Jersey Shore Party: A method to the night’s madness

Sure, the party is usually all about “The Situation,” “Snookie,” “Paulie D,” “Vinnie,” “J-Woww,” “Ronnie,” “Sammie,” “Angelina,” and new cast member “Deena,” but on July 16, 2011, Joe’s Bar opened its doors at 7pm for a party that was just as insane, fun, and crazy.

“My favorite event by far was the dinner auction with the people who volunteered their time as dinner dates,” said Brad Ruszala, the night’s emcee. “There was some serious competition for the dance-off, but the bidding for dinner dates got plenty of laughs and brought in a bunch of money for TAGS.”

And that, ultimately, was the method behind the madness. The party—organized by TAGS (Turtle Advocate Guidance Society) and planned by Bernard Rivera—was intended to raise funds for sea turtle conservation efforts on Saipan. The effort apparently paid off, with TAGS chair Eileen Escudero Wisor saying that Saturday’s event raised thrice the amount they did with their art exhibit.

“We outdid ourselves…but we knew we could do it,” Wisor said. “Everyone I spoke to leading up to the event was excited about the theme. After the party we got amazing feedback. Everyone had a blast, many having said it was the ‘party of the year.’ A coworker even joked that he wished it could be the Jersey Shore party every weekend. Friends that couldn’t make it were really sorry they missed it.”

The main goal is to make sure “people have such a good time that they generate a lot of talk about turtles, TAGS, and what a great time the fundraiser was,” she added. “We aim to raise awareness first and fund our projects second.”

TAGS seems to have succeeded in that respect. One of the night’s guests, Shelli Neal, said: “I’ve never seen a sea turtle but I’m all for protecting endangered animals.”

The Jersey Shore theme party kicked off with music by opening act Island Thyme Band before DJ Sly brought it to full gear.

“The band and emcee killed it. The music was great, and the emcee did a wonderful job of staying in character the whole evening,” said Khris Ward, one of the volunteers who let himself be auctioned for a date. “I think it’s imperative that TAGS keep doing whatever it can to keep the turtles safe from poachers/environmental hazards.”

With the success of the Jersey Shore party, TAGS has decided to throw another theme party later this year. Saturday night’s sponsors were Godfathers Bar, Tan Siu Lin Foundation, Marpac, Docomo Pacific, IT&E, Joe’s Bar ‘The Steak House Capital’, Seventh Day Adventist, Hyatt Regency Saipan, and Marianas Trekking. [B][I](PR)[/I][/B]