunk people could we started to wander around the park looking for him.
Park security quickly noticed us and a full scale search of the park ensued but they couldn’t find any sign of him having even probed the alligator ponds.
Feeling quite sober we headed back to the armoury where low and behold we found Mr Budweiser snoring away on his cot. After beating him awake the party resumed fueled by cold pizza left from the previous day’s lunch.
For years afterward he wore the Budweiser beret on special occasions as a sort of badge of honor. All I brought back was a beer coaster that I saved in the box of treasures.