ICE PALACE 57 REUNION

[judydoggie]

Under the "ICE PALACE 57" thread a discussion's been brewing about getting together as many of the old crowd as possible (staff & regulars). It turns out that through my recent research there's more of us out there than you think! Email me at jazz@asianfusion.net and I'll send you details. There're a few of us who're willing to invest a lot of time in this. I own a large restaurant/club north of NYC that I'd be willing to close for an evening for the affair at no cost.

[MaryAnn]

I arranged a very successful reunion for Great Aunt Fanny's Restaurant, in May, last year. I started by making an alumni list of names, locating them, and sending out mailings.
I knew so many people at the Ice Palace, Criscos, etc, but many by first name only.
We need to put our heads together about how to approach this. The venue is great, that certainly solves a huge problem. We just need to find the people, and settle on a date.
I will help in any capacity I can.
M-A

[spinner333]

Well now that I have discovered how to log in to the forum section by registering once again I just wanted to say that an Ice Palace 57 reunion would be fabulous. I realize that it will take creative energy and research to make the party happen after all these years yet it is possible. Imagine the effort to design and actually open the club in the beginning. We just need to locate and interest those who were among the beautiful people who had the chance to enjoy it! A dream conceived can be achieved. Light and love!

[Anonymous]

This is a very exciting idea I would love to see happen. I didnt go to IP57 as often as many of you did but the place has lived in my memory ever since. I so respected dj Frank Houlihan. I was privlidged to have heard him.
I have djed in many a Manhattan night club and have contacts to people here. If people want to have a reunion in the city its not impossible. Also, as an event designer Id be willing to help out with props.decor, (stainless steel , mirrors) even a sound system and lighting if you happen to be in a raw space I know many people from that era in NYC today who patronized the IP57 back in the day that are unaware of this website. They would get a real charge from this information ad did I. feel free to email me ...urbanunit@earthlink.net
sky is the limit.

[MaryAnn]

It's always best to start at the beginning...in this case we need to make a list of people who would be interested in this idea, and make contact. Hopefully, that list will grow through networking, and this website. Once we have the people, the rest will fall into place.
Patrick, I'll be emailing you to see if we can start the process.

[judydoggie]

First, if you've arrived here FIRST, after searching for "Ice Palace" -- visit the "Clubs" section of this site and look at all of the posts at the subject "Ice Palace" -- regarding our re-union; still in early, early planning stages, THOSE posts are best kept here, according to website owner Bernie, who's been very supportive and is a really great guy; but wants to keep things organized. My dear friend Mary-Ann has been in constant touch and has dubbed me "Columbo" because of the diligence with which I'm hunting down old Ice Palace 57 regulars and staff. It's a hard job (and, in the case of those who are no longer with us) extremely saddening at times. However, the little gaggle of us who're working together to get it together are all re-discovering a part of our youth that was very, very special. Please, please, if you know of anyone who once worked there, or worked or partied there yourself, at least tell us your story, or even better, email us some photographs to enjoy, even if you choose not to go. Email paul@asianfusion.net with your stuff, questions, comments or concerns and I'll get right back to you! Jim Merry's up there looking at us all, probably having a good laugh!

[judydoggie]

The first mini-meeting of the IP57 Re-U committee will take place this Friday, October 8th in West Hartford, CT. For obvious reasons, we'd like to hear from you first. We will have a few members of the original Ice Palace staff on conference call in the afternoon from sunny California. A complimentary lunch will be served and Scarlet Gypsy, who has been working so hard on this project, and myself, will host a cocktail hour featuring music of the heyday of Ice Palace 57 and we'll do some reminiscing and some planning. We sure hope you can join us. Email paul@asianfusion.net for times and a map. By the way, the dinner show, later on, will steer a bit away from disco, and feature the swingin' jazz talent of Tony Allen and his quartet from 8 to 11 in our supper club. We'll be debuting Tony's brand new Frank Sinatra tribute song from his 7th album, which yours truly will be producing next year, called "Timeless" - the album will not contain disco, but will have an Italian theme. email me and I'll give you more details. Best to all of you -- and hope to see you Ice Palace dudes and gals there!

-Judy Doggie -a.k.a. -Paul

[judydoggie]

Well, here we go...

We tried -- It turned out that our first re-union meeting consisted of Scarlet Gypsy (who travelled two hours) and myself -- but it was worth it. So much to talk about. But we won't bore you with that. We DID, however, conference-call with another IP57 employee, Richie, on the West Coast, who is doing a great job sleuthing ex-regulars and ex-employees. Immediately following the swing jazz, mayhem began to reign and the tunes of '75 to '83 were played on our sound system (not a Graebar but these days Mackie has surpassed what those guys did, I really think). The usually very sedate late-night customers in my bar were nonplussed and a handful came out to the main stage to dance the night away to (I cheated) a pre-mixed but well-done mix of tunes including "Spanked," "Risky Changes," "Victim," "Dance, A Little Bit Closer," "Ten Percent," and other Salsoul treats, among others. The only thing we were missing was the song, the title of which escapes me now and escaped us then, by "Disco Tex and the Sexalettes," which is, sadly, missing from my collection. I'll find it somehow.

Additional near-term plans include a meeting with another West-Coast IP57 employee at the November Commercial Food Show at the Javits Center in New York City. My contact info is posted prominently hereinabove in this thread; get ahold of us! This thread's been perused over two hundred times so we KNOW someone's interested out there. Please don't be afraid. I was; but this is bringing so much closure to all the pain and the loss - it's a healing thing, believe me. Remember, the Old Man would want us to give a big party like this, too. If you knew him as well as I, you'd know that.

