Some Like It Hot, Some Like It Luke Warm, And

Some Like It Shticky

Alternate Title: "Advance To St. Charles Place"

By Bonnie Borgh

With a little help from my friends:


Cindy Bryant, Dawn Hoffman, and Janet Litterio




The sun did shine.
There were no clouds in the way.
So we got in the car
On that January day.

I drove there with Cindy.
We drove there, we two.
And I was thinking
"We should plagiarize Seuss, too!"

We put on some music
Drank some decaffeinated brew
The drive passed quickly
As they always do.

Then all we could do was to
Wait!
Wait!
Wait!
Wait!
How were we to know
We would be a cheap date.

And then
Someone walked in!
How that man made us grin!

We looked!
Then we saw him walk right to our chairs!
We looked!
And we saw him!
It wasn't "Jones" from the Chicago Bears
And he performed for us
Oh the theatrics he shares!

A few of us were hungry;
But we had a late lunch.
But we could go
For some tea, soda, or "punch".

The hostess sat us down
Right next to the table
Where the entourage sat
We couldn't eat even if we were able!

There was so much to say
There was so much to see
We couldn't believe
Time went so quickly.

Then the waiter came by
With an announcement to make
Why did we order a beverage
Instead of a steak?

But for the record
And throughout history
We'll henceforth be known
As Cheap Dates 1, 2, and 3!

Who writes that stuff?

It all happened in some little out of the way place that nobody goes…


Bonnie: Cindy and I had discussed attending David's concert appearance on Saturday, January 20, 2007 in Lincolnshire, Illinois. However, uncertainty in seat location and unforeseeable winter weather conditions caused us to forgo the possibility. It was about mid December when a new and improved booking appeared in St. Charles, Illinois (which we were familiar with as the neighboring city to Geneva, Illinois where we saw David perform September 30, 2006). We were able to secure front row (side aisle) seats at the Arcada Theatre and nearby (within walking distance) accommodations at the Hotel Baker. Speaking in "Monkeeopoly" terms, we were going to "Advance to St. Charles Place" on Friday, January 19, 2007!

Janet: I could not believe my eyes when I saw the St. Charles show appear on David’s tour schedule-sometime mid December. When I emailed with Cindy asking if you would make the trip to IL to see David, I’m sure glad she/you changed your mind and ventured back across the Mississippi.

Cindy: I am getting older. I no longer like the idea of driving long distances in winter with uncertain weather but Bonnie talked me into it. She twisted my arm! It’s true!!!!!!

Bonnie: (I was a Brownie SLASH Girl Scout; I cannot tell a lie. However, I think she’s speaking figuratively.) Janet and Tom had also ordered tickets and planned to meet us there.

Janet: You betcha….this was not the first time David had a double-header in Chicagoland. The last time was in October of 2005, when David and The DJB performed at our show in Lockport on Saturday-Sweetest Day, then performed in Crystal Lake on Sunday. For reasons which I will not disclose here, we did not attend the Crystal Lake show then, but when I saw an upcoming weekend of All Jones, All The Time….we were not going to let an opportunity like this pass us by….we were IN!!!! We ordered our tickets as soon as I saw the St. Charles show listed.

Bonnie: Original PFG member, Dawn (Van Meter) Hoffman decided "She" would join us, too! Dawn said she was starting a new record in seeing David twice in less than four months; she and her daughter, Emily, ganged up with us in Geneva. Conversely, I was setting a record as well with a dramatic decline in Monkee business. As I told David way back in 1999, "It's nothing personal; just (diaper) 'Changes'."

Cindy: Dawn was one of the original 7 PFG members. She was only 16 when I was hauling her all over the Midwest to see The Monkees. Now my other “little girl” is all grown up with kids of her own!

Dawn: Unfortunately, my attendance has been poor these last 16 years or so. Lots of CHANGES in my life. I have been back in touch with friends, but haven’t been able to take a Typical Monkey Romp for a while. Last September it was awesome to introduce Davy’s show to my 7 year old, who now LOVES the Monkees, like mother like daughter I guess. And to be able to go again so soon seemed unbelievable. Not something I would typically do or be able to do these days. Extra time working an early morning second job left me with a bit of extra cash that I finally decided to use on myself. I went online and purchased the last front row ticket. Hooray. And as it turns out was only 3 seats away from the two seats that Bonnie and Cindy had purchased. Now I have to say normally I would struggle with doubt - should I have spent that money, or shouldn’t I? This time I didn’t waiver. I knew it was the thing to do. I got a hold of the girls and told them I would be joining them. So much entertainment awaited me. . .

Cindy: I love it when a plan comes together!

Bonnie: As a Christmas gift, Cindy had graciously given Craig and Hannah a gift certificate to Texas Roadhouse (one of Hannah's favorite restaurants) and a gift certificate to the Showcase Cinemas for them to use for their "Dad-Daughter Date Night" when Cindy and I traveled to St. Charles.

Cindy: It was a bribe to make myself feel better for stealing Mommy!

