Hurricane parties celebrate surviving the night

When it comes to hurricane parties, J. Robert Houghtaling should know better. His Cracker grandmother always told him, "You don't want to live on an island." And, more importantly, you don't want to be there when a hurricane hits.

But that didn't stop the Marco Island resident and musician from riding out Hurricane Charley at his house. As soon as the storm quieted down, Mr. Houghtaling cranked up his generator and headed for his home studio to churn out tracks for his "Hurricane Songs" CD.

The third track, "Hurricane Party," launches into a tale from the eye of the storm:

"Tides on a rise, palm trees fly by, tiki bars will be the first to blow.

"Forget about the food, rescue the booze, order up a couple waitresses to go."

As the chorus says: "It's a hurricane party, celebrate survivin' the night."

Hurricane parties are all about holding on and making it through (with good friends, the contents of the fridge and all that beer that's just going to get warm anyway).

Asked about the inspiration behind his party song, Mr. Houghtaling points to his first hurricane party in the summer of 1985, when Tropical Storm Bob bore down on South Florida. Mr. Houghtaling was hired to play through the stormy night at Quinn's on the Beach on Marco Island. He remembers looking out the lobby windows and seeing palm trees bent over like blades of grass.

The storm passed without much damage, but Mr. Houghtaling admits they were lucky. "It will turn on you like the wind," he cautions. "That's what can happen during those parties."

Lee County-based event planner Pam Beckman agrees that safety should be the first goal of any hurricane party. "You've got to temper the fun part," she says. But once the shutters are down and supplies are on hand, there's no reason not to make an event of it.

Although her event planning business Bon Soirée has never thrown a hurricane party, Ms. Beckman is full of ideas for a tempest-themed gettogether.

How about a neon party? She suggests stocking up on glow sticks and glow-in-the-dark necklaces at the first sign of a storm. That way, the party can go on when the lights go out.

Neon not your thing? Try creating a French bistro ambiance. For this look, Ms. Beckman suggests lace tablecloths and candles to create a romantic effect. The perfect dish to serve at this stormy fête: salad Niçoise. "Everything is from a can," she says.

Like most Southwest Floridians, Ms. Beckman is hoping for an uneventful hurricane season. If a storm does come our way, she plans on riding out the worst of it from her South Fort Myers home. "I'm a go-down-withthe ship sort of girl," she says.

And although she doesn't have plans for a hurricane party yet, she does have a personal philosophy when it comes to weathering the storm: "Always start with the best bottle of wine."

— Artis Henderson, Florida Weekly

HURRICANE

Although the cocktail originated in New Orleans, there's no reason not to serve this rum punch in our corner of the Gulf Coast.
6 tsp dark rum
1 ½ tsp white rum
1 ½ tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp passion fruit juice
1 ½ tbsp pineapple juice
1 ½ tbsp orange juice
2 tsp black currant syrup
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a highball glass. Garnish with a slice of orange and a cherry. (Adapted from Stuart Walton's "The Ultimate Book of Cocktails")

SALAD NICOISE

1 (12-oz.) can green beans
1 (12-oz.) can solid white albacore tuna, drained
1 (16-oz.) can Great Northern beans, drained
and rinsed
1 (2.25-oz.) can sliced black olives,
drained
¼ medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp dried oregano
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp finely grated lemon zest
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
4 large hard-cooked eggs, peeled and
quartered
Mix tuna, white beans, olives and onion in a medium bowl. Whisk together oregano, oil, lemon juice and zest in a medium bowl, then pour over the salad and gently stir to combine. Arrange a portion of green beans, tuna-bean salad and eggs

on each plate.

(Source: www.allrecipes.com)