Magnanimity in Margaritaville

Courtesy of Parrot Heads of the Blue Ridge

The Parrot Heads of the Blue Ridge took honorable mention in last year's Salem Christmas parade.

Courtesy of Parrot Heads of the Blue Ridge

Buddy Carter of Ferrum donned a fake hair hat and grass skirt to try to lure motorists in for a car wash fundraiser.

Courtesy of Parrot Heads of the Blue Ridge

Members of Parrot Heads of the Blue Ridge tailgate before a Jimmy Buffett concert in Northern Virginia.

Courtesy of Parrot Heads of the Blue Ridge

Ron Barberie (left) and Don Reed show off their fins at a Relay for Life fundraiser.

Courtesy of Parrot Heads of the Blue Ridge

Sandy (left) and Jay Furick at last year's Relay for Life walk. Sandy is a 10-year breast cancer survivor.

Jay Furick wants to set the record straight. There's more to some Jimmy Buffett fans than the wild antics you see on TV.

"Yes, we have a margarita or two; and yes, we wear funny hats and funny shirts; and yes, we go to Jimmy Buffet concerts and sing his songs," said Furick, a Hardy resident. "But there's another side to us people don't see."

That's the service side. Parrot Heads of the Blue Ridge is a nonprofit that raises money for charity. Last year, it donated to various charities to the tune of more than $12,000.

The club's motto is "partying with a purpose." Whenever they're raising funds for organizations such as Children's Miracle Network, Relay for Life or Alzheimer's Association, these parrotheads love to have a good time.

Like the time Ferrum resident Buddy Carter took off his shirt and donned a grass skirt and fuzzy-hair hat to try to lure motorists into the club's car wash.

"We made $350 in four hours and had a great time together doing it," said Furick. "That's the fun part of this thing -- you don't feel like it's work."

This year, the group is partnering with Finz Bar and Grille in Moneta for a Relay for Life fundraiser. With its laid-back atmosphere, island decor and Jimmy Buffett tunes playing from the speakers, Finz is the perfect place for Parrot Head events, said Furick. And it doesn't hurt that restaurant owner Rob Arigo is a Buffett fan as well.

Furick said they're planning a BraGarita contest for the May 15 event to spotlight breast cancer awareness.

"We'll get ladies to donate bras and decorate them and they're going to hang them from the ceiling," he said. "People will vote on which bra is best decorated."

Votes will cost $1. The bra with the most votes will be declared winner, with the decorator taking home a prize.

"Anything worth doing is worth doing in excess," said Furick. "Everything is done in fun and good taste."

But not everything these Parrot Heads do is for charity. For the past two years, the group has rented a bus and embarked on a tour to select the best margarita in Roanoke.

"We had 50 people on the bus and we went to six different restaurants," said Furick.

Last year, O'Charley's took home the honor. In 2008, it went to Alejandro's, a Mexican restaurant on Campbell Avenue in downtown Roanoke.

The club also participates in area Christmas parades, decking out a float with lights and island theme decor, and blaring Buffett over the speakers.

Last year, the club won first prize in the Vinton Christmas parade for its pirate ship, the S.S. Margaritaville. The ship was "pulled" by four pink flamingos serving as reindeer. A parrot in a Santa Claus hat served as the jolly old elf.

"The crowd was really responding," said Furick.

The club took honorable mention in the Salem Christmas parade in 2009 after its generator quit about 100 feet from the judge's table.

When things don't go right, the club members try to make the best of it, said Sue Carter, club membership chair and Ferrum resident.

Once, they chartered a bus to attend a Buffett concert in Northern Virginia. As the bus pulled into a parking space, the transmission died. When the concert was finished, the club members came out to the parking lot to find that another bus was en route, but it would be a while before it got there.

"Everybody just broke out the grills again," said Carter.

So around midnight, a bunch of sleepy Parrot Heads of the Blue Ridge were cooking hot dogs in the Nissan Pavilion parking lot.

Furick said the club is for anyone who loves Jimmy Buffett, likes to have fun and enjoys raising money for charity. Currently, there are about 180 club members from throughout the Roanoke Valley, with one-third residing in Bedford and Franklin counties.

Furick said members run the gamut from people in their 20s with young children to retirees. The largest demographic is working professionals, many in health care and social work. More than half the membership is female.

The one thing you won't find in this club is a wallflower. But you will find a dry person or two.

"I don't even drink and I'm the president," said Furick.

"And we voted him in," said Carter. "Can you believe it?"

For more information about Parrot Heads of the Blue Ridge, visit www.phbr.org.