THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 13, 1995 TAG: 9507110104
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: SAM MARTINETTE
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
Two events of note take place soon.
One is a fund-raiser Tuesday evening at the Waterside and Waterside Live! for Frank Lipoli, the longtime Harborfest food vendor who was burned in a freak accident minutes before this year's Harborfest was about to get under way.
The second is the ``Summer of '45'' party set for Friday, July 21, in the Officers Club at Fort Story. The party, open to the public, will benefit the Virginia Beach Center for the Arts and is being co-hosted by a number of Norfolk residents.
``The room that we are having our party in was originally constructed by German POWs in 1946,'' explained retired Army Col. Fielding Tyler, executive director of the Life-Saving Museum of Virginia Beach. Tyler is serving as director of the party, helping to coordinate the military and civilian artifacts that the hosts hope will give the party a 1940s feeling.
Guests are encouraged to wear ``USO canteen chic or summer whites'' to dance to the music of the R&B All-Stars and dine at a ``Victory Mess'' that will feature salads, pasta, chicken dishes and desserts. The $40 per person cost will include beer and wine, and the money raised is to fund exhibits.
``We'll have parachutes, camouflage netting, tents and vintage World War II posters inside,'' Tyler said, ``and some military vehicles flanking the entrances.''
Tyler pointed out that the party site has historic importance.
``This is where Christopher Newport walked the beach in Colonial days,'' he said.
``It's easy to picture U-701 mining the entrance to the harbor during the war,'' Tyler added, alluding to a German submarine that dropped mines that later exploded along the oceanfront.
You don't have to convince me that the officers club is a romantic spot. That's where my wife Julie and I fell in love one summer evening 15 years ago while attending a private party at the club. It was the summer of the coal strike and the lighted freighters waiting to on-load coal stretched away to the horizon, looking from a distance like Japanese lanterns bobbing on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay.
Among the hosts of the party will be Wiley and Michelene Gary of Norfolk. Michelene hopes that party-goers will get into the spirit of things and dress for the occasion.
``The women's fashions of the '40s featured a small waist, big shoulders and big hats,'' she said. ``We're hoping that people will come in bits and pieces of Army uniforms, sort of Euro-cam, but glamorous.''
Some guests are renting vintage '40s dresses from Echoes of Time on Laskin Road in Virginia Beach (428-2332), which both rents and sells antique clothing.
``We have dresses, shoes, accessories and hats from that era, both for sale and rent,'' said store manager Jill Tatta.
Those interested in buying a vintage uniform might try La Chance's Seabag in Virginia Beach (460-0488) or the Army & Navy Surplus Store on Granby Street (622-9065).
For information on the ``Summer of '45'' party, call 425-0000.
The Frank Lipoli Burn and Assistance Fund has been established to help pay the medical bills incurred when the longtime wrestling coach and food vendor was injured last month. Lipoli suffered burns on his arms, legs and face when a propane tank shot a blast of fire around him. Knowing the danger involved and heedless of his injuries, Lipoli grabbed a fire extinguisher and went after the blaze, only to be blasted again as he put out the fire.
I had lunch with Frank and his wife Debbie last week at the Harbor Grill, where he and Dan Morgan and Phil Ryan of Waterside Live! were ironing out details for a benefit planned for Tuesday.
Lipoli is one of the busiest food concessionaires around, with his My Dad's operations and ``Captain Tattoo's Removables'' tattoos. Perhaps his most noteworthy contribution to the community has been the creation and direction of the ``Haunted Forest'' at the Norfolk Botanical Garden, which raises funds for Viet Nam Veterans Chapter 48.
Lipoli now is looking at a year's worth of therapy on his way to recovery. A group of his friends has organized the trust fund, and there will be a six-act benefit concert and several auctions, including items ranging from cars to Redskins trips.
``The Waterside merchants are very supportive of Frank and his family,'' Dan Morgan said. ``We're dedicating 30,000-square feet of Waterside Live! to Frank that evening, including a portion of the proceeds from Il Porto and Schooners, as well as from Legends and the Bait Shack.''
The events will take place on the Waterside Main Stage, as well as inside the Bait Shack. For information, call Andy Zoby of Southern Orchestras, 440-8248, or Waterside Live!, 625-5483. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by SAM MARTINETTE
Louise and Edward O'Keefe, who are among the Norfolk hosts for the
``Summer of '45'' party, show off their vintage 1940s wear provided
by Echoes of Time in Virginia Beach.
by CNB