Rockabilly Reunion set to rock

A 1950s-inspired subculture of pin-up girls, classic cars and rock ‘n’ roll music is expected to return this weekend for the 2nd annual Lake Havasu Rockabilly Reunion.

“I am excited (for the event) and nervous all at the same time. My phone will not stop ringing,” said Kennie Cuppetelli, Rockabilly event coordinator. Cuppetelli said the overwhelming number of telephone calls is from people and vendors interested in the Havasu event. His nerves are a combination of how it will all go and just what the weather will do.

“Right now, it looks like dry weather for the weekend and is actually the best stretch we have seen for quite some time,” said Senior Meteorologist Ken Clark of Accuweather.com.

Clark said weather officials are watching a system that could bring breezy conditions out of the north one of the two event days.

With the event a few days away, it is hard to determine what the clouds will do but conditions are expected to be partly to mostly sunny skies. Daytime high temperatures of 70 to 74 degrees are expected, according to Clark.

Rockabilly Reunion will kick off Friday with a Poker Run that will begin at 4 p.m. from The Nautical Beachfront Resort’s Turtle Bar & Grill. Registration is free.

The Gretsch Pin-up Cheesecake and Champagne Party will be held at The Turtle following the Poker Run. The party is for the 21-and-older crowd and pin-up girls will meet and greet guests, according to pin-up girl and Rockabilly Reunion Hostess Brenda Lee.

There will be at least five published pin-up girls attending the event this weekend, she said.

Rockabilly Reunion festivities on both Saturday and Sunday will begin at 10 a.m at Windsor 4 Beach. After-parties will commence each night at the Turtle Bar & Grill.

“There is growth from last year … it has grown more than was expected,” Cuppetelli said. Parties from Austria, England and Mexico are among those expected to attend, he said.

The event also will feature live music, carnival rides, a classic car show, vintage motorcycle show, a Gretsch’s pin-up girl contest, liquor and beer gardens as well as a used car and motorcycle corral. Admission and all contest registrations are free, Cuppetelli said.

So far, 350 cars are expected to participate in the car competition.

The trophies for the Car Show have been created and donated by Cültüre Shök Tattoo and Body Piercing owner and local artist Robert Keany, according to Cuppetelli.

A motorcycle show-and-shine contest featuring vintage bikes and replicas is new to the venue this year and has so far attracted a dozen interested participants.

The Gretsch Pin-up Girl contest will begin Saturday with 30 girls. Fifteen will be chosen to continue on to the final competition on Sunday, according Lee. Contest cash prizes includes 1st place “Ms. Lake Havasu Rockabilly Reunion” will receive $2,000, second place will be awarded $1,000 and third place will be awarded $500.

The final competitors will take the stage at 4 p.m. Sunday. The raffle-ticket drawing winner of a Rockabilly Package will also be announced. The package includes a pinstriped Gretsch guitar and artwork.

Raffle tickets will be available for $5 each at the pin-up girl vendor area next to the stage. Proceeds from the raffle will benefit Pin-up Angels, a charity that ships care packages overseas to active-duty military soldiers. Lee said.

The contest can accommodate 30 pin-up girls with spaces available as alternates in case one or more drop out of the running, Brenda Lee said.

Email brendaleepinup@yahoo.com for a registration form.

At least 54 food and retail vendors are on board for the event this weekend. The mix will include vendors selling unusual merchandise, clothing, car parts and accessories, trinkets and out-of-the-ordinary wall creations.

Cültüre Shök Tattoo and Body Piercing will be at the show with a tattoo booth and Allusions Hair Center will be on site again this year for a 1950s hairdo.

Gretsch Guitars will also set up shop and have guitars on display for enthusiasts who want to hook up to an amplifier, Cuppetelli said.

The food court is designed so each vendor will be offering something different including barbecue pork, pizza, hot dogs and hamburgers, beef, tacos and Philly cheese steaks.

Cuppetelli said proceeds from the event will benefit American Home Dream, a national charity that supports families facing terminal illness, as well as Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church pre-school program.

Approximately 7,200 e-mail inquiries have been received by the local Rockabilly Reunion event since its debut last year. Of the selected 3,503 friends listed on the event’s myspace.com page, about 40 percent are local and the rest are from the Rockabilly subculture crowd, according to Cuppetelli.

Visit www.myspace.com/rockabillyreunion on the Web to see the site.

You may contact the reporter at jhanson@havasunews.com.

Car show judged classes:

Best Show

Under Construction

Best Rat Rod

Best Modified or Street Rod

Best Original or Restored

People’s Choice (new this year)

Rockabilly Reunion Honored Car Club Award

Live music from

Cash D’Out — Johnny Cash tribute

High Rollers

Hot Rod Trio

Rooster Coup DeVille

Voo Doo Swing