Bonnie: Beg, steal, or borrow? I like “borrow” better. Anyway, several days before the concert, Janet heard a special radio announcement from the venue planned in David's behalf. It was mentioned that following David's concert they were going to show a big-screen clip of "Some Like It Lukewarm" (Monkees' episode #56) featuring guest star, Deana Martin (Dean Martin's daughter). Then as a "surprise", they were going to invite Deana Martin out on stage. What a great bit of theater!

Cindy: Yeah…surprise….

Janet: Actually, Dick Biondi was interviewing Ron Onesti, the theater/entertainment company owner/manager on the Chicago airwaves.

Bonnie: Excuse me, Janet. What is “/”? Whatever happened to “SLASH”?

Cindy: What DID happen to SLASH? :-)

Janet: (As she was saying) Before the interview, Dick Biondi told us out here in listener-land that some surprises were scheduled during David’s show, and he was going to see if he could tell us listeners of such surprises. A bit later, Dick said that HE couldn’t spill the beans, but he had someone on the phone that could……Ron Onesti. Ron went on to say what a GREAT show was in the works…..and added that his entertainment company also represents Deana Martin, and that during Davy’s first encore, they were going to show a clip of David and Deana together from when we all were “young and younger”…and then would bring Deana out to surprise Davy.

Bonnie: Cool! (Or should I say Pool It?) My relentless 0505 alarm rang faithfully on the morning of Friday, January 19. I was in the pool at the Bettendorf Fitness Center by 0530. (I have the whole routine down to a science.) Seventy-two laps later, I hurried home. Craig normally leaves at 0730 for work. More challenging than swimming a mile five mornings a week, is awaking Sleeping Beauty. Getting Hannah out the door by 0811 allows us enough time for her to be in her second grade class at 0830. I thought it best to leave our garage door open as Cindy planned to arrive in Bettendorf between 0830 and 0900. I quickly returned home from transporting Hannah to school. Aside from some strange looks from the neighbors, Cindy had already parked her car safely in our garage.

Cindy: Again, impeccable timing as I barely pulled up when Bonnie returned from dropping Hannah at school.

Bonnie: At 0903 Cindy and I departed for our much anticipated opportunity to "Advance To St. Charles Place". We stopped to refuel (car and body) at a Shell station in DeKalb, and we were back on the road again. In keeping with our proposed schedule, we arrived in St. Charles by 1200 hours. We found the hotel and theatre without incident. A few moments were spent in an attempt to secure a parking space. After a little patience and impeccable timing, we located "Free Parking" on Main Street near the bridge over the Fox River approximately half way between the hotel and the theatre.

Cindy: Things were going way too smoothly!

Bonnie: Official check-in time was 1600 hours, but fortunately, our room was ready upon our arrival.

Cindy: See?!

Bonnie: We proceeded to Room 409. I phoned my Mom and husband to let them know Cindy and I arrived in tact. We also decided to phone the theatre to see if it would be alright to drop off a little parcel for David. The woman I spoke with there said it would be fine; she said the doors should be open. However, she would phone "Rich" just in case. Cindy and I bundled up, and we walked over to the theatre. The historic (vaudeville) theatre was built in 1926.

Janet: It was a beautiful theater……although I’d vote for more bathrooms for the girls.

Bonnie: I have faced that scene before! The theatre actually reminded me a lot of Circa 21. The doors were open, and we were able to successfully drop off our goods from the hoods for David. Since it was after 1300 hours, we decided to have lunch at the restaurant in the hotel. We had a great view from our table of the slightly frozen Fox River. We enjoyed watching a little rubber ball bobbing up and down caught in the current under the make-shift waterfall. Sometimes simple pleasures are quite fulfilling.

Cindy: The morning sun is shining like a red rubber ball! Oh wait! Imagine that! Wrong group!

Bonnie: That song takes me back to yester decade SLASH century, Girl! Seriously, it was great to have a (although a bit delayed) relaxing lunch. The coffee was wonderful. I enjoyed a Caesar salad, but something was a little fishy. I could have done without the anchovy which served as a garnish on the top.

Cindy: Just for the record and Hazel, I had a delicious open face grilled chicken sandwich.

Bonnie: Janet called whilst Cindy and I were there. We decided it best if she and Tom met us at the hotel. She anticipated they would be arriving sometime around 1630 hours. She asked if we had seen "any movie stars". I said, "No." She said, "No?" I said, "No…no swimming pools, either." She said, "No?" I said, "No."

Cindy: And just as well it is hard to have a “little snack” whilst in the presence of greatness. Swallowing becomes a major task…but then so does remembering to chew!

Janet: Believe it or not, I can say more than “no.” Who needs swimming pools when you’re that close to the Fox River? Actually, when I called Bonnie and Cindy, we finally had our game plan down. As always, things fall on the same day. That morning, we had to take a drive to Downtown Chicago for a college visit with our youngest son-all boy-David. The track/discus coach at the University wanted to talk with him/us about the possibility of David throwing discus for the track team at the U…providing he is admitted and chooses to attend the school. I called you both when we got back from that sojourn and had our game plan down for the rest of the day.

Dawn: Where are you guys?? Knock, knock, knock. I did just talk to them. Hellooooooo????

