Happy Birthday Hunter…
Good morning from Frederick, Maryland. Hope you had a great week — Hunter’s 75th birthday was on Wednesday the 18th.
To mark the occasion, we had two separate bashes. One at Owl Farm on the 14th that hosted the old guard, as it were. Hunter’s long time friends and neighbors in Woody Creek. It was a moving and powerful day with Taiko Drumming to set the tone. The Red Shark — which rolled off of the assembly line 40 years ago was also celebrated on that day. two birthday cakes. One for Hunter, one for his beloved Chevy Red Shark.
As you know from reading "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," the American Dream is not a destination, but a journey. And much of that journey took place in the Red Shark.
The Owl Farm party had to be a private event in the end (although packed house and under tents), it will be on Grassroots TV. I just received the graphics for the show from Rye at Grassroots TV. So, I’ll post a link ASAP.
Yesterday, we marked the occasion with Gonzo Festival at Flying Dog Brewery. It was a fantastic event with about 1000 people celebrating Hunter’s life — and some, who were only fans of the super craft beers of Flying Dog, learned about Hunter’s work.
This crowd was so amazing that of course I choked up while giving the toast for Hunter at 19:37 EST. There were people from around the Maryland, DC, East Coast area who drove to drink good beer and toast to our sweet Hunter. Jim Caruso and I did the toast together with the crowd. It was very sweet.
It was great to be on this side of the country for the 40th anniversary of Hunter’s stint with George McGovern for President (the last truly great man who ran).
Anyway, thanks guys for honoring Hunter in a truly festive way.
Here’s a link that an upcoming journalist wrote for the local paper:
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?storyID=138475
Lots of Love from MD,
Anita Thompson
