THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 16, 1995 TAG: 9508150116
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY LORI A. DENNEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 155 lines
THERE ARE A DOZEN ways to get there.
Most everyone who goes walks, rides a trolley or takes a boat.
Once there, they become the ``hill'' or ``pod'' people, depending on where they decide to stake their claim to a seat or spot on the sand.
Still, getting there isn't as important as being there.
Hundreds, sometimes even a thousand, folks gather at the Duck-In on Wednesday and Friday nights for the restaurant's beach parties.
The crowds have descended on the beach behind and to the side of the Shore Drive restaurant for the past five years, drawn by a live deejay from The Coast (93.7 FM), good friends, a local environment and cheap drinks.
``I think it's a good way to start the weekend off,'' said Dan Speasmaker, a vice president and general manager of the restaurant. ``It's friendly, hassle-free, inexpensive and outdoors. There are a lot of regular people here who haven't missed one.''
Stacey Fentress and her husband are counted among that select group.
Even the birth of their son, Dustin, who is now 15 months old, didn't deter the couple. Dustin became a beach party regular when he was just 2 weeks old.
``Where else are you allowed to drink on the beach?'' asked Fentress, who lives on nearby Fentress Avenue in Chick's Beach and usually walks to the parties. ``It's a nice local atmosphere and kids are included.''
At 5 p.m. the exodus begins. Hundreds of folks, typically between the ages of 25 and 60, dressed in everything from shorts to bathing suits and skirts, come from over the dunes, down the beach, from the other side of the Lesner Bridge and by boat - to get to the free party, which lasts until 8.
With nearly 5 acres of beachfront property on the Chesapeake Bay, the restaurant has sectioned off the beach to the side of the building, corralling partygoers with sand fencing, well-placed picnic tables and security guards stationed at strategic entrances and exits to check IDs and monitor the crowd.
Party patrons can wander, drink-in-hand, from the Duck-In's gazebo to the small wooden dance platform to the water's edge. The ``hill'' people, so named by the management, take root on a set of four picnic tables on the hillside of the Lesner Bridge. Then there are the ``pod'' people who routinely gather with friends at a picnic table inside one of the three-sided wooden ``pods.''
Those who choose to stand, or who don't arrive in time to secure a spot, plant themselves wherever there's an empty spot to be found. The walkway to the gazebo is routinely lined with bodies, side-by-side, checking out the goings on below, including dancing and an occasional game of volleyball.
Shelter from the sun comes only when patrons line up under a blue and white striped tent to exchange their dollars for an equal amount of ``duck bucks,'' which for $2 will buy a draft beer, glass of wine or mixed drink. Other shade seekers cram into the shadow of the beer truck.
Canned domestic and imported beer costs $3. For a buck, you can get a soda, bottled water or a hot dog.
``Dollar for dollar, it's just like cash,'' said Speasmaker. ``And they're good inside the restaurant or at the beach party until the end of November.''
Several ``duck bucks'' is what brought Dave Ski, a Norfolk resident who is a professional mover, to a recent Friday night beach party.
``I moved a guy right down the road and he gave me $20 worth of duck bucks and told me where to go,'' said Ski, 27. ``I've been here twice since, and it's cool. I like it a lot. I'll be out here every Friday now.''
When the Beach Party officially began five summers ago, Bill Miller, the Duck-In's owner, was adamant that the event stay family-oriented.
``We've always been perceived as a family place,'' said Bill Miller, who has owned and managed the restaurant for 14 years under Miller Enterprises Inc.
The Friday night beach party was so successful that within a year a similar party was started on Wednesdays, although the midweek affair has remained low-key and drawn smaller crowds.
``As it (the beach party) grew, the security and organization grew with it,'' Miller added.
He routinely staffs the event with 11 security guards and offers a free trolley service from 6 to 9 p.m. along Shore Drive from Taste Unlimited in the Bayville area to Marina Shores at Great Neck Road. Patrons can hail the trolley from any spot along Shore Drive.
All alcohol sales cease promptly at 8 p.m.
Miller says the only promotion for the beach party has come by way of The Coast radio station, which helps sponsor the weekly parties.
Occasionally, the radio station will broadcast a live band performance, treating partygoers to a free concert. Two years ago, Bruce Hornsby performed free.
Over the years, a number of nonprofit organizations have benefited from the beach parties, Miller says.
More specifically, during each twice-weekly event, volunteers from different groups, like the Virginia Marine Science Museum, are invited to pour beer for the masses.
For pouring the beer, each volunteer earns a set amount of money, like $40 a night, which as a whole, is then contributed to the organization.
``We've contributed to things that were medical in nature and civic in nature,'' said Miller.
Overall, through beach parties and other yearly events, the Duck-In contributed $8,000 last year and almost $10,000 this year to nonprofit organizations in Virginia Beach and Norfolk.
Last year, one entire beach party's proceeds, about $7,000, went to the Virginia Beach Events Unlimited, an organization that, at the time, was in charge of entertainment at the Oceanfront.
``Some people thought that was unusual,'' said Miller. ``They were perceived as our competition. But, we look at that as something that's healthy for the beach.''
As it stands now, the beach parties usually begin in mid-April and continue until the weather gives way to colder temperatures sometime in the fall, Miller said.
As for expansion, Miller is considering a pavilion-like, Southern-styled building on the lot where the beach parties are now held.
One thing he can't expand, though, is parking.
The parking lot in front of the Duck-In is reserved for dining customers, however, if beach partygoers arrive early enough, they can park for free in a smaller parking area adjacent to the main lot.
If the lot is full, party patrons are left to their own to find a parking spot. Several enterprising individuals on the east side of the Lesner Bridge offer parking for a fee, and parking is available in some of the Shore Drive area neighborhoods. ILLUSTRATION: [Cover]
[Color Photos]
BAY WATCH
Staff photos by D. KEVIN SPENCER
Carolina Cuttitta and Jeanie Davis, both of Virginia Beach, hang out
at the beach party.
The people who hang out on the hill at the Duck-In beach party are
called the Hill People by the management.
Staff photos by L. TODD SPENCER
James Scarcelli, Melissa Knezevich and Paula Knezevich socialize on
the beach. At this party, patrons may wander from the bar, drink in
hand.
Lisa Foster talks with Mike Twinie on the walkway to the gazebo. The
walkway is routinely lined with folks checking out the goings-on
below, including dancing and an occasional game of volleyball.
Partygoers' hands are stamped to show their ID has been checked, and
security guards are stationed at strategic areas to monitor the
crowd.
AT LEFT: Crowds of people flock to the Duck-In's beachfront property
on the Chesapeake Bay on Wednesday and Friday evenings. The
restaurant has sectioned off the beach to the side of the building,
corralling partygoers with sand fencing and well-placed picnic
tables. In the background is the beachfront gazebo that houses the
bar.
AT RIGHT: Eric Runnels works at the beer truck that is parked in the
middle of the party area. During each twice-weekly event, volunteers
from different non-profit groups are invited to pour beer for the
masses to earn a set amount of money, which is then contributed to
the organization.
by CNB