Cindy: In the lobby!

Bonnie: It was about 1415 when we finished lunch. Actually, I think the restaurant finished lunch fifteen minutes before we did. Cindy and I decided to visit the ladies' room near the lobby. My cell phone rang; it was Dawn. She said, "Where are you?" I said, "…in the bathroom!" No doubt she was thinking, 'Then why isn't Cindy answering the door!' I explained to her we stopped in the ladies' room on the main floor near the lobby. Meanwhile, she was on the fourth floor knocking at our door. She had an unfortunate change in schedule plans as Harry's (her husband's) grandmother passed away earlier that week. They had a memorial service for her Friday morning, and she was able to arrange childcare with her husband earlier than she had originally planned. Cindy and I returned to our room to greet Dawn. We chatted (as women do) and then agreed it was time for a costume change. We had places to go, things to do, and people to see! By 1630, Cindy, Dawn, and I thought we would go down to the lobby to wait for Tom and Janet to arrive.

Janet: It’s all in the timing…………..We were delayed a bit in leaving home. I was scheduled to have knee surgery the Wednesday after the big weekend. Just as we were about to leave home for the trip to St. Charles, the surgical center called and needed some information. Hmmm…..discussing medical info….going to see David……we do have our priorities, however I thought it might be nice to wake up after the surgery, so I thought it best take the time and give them the necessary information. We got out of the house in short order…arrived at our destination….had a bit of trouble finding a place to park that wasn’t under a 90 minute limit.

Bonnie: You had to get there early for “FREE PARKING”, I think.

Janet: FINALLY….we get out of the car….I hobble over to the hotel with Tom to meet you…….and………..

Cindy: WHO???????

Bonnie: We found three comfortable chairs (Does this sound like the beginning of “Goldilocks and The Three Bears”?) arranged in a semi circle in the lobby and sat down. We were there all of five or ten minutes when I noticed an almost breathless expression on Cindy's face. It was then I saw the procession she had just witnessed. Startled, I said, "David…(pause)…Jones!" I am sure Cindy and Dawn spoke as well, but I honestly could not hear a thing when that drum started pounding.

Cindy: When what to my wandering eyes should appear? Oh wait…now that’s the wrong story!……Bonnie…Bonnie….Bonnie!!!!!! We’re not in Kansas anymore! The Wizard just walked into the lobby!

Bonnie: David waved as he walked towards the center of the lobby. He stood by the coffee table and said to us, "You're all dolled up…" Then he asked, "Are you staying here?" Our reply was, "Yes…" He said he had been in the bar the night before, and he started to tell us he had just finished working in a play down in Florida.

Cindy: Excuse me….David could you slow down please? You’re going 95 and my brain is a 25 mile an hour zone! And, Bonnie could you check Dawn's pulse…I don’t think she’s breathing! I’ve never seen anyone’s eyes get that big before!

Bonnie: I said, "Cinderella, right?" He said, "Yeah, Cinderella…" You could just see the lights go on, and he was in his element. He performed all the "shtick" he did throughout the play for us. Of course, we were totally captive; David was completely dramatic. He talked about the "Prince" actually being played by a woman and about the two evil stepsisters [Godzilla and I forgot who he said the other one’s name was] being played by two men complete with fish-net stockings and the whole nine yards. [I thought that was a family show!] David said he wore a red bell-hop sort of costume, and his character's name was "Buttons" (no doubt because I am sure he looked as cute as a button.)

Cindy: He said Cinderella told him she did not know how to dance and asked him to teach her. In very animated fashion David/Buttons said, “You put your hands here and here and I put my hands here and here, then we put our cheeks together like this (with a moony little smile) and……WHY DANCE!?”

Bonnie: He shared with us his animated dialogue with Cinderella and her fond affection for the Prince. I said, "You mean she wasn't in love with you?" With a protruding lip, he said, "No…"

Cindy: Actually it went something like this……it went exactly like this! Cinderella: I’m in love! Buttons eye brows raised: Really! Cinderella: He’s handsome! Button’s head held a little higher. Cinderella: He’s strong! Buttons sticks out chest in a muscle man pose. Cinderella: And tall! Buttons slumps with lip in a pout!

Dawn: We three sighed in a “aw poor Davy sort of way” and he lit up and said - “yes like that”.

Cindy: Meaning that‘s how the kids in the audience had responded.

Dawn: - and something about loving the audience reactions - Bonnie, wish I could help you with the second step-sister's name, but it escapes me too.

Cindy: Hey I can only process so much at a time and my head was spinning as it was…..I thought it was another monster name.

Bonnie: Deb Robicheau came by and said something about, "What…are you doing twenty minutes?" Her commentary seemed to go well over the top so she picked up the belongings David had placed on the coffee table. Undeterred, David continued with his theatrics. Speaking in football terms, he was in the zone. About this time, Tom and Janet walked in.

Cindy: Janet…you were there? Sorry when you get that close to the sun you get “blinded by the light!” I know, I know….wrong group!

