TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | MAY 2017 9 This year’s Big Kahuna is Chuck Bargeron. Chuck came to be a resident of Tybee Island in 1985, just a few years before the first parade. Chuck has been there since the beginning, and when I questioned him how did this event come to be, or was it an excuse to drink, Chuck quickly responded with, “I’ve never known anybody to run out of an excuse to drink.” As we chatted I learned one of his fondest Beach Bum Parade memories came the second year. As Chuck recalls it, he dressed in a nurse’s uniform down to the white stockings, with a Tina Turner wig, pushing Coach Jiggs Watson in a wheelchair with an upside down bottle of liquor being used as an IV down Butler. As the parade has grown and changed, Chuck says what really makes it special to this day is that “It’s ours. No one else can take it, it belongs to Tybee.” Chuck loves the tradition and he says the best part of it all is the people. Our locals and visitors are what still make the event so special to this day. When I asked Chuck how he feels about being awarded Big Kahuna he responded “Big time honor. I’m tickled and thrilled to do the Bums proud.” He paused, then added, “You could trip and fall and do the Bums proud.” Our Queen this year is an original Beach Bum, Mary “Boo” Pezan. Boo has been coming to Tybee all her life. She even played on the Beach Bums softball team the first year. Boo recalls someone would stand on first base and hold out a beer for you to drink after your hit. “If you knocked over the coach’s beer you had to run a lap,” she added. This feisty and wonderful lady now works at the Crab Shack. If you’re lucky enough to sit at her bar, you can hear the story of the year Dirty Dan dressed up as the Pope, sat in the back of a pick-up truck with an actual toilet, scooping out (clean) water, and blessing people as the parade went on. She said that was by far her favorite memory. When I asked her what the title of Queen meant to her, she told me she’s “So excited, blessed, and honored.” She added her favorite thing about Tybee is “meeting people, people from all over the world.” This year’s Grand Marshall is being awarded to Henry Schroder. Henry told me he was “totally shocked, it brought tears to his eyes.” He mentioned how honored he is, and how he could not wait to share the news with his beautiful wife Kim. Henry spent much of his life here on Tybee, and says his one of his first memories takes place here in 1946. When asked about his favorite parade he ever attended, he said it was a few years back “when my kids came down from Seattle.” He expressed being able to share such a fun event with people you care about makes it all the more special. “The people are my favorite, both those who live and pass through here.” To Henry this is more than a tradition but a sense of community. Whether this is your 1st Beach Bum, your 31st, or any number in between, the most important things to remember are get wet, have fun, don’t fear the water and, as Henry told me, “It’s all about the love.” Don’t forget to bring the love to the Beach Bum Coronation on Wednesday, May 10th at 7pm at Marlin Monroe’s! Food, booze, music and bums! What more could you ask for? Photo by Wen Mcnally Photo by Wen Mcnally Photo by Wen Mcnally
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