What do Father Guido Sarducci, the fictional character from Saturday Night Live, and singers Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton and Mick Jagger have in common? If you answered they all celebrated their 86th …
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What do Father Guido Sarducci, the fictional character from Saturday Night Live, and singers Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton and Mick Jagger have in common? If you answered they all celebrated their 86th birthday Sunday afternoon at Breezy Point Marina on Warwick Cove, you’d be right.
The common denominator is marina owner John Marotto whose house faces the marina and since his 81st birthday has been throwing a party for family, friends, celebrities such as the mayor, and even the Beacon editor who he invited to join in the merriment.
“You’ve got to come,” he said handing me an invitation Tuesday morning. Faced with using a walker and my left leg in a removable brace to prevent it from buckling, I didn’t stand up to greet him, but waved him to a chair beside me. He grew increasingly animated as I asked questions about the party. He thought about 90 people would turn out. It would start about 2 p.m.; there’d be lots of food and a singer drummer and then Father Sarducci would show up carrying a baseball bat and making it clear if any of the audience didn’t approve of the entertainers to follow, he’d take care of them.
And the entertainers?
John was smiling, his eyes sparkling. He let out a breath.
“Elvis,” he started out,
“Presley?” I said incredulously. He just nodded. “And Dolly,” he added.
“Where did you find these people?”
His smile grew even wider as he started singing – right there in the Beacon office – the Presley hit “Blue Suede Shoes.”
“You’re going to sing?”
He nodded excitedly.
“And you’re how old?”
“Eighty-six,” he answered as if it was nothing.
“And Dolly Parton?”
“Oh yes, and I’ve got the balloons for that.”
I had to see this. John told me to get there by 3:15 p.m. to catch the show.
Actually, it was closer to 4 p.m. by the time I got to Breezy Point, but I was in time to see Father Sarducci in his robe, black hat and swinging his bat. The crowd gathered in the shade of a blue and white striped tent seated at round tables on both sides of a spread of foods. They were warming up. Father Sarducci climbed the stairs to his porch – the Breezy Point Yacht Club as the small wooden sign announced – and disappeared. Moments later, his shirt unbuttoned to expose his chest, carrying a guitar and wearing a wig Elvis emerged from the porch. There were some excited screams, the music amped up and “Blue Suede Shoes” echoed across the cove. John was getting into it. “Jailhouse Rock” came next before he retired in the “yacht club.”
It wasn’t long before he reappeared wearing a blonde wig and balloon boobs bursting from his dress. He sashayed through the audience to laughter and applause.
Remarkably, given the heat and exertion, he wasn’t running low on energy. He was into it.
The final guest was Mick Jagger who opened with “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” The song and performance struck a chord. Paul Vaccaro joined John passing the microphone back and forth between hamming it up and puffs on his cigar. Linda Eichenfeldt got into the swing, dancing with John. The crowd loved it.
And, oh yes and, of course, everyone sang happy birthday. But it was John at 86 who took the cake.
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