Janet: …..we finally get to the hotel’s entryway. Walking up to open the door, I see Cindy, Bonnie and Dawn sitting in the lobby. I thought you probably wondered where we were since we had been detained, and decided to wait for us in the lobby. GREAT…we can greet, eat, and beat feet in short order. I opened the door, proceeded to hobble over the entryway…looked up…goodness gracious, me oh my….and saw David standing there chatting with the girls. Now…being as though I had been on painkillers since before Christmas, I thought my vision of David was perhaps a hallucination-kind of like an oasis in the Sahara---maybe it really wasn’t David standing there…….so I turned to Tom and asked him “do you see David standing there?” Yep….it’s him. Whew…..I wasn’t hallucinating from the medication…..it really WAS Mr. Jones. That explains why my knee was much worse than the surgeon expected…it was from the knocking when we spotted David J.

Bonnie: David saw them. He paused to shake Tom's hand and then shake Janet's hand and gave her a kiss.

Janet: Heaven…I’m in heaven! I KNEW that wasn’t a hallucination………. After we greeted David, I mentioned briefly that I enjoyed his interview with Dick Biondi the evening before, although I tuned in at the very end of the interview. Thursday evening, I had just gone upstairs with my pillows, ice pack, and a “no sew” blanket project I was working on….have to be productive when you can’t do much else but elevate and ice. I turned on my clock radio then, and heard David’s voice coming through. I was very surprised to hear him on the airwaves, so I sat down, iced, elevated, worked on my blanket, and listened in. Dick Biondi mentioned that he had met David back in the 90’s..I think that’s the timeframe….I believe in New York, backstage at a concert. He said he remembered Annabel asking her Dad to sign some styrofoam cups and selling them at that show. They reminisced about that a bit. “Dad” proudly mentioned that Annabel is becoming quite an artist in her own rite at the age of 18. It’s nice to hear David talking about his daughters-all girls. I think people tend to forget that in addition to being “Davy”, David is a parent, and just like every parent, is proud of their children. Dick Biondi then summed it up with a statement that I feel is SO apropos. Dick ended the interview by saying “David Jones is one hell of a man.” He then played a song that he felt summed up what we all feel about David…”You Make Me So Very Happy.” Say it with me “AAWWWHHHHHH”……… I don’t think any of us could have said it better ourselves!!!!!!! As we stood there in the lobby on Friday evening, trying to listen in to what David was saying….I just LOVE to hear his stories…….the band members were all coming downstairs to eat dinner. Most of them remembered us from hosting our Lockport shows, and seeing us along the way on the road, so they stopped to greet and chat with us…two of whom we had not seen in a few years. I thought that was very thoughtful of each of them to stop and chat. However, we got so wrapped up in talking with them, we weren’t able to hear David’s stories……..just as we stood there hoping/wanting to tune into David…the elevator bell rang, and someone else came up to chat with us. It truly felt like old home week! It was so nice to see everyone, and I was so happy to see and chat with Deb again! I’m glad to read Bonnie’s commentary here in this story to hear what Mr. Jones had to say……..

Dawn: Intermission ended. The lights came back up and on and on and on our personal performance of Cinderelly went on until there were pangs of hunger across the room.

Bonnie: He went right back to his regularly scheduled program. Deb came back sometime later and apologized. She said she was really hungry. We said, "No problem!" I think she realized there was no use in stopping David when he had an attentive audience. David talked about numerous things including the prospects of an "Ultimate Teen Idols Tour with David Cassidy". I said we (Craig, Hannah, and I) had seen him (David Jones) perform at the Taste of Minnesota (July 2, 2006), and we had seen David Cassidy perform there two days later (July 4, 2006). I said, "He wasn't half bad." David seemed interested to hear that and agreed. However, he said he needed a little something; I don't recall his exact verbiage. David went on to say how he enjoyed performing in "Cinderella" for the children in the theatre. He explained how he would go down into the audience and do some "shtick". He said he enjoyed doing that. He continued that normally he does not do that in his shows, but then he confirmed his thoughts with a hand gesture towards Cindy. He said, "I'll get down and do some of that 'shtick' with you tonight."

Cindy: I swear I thought he said “for you.” Especially after we had all agreed that we loved watching him interact with the audience. I had also told him that one of my favorite memories of him was watching the rehearsals for Oliver in Kansas City several years back. We were lucky enough to spend two lovely afternoons watching rehearsals in that beautiful outdoor theatre. It was interesting to watch them working through the blocking and David spent forever trying to throw handkerchiefs onto a clothes line so they would land just right. He seemed surprised by that.

Bonnie: Finally, Deb appeared again signaling it was really time to eat dinner. Cindy said, "David…Go eat dinner!"

Cindy: Did I actually tell David to LEAVE?!

Bonnie: Yes, but in the nicest possible way, of course. David said "Goodbye" and went into the restaurant to join the others already in progress. We all took a big deep breath, tried to regain our composure, and said, "Alright…Where are we going to go for dinner?" We debated about whether or not to dine in the hotel restaurant, but we thought that's probably where we would have chosen even if The Davy Jones wasn't there. The problem was, however, that Cindy and I really were not hungry because we had eaten a late lunch. Conversely, Dawn was hungry. She said the memorial service luncheon was rather on the light side. Tom and Janet were also ready to eat a nice dinner.

