Full of Hawaiian shirts and margaritas, the Orange County Parrot Head Club, a Jimmy Buffett-inspired club that assists local organizations, celebrated its 30th anniversary on Saturday with an event giving back to the community.
On June 8, “parrot heads,” a coined name for Buffett fans, gathered at the Elks Lodge in Mission Viejo to support local charities and listen to Buffett-inspired tunes, nine months after his death.
Orange County Parrot Head Club members David Hahn of Orange, Michelle Steddum of Orange, Wes Thoroughman of Irvine and Lisa Molzon of Murietta, from left, stand together during the club’s annual charity event at the Elks Lodge in Mission Viejo on Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tina Gullickson, vocalist, and Mick Utley, keyboardist, both members of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, do Jimmy’s famous “fins up” salute during an appearance at an Orange County Parrot Head Club charity event in Mission Viejo on Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Orange County Parrot Head Club members Lynda and Rich Bronzellino of Yorba Linda, left, get the chance to meet Coral Reefer Band members Mick Utley and Tina Gullickson during a charity event for the club on the patio at the Elks Lodge in Mission Viejo on Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Mark Lokovic, the Vice President of the Orange County Parrot Head Club, a Jimmy Buffett fan club built around helping local charities, holds his grandson, Miles, 3 months, who’s wearing a “Future Parrothead” t-shirt, during the club’s 30th annual charity event at the Elks Lodge in Mission Viejo on Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
AJ John Cox, right, the founder of the Orange County Parrot Heads Club, introduces members of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, Mick Utley and Tina Gullickson during the club’s 30th anniversary charity event at the Elks Lodge in Mission Viejo on Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Singer Jerry Gontang and his band, Stars on the Water, performs Jimmy Buffett covers during a charity event for the Orange County Parrot Head Club at the Elks Lodge in Mission Viejo on Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Mick Utley, left, and Tina Gullickson, both members of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, recount stories about playing with Jimmy and answer audience questions during an appearance at the 30th annual Orange County Parrot Head Club charity event at the Elks Lodge in Mission Viejo on Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Mick Utley, right, a keyboardist in Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, chats with fan, Dave Scribner of San Juan Capistrano, during an appearance at an Orange County Parrot Head Club charity event in Mission Viejo on Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Mick Utley, left, and Tina Gullickson, both members of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, recount stories about playing with Jimmy and answer audience questions during an appearance at the 30th annual Orange County Parrot Head Club charity event at the Elks Lodge in Mission Viejo on Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
AJ John Cox, left, the founder of the Orange County Parrot Heads Club, introduces members of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, Mick Utley and Tina Gullickson during the club’s 30th anniversary charity event at the Elks Lodge in Mission Viejo on Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Mick Utley, a keyboardist in Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, signs a poster for a fan during an appearance at the 30th anniversary Orange County Parrot Head Club charity event at the Elks Lodge in Mission Viejo on Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Stars on the Water performs Jimmy Buffett covers during the 30th annual charity event for the Orange County Parrot Head Club at the Elks Lodge in Mission Viejo on Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Orange County Parrot Head Club members check out Jimmy Buffet-themed items available in a silent auction during the club’s 30th annual charity event at the Elks Lodge in Mission Viejo on Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tina Gullickson, right, a vocalist in Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, signs a poster for Donna Walker of Corona during an appearance at the 30th anniversary Orange County Parrot Head Club charity event at the Elks Lodge in Mission Viejo on Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tina Gullickson and Mick Utley, left, both members of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, recount stories about playing with Jimmy and answer audience questions during an appearance at the 30th annual Orange County Parrot Head Club charity event at the Elks Lodge in Mission Viejo on Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Orange County Parrot Head Club members Lynda and Rich Bronzellino of Yorba Linda sport their homemade Parrot Head hats during a charity event for the club in Mission Viejo on Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tina Gullickson, a vocalist in Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, signs a poster for a fan during an appearance at the 30th anniversary Orange County Parrot Head Club charity event at the Elks Lodge in Mission Viejo on Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
“Although Jimmy passed (recently), his final message to the clubs was to ‘keep the party going,’ and so we are,” Mark Lokovic, vice president of the Orange County Parrot Head Club, said.
The Orange County Parrot Head Club, founded by A.J. Johncox in 1994, is one of over 200 official Parrot Head Clubs in the U.S., all based around helping charities, Lokovic said.
Dubbed “Party with a Purpose,” each chapter throws events where members can flock to learn about Buffett’s life while also helping a good cause. Over the years, the Orange County chapter has helped a wide range of charities, including the Boys & Girls Club of Anaheim, Heroes Hall Veterans Foundation and the Alzheimers Association, according to the club’s website.
The Orange County Parrot Head Club members meet monthly at Lopez and Lefty’s in Anaheim where they fellowship, listen to entertainment and “do good work for our charities,” the website says. Membership fees start at $40 and can be purchased online.
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The charities represented this year at the Orange County event were the Elks’ Purple Pig, the St. Kilian Food Bank and the Orange County Ronald McDonald House. In addition to a live and silent auction, partygoers were asked to bring different items for donations for the charity groups, such as laundry detergent pods for the Orange County Ronald McDonald House and canned food for St. Kilian.
