BYOG Clarksdale 2007 Update:
Q: Again, you might ask: what in hells-bells does BYOG mean?
A: Bring Your Own Guitar! 
The inaugural event is in less than 2 weeks - November 9th, 10th & 11th! Confirmed to attend are 
Matt "Guitar" Blankenship and wife Mimi, 
Pierce "Ax Man" Hodnette and wife Cindy, Jack "Big Lick" Muench and wife Trudy, and Larry "Lorenzo Mariachi" Simons and wife, Ann.
Q: Who cares, and why?
A: ‘Cause we love the 
blues. Blues lovers all, the troubadours and their women will descend on C’dale on Friday, and stay at The Big Pink Guesthouse www.bigpinkguesthouse.com
We’ll probably eat at Abe’s Bar-b-Que, we’ll tour the venues in the area, including Honey Hill Bed & Breakfast, Hopson Plantation Commissary, Larry & Ann’s 
Blues Apartment, and Ground Zero. Saturday, we’ll play guitars, eat, and play guitars. Saturday evening, at cocktail hour, entertainment will be provided by 
Groundspeak, a professional Memphis-based jazz-blues jam band (Larry’s son Andrew plays bass) - then we’ll jam with the pro’s (ne’er-do-well-would-be-rock-star-guitarists like me need to have pro’s around to cover my ineptitude) - then we’ll probably do Mexican food at Zippy’s and end up at either Ground Zero or Hopson, depending on who’s playing.
Q: Is there a photographer in the house to cover this event?
A: Coincidentally, Pierce’s wife Cindy Hodnette is a photographer, and she will be covering the event.
Q: Why bother to go to 
Clarksdale?
A: For the 
fun of it.
Q: Hey, 
Chester Brewer was born in Clarksdale, will he attend?
A: I spoke with Chet, and he said he might attend, and if he does he will stay at his Uncle Leo’s house - an historic destination of itself. Chet, it will be awesome if you show up! Be there.
Q: What about Frank "Spoons" Collins, did he waz out?
A: We were hugely disappointed that Frank & Mary Collins would be unable to attend - but we are sure they will be drummed into attending BYOG II, whenever that is.
Q: What about Matt "the inventor of ATO Blues" Hart? What about that miserable mug?
A: Yes, Matt was invited, and although we all put our pants on one-leg-at-a-time, Matt has been suffering some kind of . . . uh . . . pain in his throat, to where he is temporarily unable to vocally verbatiate any magniloquence necessary for "the blues." Matt, I can assure you, right after we raise a toast to W.C. Handy, we’ll toast you as well, and sing several rounds of ATO Blues . . . "On my way down to New Orleans . . ."
Q: How about the famed "Crossroads" - what’s up with that?
A: To commemorate the BYOG event, we will having a group photo taken beneath the "big guitar" sign at the actual location of the crossroads - Highway 61 & Highway 49. This will be easy, because its right next to Abe’s Bar-b-que. What could be better?
Q: Why doesn’t Vinny Starr like the blues?
A: Actually, he does like the blues, he just doesn’t know it. Buck Biller was telling me, once he visited Vinny, and Vinny had a tape or CD (maybe an 8-track tape) of "Vinny’s favorites" - which included the famous blues number Green Onions, by Booker T. & The M.G.’s, with guitar-god Steve Cropper playing. Absolutely one of the greatest blues records ever made! Vinny just didn’t know it was blues. How funny is that? This won’t be enough to shame Vinny into attending a BYOG, but we’ll keep trying.
Q: Where is Clarksdale?
A: About an hour south of Memphis on Highway 61.
Check out Beta Pi Blog on the web! The blog address is:
http://journals.aol.com/lasimons4law/beta-pi-blog/
VTL,
Larry Simons
Beta Pi, ‘72
Beta Pi:
he does consulting work on a multi-million dollar project for the Marine Corps PX (Post Exchange, department store for jarheads). Ken has kept up with some ATO’s, Doug Campbell 
and the Campbell brothers. Ken terminated his voice mail machine (because of too many messages) and Ken does not use his government e-mail for personal use, per government policy. However, Ken said within a few weeks he will be switching his personal internet provider, and will be getting a new "private" e-mail address, which he inferred he will share with us. Ken was interested in the blog, but I couldn’t remember the URL address, so I sent it to him (by U.S.Mail).
has formally committed to attend in ‘08. So, my friends, I asked Ken to attend, and although he did not commit, we have roughly 12 months to convince him.
made history by being the first Tick-a-lor to write a Featured Blogger column. This was historic because in the column, Frank announced he had formally moved in to a new apartment, several hundred miles away from {edited for content at the request of FJB}. Here is your chance. Any Tick-a-lor can submit a short essay on any subject, keep it short and clean, after all, we are gentlemen and this blog is viewable by the public.
