Snoopy Versus Buffett, Who Wins?

My first vinyl was an LP by the Royal Guardsman – “Snoopy and the Red Baron.”

Sure, that dates me, but I never said it was an original release. OK, it was.

I’d saved months for it. Every dime from the tooth fairy. Every quarter from allowance. It all went into my special hiding place in the top dresser drawer, between the socks and my pink princess diary.

The day I finally made the trip to Gibson’s with my mom and, change in hand, carefully counted out enough for my purchase was a proud moment. It far surpassed buying my first car or paying off my college loan.

For many, many, many days, all that was heard coming from the phonograph I’d inherited from my parents were the rhythmic sounds of Snoopy firing once, twice and swearing he was going to get that man, Baron von Richthofen, aka the Bloody Red Baron of Germany.

So, what does this have to do with the rising price of gas?

Not a lot, really. But it brings to mind the second artist I set up a personal fundraiser to see: Jimmy Buffett. And, happy Margaritaville, the Buffmeister is heading back to the Big Easy this month for the second weekend of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

The countdown has been on at my place for months. My flip flops are waiting by the door. The beach ball’s set to air up, and I even convinced my 14-year-old to wear a silly shark hat for the occasion.

April was a good month. In fact, it was a very good month for us at the Gumbo Entertainment Guide. After all, our sister publication, the Tri-Parish Times & Business News was named the Louisiana Press Association’s 2007 Newspaper of the Year.

But with summer coming, we’re ready for a brief respite. As Buffett would say, “I’ve got to stop wishing, I’ve got to go fishing, I’m down to rock bottom again.”

So if you venture out to the Jazz Fest fairgrounds and you spot a shark-hat clad 14-year-old wearing an “I wish I was anywhere but here” expression and a woman old enough to remember “Snoopy and the Red Baron,” stop and say hello. I’ll be out there chillin’ with just a few friends.