Janet: We had already had a very busy day, with no time to eat….so we needed a bit of “pre-show energy.”

Dawn: Yeah, me too. No Time, No time at all. My tummy was rumbly.

Cindy: So that’s what that noise was? I thought the natives seemed awfully restless that afternoon in the lobby. (Baby, baby, can’t you hear our hearts beat!)

Bonnie: We slowly walked up the steps to the restaurant and waited for what seemed like a lengthy time for the hostess to seat us. I thought with only five in our party, 'How difficult can this be?'

Dawn: Considering the restaurant was basically empty.

Cindy: Not completely!

Bonnie: Finally, a table was prepared for us, and we followed the hostess throughout the restaurant. Where do you think was the chosen site? Of course, she seated us at a round table right next to an elongated cafeteria-style table with the entire group of Camp Jones assembled. David, of course, was seated at the head of the table. We all sighed thinking, 'Oh this is just swell. He's going to think we chose this table on purpose.'

Janet: I do seem to have recall that we talked about requesting to be seated away from the Jones party. When we did sit down, at that stage of the game, I think we all wanted to crawl under the table. Rather than make a scene and move, we just tried to be as unassuming as possible-hoping that David wouldn’t see us sitting there.

Bonnie: Not a chance.

Dawn: I was just hungry, pass the bread, I am sure Jonesy understands.

Bonnie: Now, let me take you back to yester year (yester century actually). I remember when members of our Gang would tip the maitre d' for a front row table at the shows The Monkees performed at Harrah's in Lake Tahoe in September of 1987. That Was Then, This Is Now. We did no such thing.

Cindy: I was still trying to process this whole afternoon. . .

Bonnie: Since Cindy and I were still comfortably full from our late lunch, Cindy ordered an ice tea for $2.75 (free refills), and I ordered a Sprite for $2.50 (free refills). Dawn ordered a glass of water (no charge) and a Waterfront salad for $6.00. Tom and Janet each ordered a "lemonade" in addition to a dinner entree. Did anyone catch the "Special of the Day"? (It was probably that little anchovy from my Caesar salad.) Needless to say, the ambience of the restaurant was unequivocal. We tried to mind our own business.

Cindy: There is always a lot to talk about when we get together…not just Monkees. Bonnie and I see each other often though not often enough. Our battle cry remains, “Weekend minutes!” But for all of us to get together … that’s something very special. Somehow the Field Of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa came up. Bonnie and I had done security for one of their celebrity games a few years ago and were quite happy to tell Tom about the baseball stars who attended. Which Gibson was that Bonnie?

Bonnie: Let me take you back to 1992! It was a tough job, but somebody had to do it! It was either Bob or Mel. When Craig found out (years later) what “famous” baseball players were there, he was at a loss for why I didn’t ask for any of their autographs.

Cindy: We had also eaten dinner with Kelsey Grammar and Meatloaf after that game and had stories to tell.

Bonnie: I didn’t ask for their autographs, either. I guess after you’ve met “The Davy Jones” no one else compares...

Dawn: I had thought about a “lemonade”, but decided I would just be loopier than normal with only eating the $6.00 salad. Turns out the bread basket was full ‘o yummy bread. Hey, let’s order seconds. . .

Cindy: Hey the bread WAS good!

Bonnie: “Bread” was there, too?

Janet: We DID mind our own business!! We had a very lovely toast-with/to each other-to friendship! We should have had a toast in honor of David….had it not been for him, we probably never would have met each other.

Cindy: To friendship! Dawn and I had met 20 years and 2 days to the day. We met Bonnie 6 months later and Tom and Janet 15 years later. It is always amazing to me how we manage to connect from all over the states. Thanks David!

Dawn: We did have a toast, but the bread was really, really good.

Cindy: Toast? I know Toast. Backup band for David Jones in the 70s featuring some guy named Alan Green!

Bonnie: I’ve seen that face… As I was saying, we were trying to mind our own business, although at times, I must confess, my eyes wandered. A tall, thin, silver-haired man approached "the table". He put his hands on the back of one of the chairs and talked for a moment. I thought he looked very sort of like a producer with the theatre. After a while, he returned to his table. A short (no pun intended) time later, David got up and walked all the way across the restaurant and joined that man who was eating dinner with a woman. It was not exactly a very "secluded booth". All of a sudden, I noticed Cindy whisper something to Dawn. It appeared to be something of particular interest, but it also seemed not the time to ask questions.

Cindy: In a brief moment of clarity I had seen David stand up, turn his back to us and say something to the waiter, motioning to our table. Because I had been hallucinating all afternoon I had to tell someone and Dawn was, discreetly, the closest.

Bonnie: A few moments later, a waiter approached our table with a special announcement. He told us that our dinner was complements of "Mr. Jones" and we were to order whatever we wished. Momentarily, we were speechless. A few minutes later, David approached our table. Through semi-clenched teeth, he said, "He wasn't supposed to say anything…" David made it clear that he wanted to buy our dinner. We all chimed "Thank You!" but also added our sentiments that it was not necessary. I blurted, "We're just glad to see you." He quickly responded back, "I'm glad to see you, too, but you all do so much for me…" With a wave of his hand, I thought he seemingly tried to nip any emotional thoughts. And then, Elvis left the building.