So, with that, we're far away from Kansas, but just now circling around the beginning, about to encounter the scarecrow but not yet... The Emerald City's a long way away from here. Won't you help us get closer? I've got a pair of ruby slippers waiting for everyone, bought and paid for. All I need are the feet to go in 'em.

Love to all,

Paul Lewis, a.k.a. JudyDoggie

[judydoggie]

Far be it from me to "step on" Bernie's fabulous website. It occurred to me, though, that if you look at the main thread under which this is a subthread, this subthread has been "lurked" over two hundred times. Where are all of you? If for some reason you don't want to show yourselves here, there's a new place to do so. Do a Yahoo search (NOT a google search) for "Ice Palace 57" and you'll find it. We're waiting for you. HOWEVER, THIS SITE STILL REMAINS THE NO. 1 SOURCE FOR DISCO AND DANCE MUSIC INFORMATION I'VE FOUND. AND I'M IN THE MUSIC BIZ. I don't know how Bernie does it and keeps his day job! lol!

A bit of prose about the place we seek to celebrate herein:

We have before us a daunting task. How does one find staff members
and guests from a night club that closed business over twenty years
ago; the demographic of which was so specialized, and, at that time,
so "taboo;" and that demographic so tragically decimated by the
Health Crisis of the day; and those who survived burdened with so
much baggage therefrom many still suffer and are just too traumatized
to re-visit any thought of that special place we all chose to gather
so many nights and Sunday afternoons and become a family.

I think of that place not as a place but of its heart; its people;
once cohesive and so close as to form a veritable stone wall around
it; laughing and dancing with one another; enjoying one another's
company; and, in times of hardship, coming to the aid of those who
needed it most. Those people now scattered like the pieces of a
favorite piece of intricate heirloom china, taken for granted on
one's mantle, gathering dust for many years and all of a sudden
dropped one day on the floor and broken into bits and pieces.

It is OUR job to carefully piece the broken item together, with the
clear understanding that it will never look the same. The large
pieces we will eventually find, by looking under the furniture,
perhaps all the way across the room. A clumsy pet may kick one all
the way outside; but it will be found, much later, yes; but found
nonetheless. And we will take these pieces, and though we may not
recognize them now, eventually, with patience and love and a little
bit of glue, render the fragments into a whole that, although homely,
reminds us of what once sat proudly on the shelf, and what many, many
years before, shone brightly upon a different mantle with a fire
raging underneath it all the time.

Why, you ask, is the mended piece so homely? It is because it is
incomplete; many of the pieces we don't find will have disintegrated
into dust upon impact, and cannot be mended back into the whole.
Those pieces, though no longer tangible, no longer visible, will last
in our minds, and in our hearts. They are the most important --
because should a stranger come to call, and ask us, "why have you
saved that peculiar vase on your mantle, when you could have bought a
new one, without holes, that will hold water, and flowers?" What can
we possibly reply but this -- "That vase, my friend, holds something
much more precious and enduring than flowers; it is filled with
memories."

Let's get started.

Paul Lewis - a.k.a. Judy ("Holliday") Doggie

[judydoggie]

For those of you who've looked but for some reason don't wanna post here; the site for the IP57 reunion, a private, members-only group, is:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/IcePalace57/

See you there!

[judydoggie]

Home of the IP57 reunion, Szechuan Tokyo Restaurant, will be hosting a drag ball (drag optional) on Saturday Night, April 21st from 9 to midnight (when all our coaches turn into pumpkins).

The proceeds of the $5 door admission go towards AIDS research and gay community outreach, among other things. The Imperial Court of Connecticut (a fun-loving bunch) is hosting, and we're going to have a sensational dee-jay (or two or three) - as I've got a whole stack of demo discs on my desk and also have a friend who's a super pro (can't tell you his name 'cause he's doing it free for charity) coming up from NYC.

A fun time will be had by all - so reserve early (860) 561-0180.

Love 'n keep dancing,

- Paul a.k.a. Judydoggie

[Anonymous]

I love the idea of an Ice Palace 57 reunion. That was my favorite place, and I have great mempries of dancing the whole night there. My e-mail is : TOMCARLO56@aol.com

[Anonymous]

I REMEMBER IP-57 BANK IN THE DAY...AROUND 1978-79.OH YES! MY NAME IS PETUNIA,A CUBAN BI-GIRL ALWAYS DRESSED IN BLACK AND STANDING NEAR THE STEPS WITH A DRINK. I REMEMBER A HEAVY SET GIRL NAMED CONSTANCE THAT CAME EVERY SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN TIGHT LEOTARDS,BIG HAIR AND LOTS AND LOTS OF MAKE-UP.IT WAS THE 70'S YOU KNOW.SHE LOVED SCOTCH AND SODA. I THINK SHE LIVED ON STATED ISLAND AND ALWAYS CAME WITH A HANDSOME ITALIAN GUIDO OR TWO. I WONDER WHERE THEY ARE TODAY? SHE WOULD DANCE LIKE CRAZY FOR HOURS. I HOPE SHE READS THIS AND REPLIES...WE'RE IN OUR LATE 40'S NOW...BACK THEN,EARLY 20'S.IF YOU ARE OUT DEAR CONSTANCE,RESPOND SOONEST!

[Anonymous]

In my early days as a pilot I'd frequent IP57 (and many other places) during JFK layovers. It was different from what we had at home in Arizona. My flying days are coming to a close, I've had enough and will retire this summer. My wife doesn't beiieve the stories I tell her of my wild 'young pilot' days. But whenever I bring a 757 up the Hudson on my way into LGA I think back at all the outlandish fun I had way back when.........