Fun Hollywood Squares RRR Fundraiser: RRR Called Twice Before The Show Was Even Over

Just this past Saturday night, Nauticrab Bar and Grill brought back the very retro game show, Hollywood Squares, to raise money for the amazing Triple R Rescue team.  Our island’s ambulance service that operates solely through fundraising and donations.  The island stars answered questions scoring Xs and Os, volunteers sold raffle tickets and collected donations and in the end everyone raised over $10,000 for RRR.  TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!

I had snuck out a bit early…I turn into a pumpkin at about 8:30pm.  But after I departed, RRR was called once to Nauticrab itself for a man who had fainted (remember that island heat can be INTENSE!) and then BY ME on my way home from the event.  I’ll get to that in a bit…but all I could think…over and over again is:  What did we do before RRR was on the island?

But let me start at the beginning…

I arrived early – or what I thought was early.  The event was planned for 7pm.  But by 630, the place was packed!  People from all over the island to support this clever event.

I say clever because Nauticrab Bar is on the property of Seven Seas Resort and with proper lighting and a bunch of microphones and equipment, they have THE PERFECT set-up for Hollywood Squares.

Each square must feature an island star…so here’s the line-up (or at least some of it!) – from left to right.

Ben S – you can find him working a bunch with the amazing team at ACES Crocodile Rescue team, Ben P, formerly of Truck Stop and new dad, David of the Sandbar Restaurant, Bar and Hotel, Lady Dixie Bowen, found of the Island Academy School, Rob – the announcer and one of the owners of the Nauticrab empire, Rambo, owner of YOLO and Island Dream Tours.

Also, Wayo, beloved island resident and the Wayo of Wayo’s Bar.

And Jake.  Who I met when I first moved here- super fun guy, manager at the lovely Caye Casa Boutique Hotel and lover of a good (or not so good) wig.

Back to the evening…

A gorgeous not-yet-full moon.

And the squares filled in…

The first raffle ticket was pulled on someone from the audience got to fill the bottom left square – the Mystery Square.  The stars filled in…Jeff B of Remax was bottom middle square and the game began!

You can already see Jake dancing in the top left square.

Questions were asked of the stars:  What is the most expensive spice in the world?  And they gave answers.  Definitive answers.  That weren’t always correct.  Does the star know…or is he full of shit…

But if you haven’t seen Hollywood Squares before…the creepy, polyester-suited hosts, the goofy stars, the zingers…well…you are missing out.  (It all begs the question why my whole family was glued to this show in the mid-80s)

And I’m sure Youtube is full of bloopers and outtakes.

Fun night, huge crowd, the bar was hopping and I?  I snuck out a bit early.  Just as – I later heard – that RRR came roaring up…to assist a man who had fainted/passed out by the bar.  And RRR arrived and brought him, in the ambulance, to the doctor.

And that is just about when I called them.  As I was driving home…just about 3 miles over the bridge on the north side of the island, I saw a few carts stopped on the road.  And soon saw that they were helping a man who had fallen from his bicycle and hit his head/face hard on a jagged chunk of cement.

There was blood on the road and he was in and out of consciousness.  A family of visitors to the island were trying to keep him still.  I stopped and called Billy from RRR.   He picked up immediately and told me that the team was headed right up.

This is Billy – head of the Tour Guide Association in San Pedro and general kick-ass guy.

Less than 10 minutes later, two traffic motorcycles with sirens came roaring up…followed by the ambulance.  Billy and Emmerson and their assistant hopped out to help.  (I met Emmerson when he won my skydiving raffle – and we went skydiving together!  I was on the ground the whole time 🙂 )

I…thank god.  I’ll say it again.  What did we do before the RRR team was set up on the island?  Someone would have had to load him up on their golf cart – and take him to the polyclinic- hoping the whole time that it was open.)  We are sooo lucky to have these guys on Ambergris Caye now.  It is scary standing in the dark on the road when someone is in need and you don’t know what to do.  Any of us, at any time, could need them.

Read more about RRR – what they do, how they came into being, and how you can help here.

I hope he is okay but I am so glad RRR was there to get him the help he needed.  An eventful night and a HUGE thank you to everyone involved in this fundraiser and everyone who donated and raised money for RRR.

It was one of those night that made me very proud to live in San Pedro.