Dawn: Eh, what was that - shoulda’ ordered the steak. lol, just kidding - what an awesome moment. I was thrilled and very thankful as this was an extravagant outing for me these days. 20 years later who’d have guessed! And the bread was SO good!

Janet: There have only been a few times in my life where I have been left speechless….most of those times include being in David’s company. Talk about going above and beyond…..I don’t think David will ever realize just what he has done for US. Saying a mere “Thank you, David” can’t even begin to cover it. But…Thank you, again-and we are ALWAYS glad to see you! I don’t think dinner ever tasted quite as good….I had a lunch a few years ago that was every bit as good….but what a lovely dinner!!!!! I offered to share my soup, but I had no takers.

Bonnie: You did, Girl, and I didn’t even return the same courtesy and ask if you wanted to share my Sprite.

Dawn: Dessert seemed like a good idea, but time was not on our side! (Imagine that, wrong group!)

Cindy: See it’s contagious!

Bonnie: By this time (Does anybody really know what time it is?),

Cindy: ...sigh…..

Bonnie: ... we decided to make last-minute preparations to depart for the concert. We wanted to stop back at our room, gather our cameras, etc. and walk over to the theatre. It was only a two block walk, but the outside temperature was rather bitter.

Cindy: And some of us are a little gimpy these days!

Bonnie: Once we were inside the theatre, however, it was hot! Our seat locations were unbelievable. We could not have been any closer to the stage. In fact, there was barely enough room for a person to pass through where Cindy and I were seated. The stage, however, was probably about four feet high. Can you imagine getting a crimp in your neck from looking up at David all night? It was undoubtedly a tough job, but somebody had to do it! Dawn suggested I might use a booster seat, but I thought perhaps using my coat as a lift would suffice.

Cindy: Any closer and we would have needed a fistful of dollar bills!

Bonnie: But, we weren't there to see Clint Eastwood!

Cindy: Ah ...Bonnie… that’s ….ahem ...not what I meant!

Dawn: The kids love those booster seats at the movies. They even hold your cup! My seat was only three doors down, last seat on the end in the front row, but actually very perfect, no nose hairs in my view, but butts later on. . . huh - wait and see.

Janet: We could see right up his nose. Being a tad…well let me just say that my new name at work is VC, no, not Viet Cong-vertically challenged-I’m used to looking up at most people…David included. Our seats were great…..can’t get much better than front and center.

Cindy: Front and to the right wasn’t bad either!

Bonnie: An introductory band named the Coyotees (clever spelling) opened for David. Imagine that; wrong group! They performed a variety of songs including: Back In The USSR, No Matter What, Sunshine of Your Love, I Saw Her Standing There, All Day/All Night, Fire Eyes, Lady Madonna, Junior's Farm, Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight.

Dawn: We want Davy, We want Davy. . . . .

Cindy: They were good …but… say it with me kids…they’re no Davy Jones!

Janet: Actually, the intro band was pretty ok. We’ve seen intro bands that should have never left the garage.

Bonnie: They say patience is a virtue. A brief tribute to disc jockey Dick Biondi followed. He had a noteworthy quote which his father had said to him, "Go chase your dream." David finally appeared on stage at 9:25 pm wearing a long sleeve black shirt and black pants.

Cindy: Dick Biondi was there?

Bonnie: I’m with Dawn…”We want Davy! We want Davy!” The songs David performed were:
Listen To The Band (intro)
I'm A Believer
Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow
Valleri
What Am I Doing Hangin' Round?
It's Nice To Be With You
The Girl I Knew Somewhere

Bonnie: David was right in the middle of his monologue when he suddenly noticed a woman (a few rows back) getting up to leave. Then he stopped and said, "Excuse me…Hello…I'm bloody talking here…Where are you going? Excuse me…Is there smoking or what? Come here! Come here! Ooooh! Ooooh! Ooooh! Ooooh!" David jumped off the stage in her pursuit. Relentless he continued, "Where you going? Where you going? Come here! Get back in your seat, okay? I'm telling you! Get back in your seat right now. Alright? Stop messing about, alright! What you wanna…Okay, go on then, it's alright; I didn't realize that was what you wanted" It was hilarious! I thought he would use the stairs (which were almost blocked by the speakers) and return to the stage. However, he leaped back up onto the stage as if he were mounting a horse.

Cindy: My knees still hurt and I was just watching.

Bonnie: Then he said, "Someone grabbed my leg! Was that you?" and he looked directly at Cindy. Of course, Cindy didn't grab his leg! She held out her hands as if to say, 'It wasn't me!' Then David shtuck the microphone in front of Cindy and said, "Where are you from?" Cindy said, "Iowa". You could just see David had all he could do to keep a straight face. David said, "Oh really? Where abouts in Iowa?" She said, "Muscatine," and almost before she said that David interjected, "Muscatine?! My brother's working there tonight; He's a burglar!" Laughter followed and again, trying to keep some decorum he said, "Ya better git home quick!" We loved his "shtick", and it was so tempting not to add some "shtick" of our own!

