Rude, Unprintable and All About Altruism

If you should ever find yourself at the Holiday Inn in Timonium, Md., during Thanksgiving weekend, it's unlikely you will forget the experience.

That's because the hotel is taken over by "Darkover," a convention devoted to the science fiction novels of the late Marion Zimmer Bradley . The highlight of the convention comes Saturday night, when the folk group Clam Chowder takes the stage. In addition to performing traditional folk music of the British Isles, Clam Chowder sings a, um, nontraditional song.

"It's a very rude song," said Kathleen Sobansky , Clam Chowder's soprano and a Defense Department employee who lives in Bowie. "You really can't print the name of it."

Let's just say the song involves lonely sailors. Very lonely sailors.

"We sing it very tastefully," Kathleen said. Four-part harmonies, five if you count the audience, which sings along with great gusto.

It's all for a good cause, for before the singing starts, costumed "collection wenches" and "collection studs" move through the crowd taking donations for Children's Hospital. At November's convention, they raised a whopping $5,280.

"We almost died," said Kathleen. "This was a maximum of maybe 300 people. But our fans are the best in the world. And of course Children's Hospital is one of the best charities and best causes you could possibly raise money for."

Making the Darkover audience pay for the bawdy song has "become a sacred tradition whose origins are lost in the mists of antiquity," said Kathleen, sounding herself a bit like one of those sci-fi/fantasy novels. Besides Kathleen, Clam Chowder is John Huff , Bob Esty and Cliff Lauffer .

I had to know: Are they New England clam chowder or Manhattan clam chowder?

"We are New England clam chowder," she said. "It's the only clam chowder."

Pin Money

This morning over at the Bowl America on Edsall Road in Alexandria, the pins will fly. The money will fly, too. The Washington Post distributor bowling league is starting its season, and nearly as much fun as converting a 7-10 split is entering the weekly 50-50 drawing.

You know how these work: Half the pot goes to the winner, and half goes to charity. In this case, Children's Hospital. John Mandish , league commissioner and circulation zone manager here at The Post, recently handed me $2,200 for Children's. It's the proceeds from last season's drawings, fattened considerably by the contributions of the Lunch Bunch, a group of seniors who bowl alongside the distributors.