Saturday, November 28, 2020

Some Thanksgiving Leftovers

We've ALL got some of these, right???

Here are a few pieces of mail we received that just feel right sharing now after the Thanksgiving Holiday ...

Hoping to have more on Sunday and/or Tuesday. 

 

THANKSGIVING:

I just had to share this with you …

It’s a Thanksgiving email sent by City Winery Founder and CEO Michael Dorf to all of the regular patrons of his establishments …

And it touched my heart deeply in light of both the Thanksgiving holiday (and what Thanksgiving is supposed to mean) … and the terrible way this year has been taken away from us … by elements FAR beyond the control of any of us.

 

Dear City Winery Guests,

2020 has proven to be a year none of us could have predicted.  Global pandemic unlike anything in our lifetimes.  A Presidential election like no other.  Social injustices.   Unprecedented wildfires and hurricanes.  And you all know our story; like so many restaurants and live music venues around the globe, we have had to pause some of our locations, furlough over 1000 employees, pivot to curbside pickup, focus on wine sales, develop new health & safety protocols, offer outdoor dining only, limit capacities indoors, limit group gatherings, open some locations and pause others for a second (or third) time! We enter the end of the year with half our locations open, the other half at reduced capacity, very little live music, and our business, originally conceived for a world without social distancing, in survival mode. 

So, what can we be thankful for this Thanksgiving?  Well, for one, I am thankful that City Winery is still here.  The struggle to stay afloat has not been an easy journey and we still have a way to go.  I am proud of and grateful to our entire team, the City Winery family, who have been a dedicated and willing group of people, committed to continuing to make wine and serve our customers.  I am thankful we were able to open two large properties during a global pandemic:  our 22-acre winery property in Hudson Valley, NY, as well as our new flagship location at Pier 57 on the Hudson River in New York City. Nothing short of amazing.  I am grateful to the healthcare workers who have been working non-stop.  I grateful that we seemed to have turned a corner in our election and are moving forward as a nation.

Also, there is the news that vaccines will be getting into people’s arms starting next month and by May of 2021, over 100 million Americans will be vaccinated.  That amazing marvel of science and dedication from the medical and bioscience world is also something to be thankful for!  There is now clear light at the end of the tunnel and in 6 months this bad movie will be mostly over. 

Lastly, I am thankful for turkeys - yes, turkeys.  My grandfather Sol Dorf started a tradition in his business giving Turkeys to his employees, which we have been doing at City Winery now for 11 years—reminding me that family comes first and that where we work is our second family.  We have a great family at all our City Winery locations and I hope you feel that when you come visit us again.  
Please, enjoy your Thanksgiving, safely.  I know it will feel a little different this year, but health and safety first.  We are almost through this. THANK YOU and Happy Thanksgiving.
 
Michael Dorf
Founder & CEO
City Winery

Beautifully well written -

This guy has been first class, ALL class, all the way, thru all of this -

This is at least the third time this year that he has knocked my socks off by saying just the right thing at the right time, despite the immeasurable loss his company has suffered this past year.

We have never met ... but I hope we do some day ... as this is someone that I would like to know ... and have complete respect and appreciation for.

I have done my part to help promote the shows at the Chicago location for the past several years now ... and have attended quite a few of these shows myself.  I'm a music guy who loves to see and listen to music ... and this has been a tough year for all of us used to living our lives that way ...

But these have been necessary steps to try and get a handle on this thing ... the unknown, unseen enemy ... that has SO changed our lives over the course of the past eight months.

Michael, I wish you continued success with your venues and hope that we can all live to sing and smile together again ... and hopefully not too much further down the road.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours ... and The City Winery Family from coast to coast.  May we all have many more years of music ... and wine (!) ... ahead of us!  (kk)

The Thanksgiving parade isn't like it used to be, is it? 

Remember the good old days when Parades were PARADES???  

Let's go "PARADIN'" with Paul's uncle!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Clark Besch

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY -

SPEAKING OF CHRISTMAS SONGS AND ARTISTS, CHUCK BERRY IS THE VERY BEST OF ALL THE ROCK ARTISTS AND RUN RUN RUDOLPH IS A CLASSIC!!!

IF YOU LOOK UP ANY CHUCK BERRY SONGS ON YOU TUBE, YOU WILL SEE HOW MANY HITS PEOPLE DID FOR HIS SONGS … IT’S IN THE MILLIONS.  HE IS A TRULY A ROCK AND ROLL LEGEND.

FREDDY BOOM BOOM CANNON

I happened upon a show on Hulu called "11-22-63."  The bride and I got sucked in and binged the whole thing.  I recommend it to anyone that likes a good story.  I likened it to a "Notebook" type of show in the end.   Two cents

Valdez  

Yes, we watched this one some time ago and thoroughly enjoyed it … highly recommended.  (kk)

kk …

Brian Hyland and Myron Lee remember the JFK assassination.  Myron Lee was orchestra leader for Dick Clark Caravan of Stars.

FB

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10221357524345844&set=gm.3462475420473435

Check out the lineup for Dick Clark Caravan of Stars.

 

We ran some of these memories a few years back in FH … and, of course, The Beach Boys’ recording session that night that produced “The Warmth Of The Sun” … another landmark result of the assassination.  (kk)

http://forgottenhits.com/the_story_behind_the_warmth_of_the_sun

Hi Kent -

Hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving.

In case you missed it, singer/songwriter Paul Anka was unmasked on the Thanksgiving episode of the Masked Singer.

Paul (formerly known as the Broccoli) sang the 1979 Bob Seger classic "Old Time Rock & Roll."  At 79, the Canadian looked and sounded great while singing and dancing on stage. 

Santi Paradoa

Miami, Florida

We don’t follow the show, but I WILL have to look for this one!  (Remember 25 years ago when Pat Boone released a Heavy Metal Album?!?!  SO cool to see the Grandfathers of Rock And Roll still having fun with the genre all these years later.  Like 60+ years later in this case!!!  Lol)  kk


AND ONE FOR CHRISTMAS:

Dion has TWO new Christmas tunes out this holiday season …

The first one features Amy Grant (who knows here way around a Christmas song!) … and the second features guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamassa.

Video clips for each can be found here:

https://youtu.be/cvjUh3u7D4k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5hjPOkKIJY&feature=youtu.be