Cindy: I think we were having a little contest. We were eye to eye and David had this little smirk on his face. I grinned back not breaking eye contact. Who would crack up first? It was a tie!


There was also a cute little girl who walked up to the stage with flowers. She didn’t wait for David, just laid them on the stage, obviously it wasn’t her idea to give him flowers. I think mom may have been behind it. David walked over and said, "Hello, sweetheart! How old are you?” She told him it was her birthday and the audience appropriately oohed and ahhed. David wished her a happy birthday. He asked her if she had a boyfriend to which she quickly and heartily said, “NO!” David grinned and rolled his eyes, ”Would you like one?” Without hesitation she replied, “NO!” The audience roared!

Bonnie: David continued his show with the following:
Wasted Days and Wasted Nights
I Love You Like I Love New York City
Let Them Be Little
Consider Yourself from Oliver!
A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You
She Hangs Out
Girl
Bright Side of the Road
I Wanna Be Free
I'll Love You Forever
Papa Jean's Blues
The Greatest Story Ever Told (Free)
(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone
Daydream Believer

Bonnie: Daydream Believer has become such a bittersweet song. It is such a nostalgic (almost patriotic) Monkees' song, and I feel like I should put my hand over my heart or something. However, it also signifies the conclusion of the concert. However, this concert had a very special grand finale.

Dawn: This is where the butts come in to view.

Cindy: Butt Dawn, I don’t understand!

Bonnie: The owner of the Arcada Theatre came on stage and prepared to show David a clip of "Some Like It Lukewarm" when he was with (Daphne) Deana Martin in "some little out of the way place that nobody goes." The segment showed stars in David's and Deana's eyes, and then the owner of the Arcada asked David if he remembered who that was. David said, "Hey…Are you kidding me? Of course I remember…Well, it was a friend of mine, and her Dad was pretty famous, and she's pretty good and nice, and her name was Deana Martin". Then Deana Martin was invited on stage. She sang, "Everybody Loves Somebody" to David. In turn, David sang "Secret Love" to her. It was a great bit of theatre!


Dawn: I had walked up to stage (was it left?) at this time to see the goings on and get a little bit closer. Anyway the owner of the Arcada walked David over to that side to view his video surprise. Facing his butt due---me! Anyway he says ”sorry about the butts”, I said, “not a problem”, not a problem at all and proceeded to take the two best pictures I took all night long - meaning they were not blurry and not too dark! Dirty dirty minds. My new digital camera is not all it is cracked up to be. No setting for dark AND movement. Davy is a blur of light or lost in the dark of most of my pictures.

Cindy: Sure….that’s what you meant!

Bonnie: David concluded the concert with the song, "No Time". The Coyeetes were scheduled to play on stage until midnight. The radio station was doing a live remote with Dick Biondi in the theatre hallway, and we were told David was going to sign autographs. However, it was so cold and chaotic in the back of the theatre that we all decided to leave.

Dawn: We had our show earlier!

Bonnie: Janet and Tom planned to drive home so we said our "Goodbyes" to them.

Janet: Time seems to go by SO fast! We would have loved to stay and visit a bit, but I had to work the following day…and Tom and I were going to Lincolnshire the next evening. So…beauty rest was a priority! We had SUCH a good time, as always!

Bonnie: Shortly thereafter, Dawn had to leave, too. We said our "Goodbyes" to her. Cindy and I retired to our room and stayed awake talking until about 0130. The heat was rising, and it was quite possible there was some activity "Goin' Down" directly four floors below our room.

Cindy: The natives were still restless. I don’t think those drums have died down yet!

Dawn: Bye Bye, Bye Bye, Bye Bye. It was getting late and I had to be up early with the kids, plans changed for me all week due to my grandmother-in-law’s funeral and memorial service. I had a wonderful time.

Cindy: It was good to see all of you!!!!! Can’t wait for the next time!

Bonnie: Cindy and I arose bright and early and prepared to go down to the restaurant for coffee and breakfast. We chose a table in the back of the restaurant where we had sat the day before during lunch. Just a bit later, a couple walked in to the restaurant, and I thought to myself, 'Oh my stars!' It was the tall, thin man with the silver hair who had approached "the table" with Camp Jones the night before. He was with Deana Martin! He was Deana Martin's husband! They chose to sit at the round table right next to ours. Cindy and I could not believe it!

Cindy: Considering there had been no movie star the afternoon before we were certainly seeing stars now! A virtual Milky Way!

