12/29/2014
Dale Rathke, one of the first to attend Obituary Cocktail died recently. Click the link and read about him. There is no mention of how or when he died.
http://shar.es/1HgNGO
The Grande and Secret Order of Obituary Cocktail is a French Group of Friends with not agenda or organizational sturcture. Just a good place to meet you neighbors.
A little history for those of you who just joined OBIT. Gatherings started in 1999, made up of mostly French Quarter residents, just after the first edition of the book Obituary Cocktail by Kerri
McCaffety was published. Since that time, the group has gathered at most, if not all, of the bars in the book. If you have not read the book, you should. It is an excellent social history of New Orleans as it developed around and was influenced by the saloons. Of course we all know we are doing this because of our appreciation for the architecture and history of the great bars and saloons of New Orleans.
At some gatherings there have been as few as twenty and at others there have been more than one hundred. Some have tried to predict how many will be at different locations. Others have attempted to relate the number at gatherings to the type of bar, however, there seems to be no pattern. One of the highlights for OBIT last year was traveling in a group on a private bus trip to great saloons located in outlying neighborhoods and a gathering at San Miguel, Mexico.
In the beginning, people on the list were notified by snail mail. Then it switched to email only because of cost and time involved in mailing. At that time, OBIT lost about half of the group but has now developed into almost five times the size of the original list. The exact number has not been counted to date, but it grows weekly. There are more than five hundred friends and neighbors on the email list. The email list and website are kept current by [email protected].
After all the saloons in the book had been visited and some more than once, the group started going to bars not in the book, but suggested by people at the gatherings or by email. The only requirement to be a participant in OBIT is to attend a gathering. (See "Gatherings" tab for location each week). At the gathering you will be provided a "username" and "password" that will allow you to add your email address to the list of participants. Then do not expect any efficiency, organization, governing boards, structure, by laws, organizational meetings, budget, elections, goals, objectives, required attendance rules or a responsible leader or even a leader, because none of those exist. However, Obit is a great place to make friends who appreciate a fun gathering. If Obit ever gets organized I will quit.
If you can fit into such a loose and unorganized structure, you will enjoy OBIT. Just keep your expectations low and be on time to the gatherings, because they are over in 45 minutes to an hour.
I'll drink to that......