BETA PI BLOG ROSTER STATS: The Tick-a-lor Blog roster stands at 84 Beta Pi brothers, 70 of whom have e-mail addresses. A poem is in order:
Check outBeta Pi Blog on the web! The blog address is:
Beta Pi:
THE GAME: was exciting, we were tied 17 to 17 into the last seconds of the game when Georgia rallied down field to boot in a game-winning field goal - much to our chagrin. As we were walking out of the stadium, a J.D. Strickland siting! So, seizing the moment, I invited J.D. to dinner.
VINNY STARR PAYS HIS DEBTS / DINNER AT FLEMINGS: In attendance were Vinny Starr, Buck Biller, Larry and Ann Simons, Mark McGann, George Ford, Candy McCall 
A toast was raised to our dear and departed brother David Howe, who passed on recently. 
TO THE TIC HOUSE! On the front porch were Vinny Starr, Buck Biller, Larry and Ann Simons, Mark McGann, George Ford, Candy McCall 
THE PAID ENTERTAINMENT: The other difference was the band - well, it was not actually a band. It was a hip-hop trio, three guys dressed in "hood" costumes with microphones, and a small nerdy dude seated next to a "turntable" presumably acting as "DJ". Quick "Music Review" - the "music" sucked, and it was so far above over-the-top rock & roll volume that it was dangerously loud, i.e., the kind of high volume sound that permanently damages your hearing. No matter to all the young dudes, the scene was "jammin’" - the rappers were rappin’ - I noticed one young fellow laughed as I entered the room, and I said to myself, "Self - when you were an active, and old guys showed up, you would say to your young self - GEEZER ALERT!" So, I went straight to the young dude, smiled and introduced myself. He was at a loss for words, and he straightened his posture as I approached. 
and J.D. Strickland 
descended on the home of Larry and Ann Simons. J.D. had many tales of yore, some of which were about the nefarious dealings of David "Domino" Howe and Johnny "Fur" Wheeler. 
Sunday morning: Marlon and I wandered over to campus, toured the Kissam Freshmen Quadrangle (which rumor has it is soon to be demolished by VU) - and we find Vinny in the Sarratt Center Men’s Room! Vinny and Marlon and I wandered campus and reminisced, and I drove Marlon to the Airport. I think Marlon was genuinely surprised at how much fun we all had. Ah . . . The Brotherhood. A fine timewas had by all!
NEW FEATURE ANNOUNCED: A new opportunity for Tick-a-lor penmanship - "Featured Blogger (fill in your name here)". For example, "Featured Blogger Mark Darling" or "Featured Blogger John Stein" - any Tick-a-lor can submit a short essay on any subject. Previously, I had offered "Guest Blogmeister" feature, which gave any poetic brother the entire blog - that feature is still offered, but so far there have been few takers. Let me know, Bro". Here is the first entry from Buck Biller . . .
and I (being the astute businessmen we are) figured we would wait until just before game time andpurchase great seats at a discount from a scalper. We spent the entire game huddled in fear in a sea of redshirted woof-woofing UG Bulldog maniac's. The Bulldog faithful had apparently left straight from the mill when the 3 to 11 shift ended Friday night. Jumping in their pickups with a case of beer and a carton of cigarettes they drove straight through to Nashville, stopping only for more beer, a tin of Skoal and some beef jerky. Partying all night and well into the afternoon in the parking lot of the Admiral Benbow Motor Lodge, the UG partisans were ready for a traditional VU-UGA tilt (the one where Georgia wins 45-3). Unfortunately, it didn't turn out exactly that way. We led until the winning UGA field goal went through the uprights, securing order in the Universe and probably saving Vinnie and I from an untimely demise at the hands of the rabid Bulldog throng (who I am sure would have flung us over the back side of the Dudley Field bleachers to our untimely deaths, impaled on the tent posts left standing after the "Dynamite Blast" alumni tailgate party). 
To our delight, JD is still the effervescent and incredible raconteur. After dinner, we repaired to Larry's house to drink Tequila and view Marlon's CD compilation of old movies taken in Eleuthra. JD held court until almost 3 AM with tales of Tic lore. The graphic detail, endless stream of sidebars and asides, colorful revelations and manic delivery made JD's stories hilarious and engaging at the same time. I will not soon forget the great time we had that evening and look forward to next year when I hope JD will again appear and share a glass with me and whatever ones of you miserable motha's show your mugs. You will not be disappointed. Thanks again to brothers Larry, Vinnie, Marlon, Van Sayler
, 
et. al. who made the pilgrimage
to Nashville. I will be there again next year. I hope you all are too.Regards, Frank J. "Buck" Biller VTL I Love all my ATO Brothers"