Homeport Rendezvous Defies Weather and Honors PC Popovoch

Don’t panic… pivot! When it seems like fate is conspiring against you, doing everything it can to spoil your party plans, some people throw in the towel. Not PC Sheila Tomkowiak and Membership Chair Joan Ferguson! When the hosts of the Homeport Rendezvous learned at the eleventh hour — almost literally! — that the caterer had been hospitalized, did they panic? Well, yes, but only momentarily. Then they leapt into action and found Mike at Boukie’s Grill in Royal Oak, who was able to handle the order at the last minute and — drumroll, please! — within the budget. And, on top of that, the food was fabulous!

Setup was also fraught. A team of PC James Grenda, Commodore Matt Bontomasi, VC Brian Fromm, Professor Jay Kaiser, Ken Casey and PC/Dir Buzz Young assembled earlier than planned on the morning of the party to set up the tents hoping to get it done before the rain. Were they concerned? Well, yes. But then a trip to the hardware store and four 8×10 blue tarps later, the sides of the tents facing the weather were well protected from the afternoon’s deluge. Party on!

Luckily, right before the party, the clouds parted, the rain stopped, and the sun made a brief appearance. And what a party it was! More than 50 people partook of the delicious dinner fare with enough left over to feed the grateful cops at Grosse Pointe Public Safety for two days. Not to mention a dazzling array of appetizers provided by the party guests. But the icing on the cake was the ice cream in the bowl – – a fantastic build-your-own ice cream bar with all the trimmings.

The event was dedicated to the memory of much beloved PC John Popovich. Several of those closest to him shared fond memories; PC Sheila Tomkowiak, PC Tom and Mary VanDerMaas, PC Jane Davies, PC Phil and Treasurer Sheri Allor. The most touching words were from John’s wife, Martha, followed by an ode from GPBC’s own Poet Laureate, PCx2 Don “The Bard” Smolenski.

The rain was kind enough to hold off until the party was over — almost. With about 20 stragglers still lingering and enjoying the evening, the skies opened up and the rain came down in buckets. The tarps worked great but couldn’t prevent a growing flood in front of the clubhouse that crept inside while everyone scrambled to move vulnerable materials to higher ground. Ultimately no harm was done, although it took until the next morning for things to dry out in time for the Commodores Breakfast.

As usual, a small army of members — led by Dir. Veronica Greiner and Sheri Allor — rolled up their sleeves and pitched in with the cleanup, and set-up for the next morning leaving a spotless clubhouse, ready to be messed up by the Past Commodores who were on deck to make breakfast the next morning.

You know it was a splendid party when the first guests to arrive (Jack and Nancy Addison ) are the last to leave.

For more photos, click here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAM4dm