THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 6, 1996 TAG: 9606040126
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: On The Town
SOURCE: Sam Martinette
LENGTH: 82 lines
OVER THE YEARS, Frank Lipoli has worked hundreds, if not thousands, of outdoor events, but chances are he'll never forget the flash fire that engulfed him 20 minutes away from the opening of last year's Harborfest. That's when a faulty propane tank exploded in flames, knocking him across his tent and putting his My Dad's vending operation out of business, at least temporarily.
``I was engulfed in the blast - burned, stunned - then got up and hollered for everybody to get out of the tent,'' Lipoli recalled. ``I went over and thought I had extinguished the fire, but when I tried to get the (propane) bottle out of the unit that was on fire, it fell over and sparked another fire.''
Lipoli ended up with second-degree burns over 40 percent of his body and spent 15 days in the hospital.
``I was burned on my face and hands, on my left arm past the elbow, on my left leg from my socks to my shorts line, and on the thigh of my right leg,'' he said.
He credits his past training as an athlete with preventing his burns from being worse.
``Fortunately, I was in good shape and my old wrestling legs saved me,'' he explained. ``I did not require any (skin) grafts. Had I been a little slower .
Nevertheless, Lipoli spent three days a week in therapy for months and is still on medication.
``In the beginning I couldn't walk real well because of the tightness of my skin,'' he said. ``The skin on my hands still shows that something happened to me, but I have full mobility of my hands.''
He has been back at work, looking forward to returning to this weekend's Harborfest, where My Dad's will be selling his trademark Italian sausages, along with red beans and rice, jambalaya, Cajun chicken and bread pudding.
``What happened to me was just an incident,'' Lipoli said. ``It's what happened afterward that was incredible. The remarkable part of the story to me was how the Harborfest volunteers and the Festevents community got together, after working all those hours they had already put in, and took down my tent and equipment and vacated the spot. Then they got another tent the next morning, put the equipment back in trucks and brought it back in, and we were back in business by Saturday morning, like nothing had ever happened. Of course, I didn't know that. I was in the hospital.''
Because of the public nature of Lipoli's accident and his long history of community involvement, many elements came into play that would affect his recovery, and his ability to keep his catering business going and pay medical bills.
``They held a benefit for me at Waterside Live, and there was a golf tournament,'' he recalled. ``The wrestling community came forward, the Vietnam Vets, the Ocean View service clubs. I got cards and letters from (food) vendors all over the country, over 650 get-well cards.''
Although Lipoli and his wife, Debbie, already have worked at outdoor festivals this spring, including last month's Ocean View Beach Festival, he said he is especially looking forward to this weekend.
``I'm real excited about this year's Harborfest because I want to try and thank everyone personally who helped me,'' he said. ``Look for us on Loop 3, closest to Nauticus. I'll be there all weekend to greet friends and thank people.''
Lipoli said he plans to make a donation to a hospital burn unit ``in the name of people who helped me out.'' But he said he will be wearing long pants this year.
``I'm still playing dodgeball with the sun,'' he explained, referring to his sun-sensitive, recovering skin. ``I feel a bit like Dracula. Sunshine and daylight are not good to me. But the good news is, I'll be there to answer questions when people ask me how I'm doing.''
By now you've probably heard that chef Monroe Duncan has left Suddenly Last Summer in Virginia Beach, which was closed by owner Rex Harrison in favor of expanding his dance-club operation. Although the closure last month took Duncan by surprise, he has landed on his feet at The Airport Hilton, where he'll join executive chef Bruce White and maitre 'd Earl Branch as food and beverage ``liaison.'' Having Monroe Duncan back in town is always good news to his legion of fans. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by SAM MARTINETTE
``I'm real excited about this year's Harborfest because I want to
try and thank everyone personally who helped me,'' Frank Lipoli
says. by CNB