Confessions of a Practical Blonde: Karaoke for Kelly

By Sharon LearyPrint Story | Email Story
Sharon LearyView Slide Show
If you weren't at the Karaoke Throwdown on Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Eagles Club in North Adams, you missed out on a good time. Friends and family of Kelly Garrison organized a benefit that will be used to help with education expenses for her children. Kelly passed away this summer after a short illness. It was a major shock to all involved. Kelly and I are the same age, so my own mortality became all too real to me. Kelly was my Hobson's partner in crime. We started working at the restaurant in the winter of 2005. So the "new kids" kind of stuck together. The week that she died, we worked our usual Monday night together. She was looking forward to getting away that weekend to Hampton Beach, a vacation she rarely allowed herself to take. But by the time the weekend rolled around, she was fighting for her life and awaiting a liver transplant in Worcester. Sadly, she passed just hours before the transplant was to take place. I still have trouble reconciling the reality that she is gone. I keep expecting to see her Silver Nissan Xtera in the parking lot at Hobson's or run into her at the grocery store on a Sunday morning. I think it really hits me when I hear a bit of news or gossip I know she would enjoy and make a mental note to tell her, and then realize that we won't be able to share and chuckle about it. Like her family and friends, I miss her. However, Kelly would have been the first to tell all of us not to mourn her for too long. She'd tell us to go out, have a couple of drinks and smile when you think of her. Benefit Comes Together The Karaoke Throwdown came together after a group of her Hobson's co-workers were chatting about music; specifically '80s music. A couple of the guys in the kitchen, Jed and Ny (pronounced "knee"), are '80s music devotees. When either of them works, you can count on hearing several songs of that decade and at least one hair-band power ballad. Some of their compilation CDs include music from such classic '80s artists as Culture Club, Bryan Adams, Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, Loverboy, Warrant, Whitesnake and, Kelly's favorite band, Journey. I'm joking. Kelly hated Journey and every time she heard them at the restaurant, she made sure that Jed and Ny knew about her distaste. So to say she would get irritated when they would blast a Journey song like "Separate Ways" and then sing along with it would be an understatement. Journey wasn't the only object of her distaste. She also did not like "the art" of karaoke. So we thought it would be funny to throw a benefit where the two could be enjoyed. We figured she'd appreciate the irony and reaffirm that it is the same old goof troop working at Hobson's. Jed Washburn took the lead on organizing the event in conjunction with Kelly's sister Colleen Harwood. A self-proclaimed karaoke star, Jed has regaled the Hobson's staff - and really anyone who would listen - about his "mad karaoke skilz." Jed contacted the Eagles Club on Curran Highway and it generously donated the hall for the event. Ny was in charge of securing karaoke equipment. He has several relatives who DJ and who were supposed to hook him up with equipment for the night. Big T Gets the Save When Saturday rolled around, however, we were scrambling to put together speakers, a monitor and a control board. Luckily, an angel blessed us. Out of the blue, Ann from Big T Productions gave Jed a call about two hours before the event. Turns out Ann and her husband, Tony, wanted to give back this holiday season and had heard about the event. They had all of the equipment needed to run a karaoke night and were willing to donate their time. When Big T Productions arrived, we were overwhelmed. They had a huge monitor, speakers and all of the computer equipment needed to run the karaoke machine. Plus, they had over 6,000 songs to choose from. For the first hour, there was a small group of us. It consisted of Kelly's sisters Colleen and Jennifer, her daughter, Michelle, and son, Devon. Other family members and close friends were also on hand. After we completed our setup, we started to peruse the books of songs. Tony heckled us and tried in vain to get one of us to go up and test out the equipment. We were all a little stage shy at first. No karaoke hero stepped up to the plate. So Tony belted out a Toby Keith song. Elvis Wwas in the Building Tony was about to write us off, when out from the bar comes Elvis. This mystery man, who is also an Eagles bartender, didn't even need to look at the monitor. He even had Elvis' moves down to a T. We all stood and applauded when he was done. The first of my Hobson's buddies to grab the mike was none other than Jed "Superstar" Washburn. He sang a kitchen favorite: Spandau Ballet's "True." It was a good thing he got in this practice session before the crowds arrived. He was able to work out the kinks in his voice as well as work on some dance moves. Later in the evening, he brought down the house with his interpretation of Rick James "Super Freak." Who packs a dance floor at a karaoke night? Jeddie does! A Karaoke Star Is Born I am happy to report that I am no longer a karaoke virgin. Ny got me to do a duet with him, Bon Jovi's “You Give Love a Bad Name." And we rocked it! Later in the night, we took the stage two more times for covers of Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me" and Duran Duran's "Rio." Some of the highlights of the evening included covers of Right said Fred's "I'm too sexy," Bonnie Raitt's "Something to Talk About," the Dixie Chick's "Earl has to die" by Kelly's sister Jennifer and a cover of "If I Had a Million Dollars" by Tony and a guest. Jed also tore up the house with a cover of Elvis' "Suspicious Minds." Again the floor was packed. He is a karaoke superstar. We were worried about attendance because of the drop in temperature and the possibility of snow. Around 9, our fears were allayed when a group of Michelle's friends arrived. Not long after that, the older folks started trailing in from the T and the Legion. By 10:30, the Eagles was rockin'. Friends and family mingled and sang. All had a great time and I know that even if Kelly was a bit irritated at our choice of benefit, she was smiling because her kids were getting help with their education. Plus no one sang a Journey song. If you couldn't attend the Karaoke Throwdown and want to donate to the Garrison Children's Education Fund, please send your donations in care of Colleen Harwood, 43 Pearl St., Great Barrington, MA 01230. Thanks to everyone who donated their time, talent and money.
Share
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

SteepleCats Shut Out on Road

iBerkshires.com Sports
MONTPELIER, Vt. -- Four Vermont pitchers combined to strike out 11 and allow four hits Tuesday as the Mountaineers beat the North Adams SteepleCats, 11-0, in New England Collegiate Baseball League action.
 
Evan Meier, Bobby Stang, Tonny Woodie and Chris Diaz each had a hit for the SteepleCats, who used five pitchers in the loss.
 
North Adams (0-2) comes home Tuesday to host the Mystic Schooners at 6:30 p.m. at Joe Wolfe Field.
View Full Story

More North Adams Stories

Business
image description

Cole Mountain Cafe Brings Farm to Table

Business
Sports
image description

Lenox Edges Hoosac Valley to Reach State Semi-Final

Sports
Sports
image description

Durant Leads Drury Back to Final Four

Sports
Community News
image description

Vermont National Guard Members Depart From North Adams

Community News
Schools
image description

Drury High's School Class of 2026 Ready to Build the Future

Schools
Sports
image description

Wahconah's Iovieno Earns Statewide Honor

Sports
Latest Stories
Previous Next

What's Trending?