Bonnie: To infinity and beyond! As I was beginning to say, my friend, Diane Klosak, allowed me to borrow and read Deana Martin's book "Memories Are Made of This" back in the fall of 2004. On pages 143-144 she accounted memories with "Davy Jones". I had subsequently written her a letter and identical e-mail about her "Close Encounters of the Jones Kind." I thought it would make for a great article for our newsletter. However, she never responded, and I left it at that. Cindy and I were talking, and I said, "We need to talk with her!" I intended to say something to her if I could gain eye contact with her when we returned from getting a refill on our coffee. She was in the middle of a conversation, and after a few seconds (of me standing there) she looked up. In the most pleasant voice she said, "Hello…" We exchanged pleasantries. We told her how much we enjoyed her appearance at the Arcada with David. She said, "Oh! You saw the show?!" We chatted a bit, and I explained that I had actually written a letter to her sometime ago. I told her, "My friend does a Monkees' newsletter, and we wanted to ask some questions about your memories with 'Davy Jones'." She asked us our names, and she introduced us to her husband and manager. Her husband said, "I saw that e-mail!" She said, "Well, I'm about a year behind on my e-mails!" She was so very nice. I asked if it would be alright for me to leave my name and address with her. She said that would be fine. Out of thin air, the waitress brought me something to write on. I sat down, wrote my address, and I returned it to Deana. She assured me she would get back with us. When they had finished their breakfast, they got up and said it was nice to meet us. (You must be joking!) It was "Nice To Be With You"! Again, she reiterated she would get back with us.

Cindy: I told Deana now that she had been at David’s show she needed to have him as a guest at hers. Adding that we would be there.

Bonnie: I had just told Cindy I was surprised Craig had not phoned whilst I was in the middle of a conversation with Deana Martin! Just then, my phone rang, and it was Craig. At the same time, from yonder vantage point, I saw Aviva and David appear at the hostess booth. Craig was chatting a mile a minute, and I thought, "Everything's okay, but when you've got to go, you've GOT to go!" I told him David had just walked into the restaurant. When David saw us he waved and continued to find a table. I finished my conversation quickly with Craig, and then David walked over to our table. We commented that we loved his "shtick", but I said, "It was so tempting not to grab you by the throat and say, 'After all this time, you don't know where we live!'" He laughed. Cindy piped in, "Yes, and I wanted to say, 'You know, I can see right up your nose.'" David laughed and said, "Ya shudah dun it!" Cindy said, "Deana Martin was just here, but she left." David said, "She left?!" Cindy said, "Well, I don't know if she left the hotel, but she left the restaurant." We shared with him our conversation with her. We thought her guest appearance was great idea, and we thought when she performs in the Chicago area in March that she should invite him as her guest of honor! David commented about the little round (hobbit size) door alongside our table. Ironically, we had commented about that same thing a few minutes before. He said, "That door is just my size." We talked about how nice the hotel was, and he asked us if we had seen the ballroom. There was a ballroom? I knew Prince Charming (Or was it Buttons?) was there! Apparently, the floor had pretty colored lights. With a heavy sigh, I noticed the waitress next to our table. I got her attention and said, "Would you mind taking a picture of us?" and then I said to David, "Would you mind taking a picture with us?" He said, "Let's do it." He commented about the lovely (background) view of the Fox River behind our table, but then he thought there was too much light emitted from the window. We decided to take a photo by a Roman/Grecian style column. The waitress kindly snapped our photo. David gave Cindy a hug and a kiss on the cheek. David gave me a hug as well. He returned to his table, and we returned to ours. I told Cindy, "We really have to go!"


Cindy: And when you gotta go….you gotta go!

Bonnie: David was seated with Dave and Deb Robicheau. We decided to walk over to their table before departure to thank David again for our 'dinner' the previous evening despite the fact we were just about the cheapest dates around. Deb asked if we were going to the concert that evening in Lincolnshire. I said, "No, my daughter said one night away was fine; two was a bit much." They nodded. Cindy also mentioned a winter storm was in the forecast, and we wanted to get home. David said, "How far of a drive is it for you?" We said, "Two and a half hours." He said, "My hotel room is farther away than that!" and laughed. Very funny!

Cindy: And David thought Ken was the funny guy!

Bonnie: He wasn’t boring, that’s for sure! We returned to our room to gather our belongings. It was then we realized we had totally forgotten to tip our waitress. I returned down to the restaurant. David and the Robicheau's were still there, and I did not want to make a spectacle. I asked the hostess to call our waitress over. I tipped her for our gratitude, and we proceeded to check out of the hotel.

Janet: As we have heard “someone” say….”Good Things Stand the Test of Time.” I think this weekend, David’s shows, David’s company, proves just that! To paraphrase the song Dick Biondi played on Thursday night….you make US so very happy, we’re SO glad you came into our lives. Next time, David…dinner is on us!

Bonnie: David has enough “I’ll Be True 2U” points accrued right now for just about anything! I don't know about Cinderella and the (female) Prince, but we knew we were in a state of "happy ever after".

Dawn: My guess is that this is not THE END. The enchanted story always seems to go on and on - even 20 years later - right Cindy!

Cindy: Micky said doing the Monkees was not brain surgery and he’s right. But making people happy ….making people forget their day to day worries for a time…that’s no small thing. So most of us can’t say that The Monkees dramatically changed our lives, but God is in the details and it is often the small things that make the difference….and this world can use all the laughter and smiles it can get. Thanks David! It’s definitely NOT the end!