All aboard! Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha. Those were the first words that echoed through the Village Saturday morning at 7 a.m., alerting everyone that the games would begin in an hour. Usually, Rocky would be the wake-up tune, but in tribute to Ozzy, "Crazy Train" was the right call by our resident DJ.

Some of the best players in the region had brought their teams and trainers to the Bayville Racquet Club to see if they could stop the Julie/Nate express. Not a chance. When the chalk dust settled, history was made with the first Pickleball Palooza three peat. Prior to the games, there was some talk about breaking up the dynasty and putting all the players in a blind draw but instead, John Merrill and Mark Spencer were, once again, holding the consolation prize. Maybe next year guys, but probably not. The parallels between them and the Buffalo Bills are hard to ignore.

While all that was going on, the younger generation (23 of them!) were scavenging around Bayville, in their version of "Amazing Race." Everyone had a great time. Thank you to Andrea Nielsen and Heather Merrill for organizing!

Then at 1 p.m., a couple of kids (sorry, I forget who) set off the siren to signal the next round of games were about to get underway.
When the warriors and spectators arrived at Waterfront Park, they were greeted by every athletes favorite meal; hot dogs and chips. Karen McNamara and Luke Merrill did the honors this time and they toasted the buns, setting a new standard for future chefs. Lilly Albaum was a rock star and ruled the musical chairs, while Josie Frascella took the adult division. And, in what I believe is a first, the only tears in either contest were those of joy.

After more dogs - the final count was 145 - it was time for the water balloon toss. There was a huge turnout as teams lined the entire park. Balloons went back and forth and in the end, Mark Spencer was finally a winner. Not only a winner, but he and Mike Tennant set a very impressive distance record of 72 feet, 4 inches. To top all that off, I believe Mark is the new Ruler of the Sea, but the final results were very close and as of press time, scores are still being tabulated.

After the record throw, it was time for the Ice Cream Social and as always the Super Scoopers did not disappoint. Connie, Ginger, Tika taxed their triceps, while Cany personalized each order. Thank you to Laura Allison and the BIA for putting on another great show and to all the roadies who did all the setting up and breaking down. Some guy named Mark Spencer organized all that!

In case you missed seeing it on any of the national networks, Celebration ran aground at Seal Rock last week. It was Carson’s first time at the helm and even with the Buzz’s pleadings for an exclusive interview, he isn’t saying much. Despite the mishap, his family still stands by him and is confident the 2-year-old will learn from his mistake. Thankfully, the tide was coming in and Celebration was soon on its way.

Friday night was a busy one over at Glen Garry as extended family enjoyed 31 lobsters and numerous pounds of clams. Their results in the next day's competitions, have them rethinking their seafood loading strategy and may go back to carbo next year.

It wasn’t all games this weekend as there were a couple of Celebrations of Life. Saturday night the Munnells put together an incredible evening at Ocean Prime honoring Pam. The weather was perfect, the food was great but, best of all were the tributes to her from husband Ham and from their children Brittany and Chris. There was a very touching slide show on display throughout the evening which showed the joy Pam lived her life with. She did some amazing things in the time she had. It really was a wonderful night and you could feel Pam’s presence.

Sunday afternoon things were busy at Hardscrabble as we had invited the community over to celebrate our dad. The weather definitely wasn’t what we would have chosen for such an occasion, but I’m now thinking that maybe Dad did, as he wanted everyone inside. The house was certainly filled with love and laughter. Thanks to everyone who came!

This Saturday is the BVC/BIA doubleheader starting at 9 a.m. Every member of both boards supports a yes vote. Enough said. That evening, Lobster Mania returns to Robert’s Restaurant for another evening of Bayville magic. Cocktail Hour starts at 5. Come sample the libations vying for this years Bayville Buzz crown or better yet, bring your own entry. See you Saturday!