By John Kelly
Wednesday, January 4, 2006
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 MoneyThis 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.
From Circulation Director Mike Towle came $500 from a golf tournament the distributors held in September at Renditions in Davidsonville.
Who are the distributors, anyway? They're the independent contractors who pick up freshly inked copies of The Post and get them to the carriers who get them to you.
Other groups have been busy, too. My thanks to these groups who have donated to our campaign:
District of Columbia Association of Elementary School Principals , ($100).
Neighbors of Alvermar Ridge Drive , McLean ($225).
Students of Krieger Schechter Middle School , Baltimore ($36).
Washington Area Browns Backers Club ($450).
Science & Technology Division of the Institute for Defense Analyses ($520).
The Dino Kids class, Rabbi Joseph Weinberg Early Childhood Center, Washington Hebrew Congregation , Rockville ($50).
Mall Bridge Group , Lorton ($45.05).
Pleasant Journey Chapter , Crownsville ($150).
Friends of Clam Chowder ($5,280).
Postal Workers at the Falls Church Post Office ($50).
Dreama Nicely and Friends from the College Park Moose ($500).
Capital Chapter of the National Association of Retired Postal Inspectors ($200).
Catholic Campus Ministry , George Mason University ($464.12).
Kensington Bridge Club ($110).
Staff of Family Medicine of Lake Ridge ($260).
Green Thumb Garden Club of Ravensworth Farm , Springfield ($200).
Fairfax Chapter No. 737 of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees ($150.50).
Human Resources Department of Washington Telephone Federal Credit Union ($200).
Cissel-Saxon Unit No. 41, American Legion Auxiliary ($50).
Kennedy Center Tuesday Morning Volunteer Tour Guides ($380).
St. Barnabas Episcopal Church , Temple Hills ($208).
Washington Post Distributors Bowling League and Golf Tournament ($2,700).
Transportation Research Board , Washington ($1,300).
Richard Lewis and Christmas Tree Buyers , Laytonsville ($1,500).
Taking PartJoin the fun! Contribute to Children's. There are three easy ways to donate:
Make a check or money order payable to "Children's Hospital" and mail it to Washington Post Campaign, P.O. Box 17390, Baltimore, Md. 21297-1390. Go online to http://www.washingtonpost.com/childrenshospital and click on "Make a Donation." To contribute by Visa or MasterCard by phone , call 202-334-5100 and follow the instructions.
Our total so far: $ 244,039.19.
Last year at this point: $369,715.85 .
Our goal by Jan. 20: $600,000 .
View all comments that have been posted about this article.