Scott's Cleveland BBQ Review by Nuke

Posted August 2, 2005 on the AI Message Boards:

Wow...Please pinch me....I must have been dreaming. ;) You folks could not believe the great time we all had today at the BBQ in Cleveland hosted by Mama and Papa Savol. Many people from the Dawg Pound arrived in Cleveland yesterday and we began to set up the party grounds and prepare enough food to feed an army....and an army is exactly what we had. The men began on Sunday by doing some of the heavy labor of getting and setting up the tables and chairs to accommodate 100 + people, setting up canopies, clearing room in the garage for the massive buffet and Karaoke, and so many other details that are too numerous to mention, but trust me when I tell you, the Savol family spared no expense or effort in making today's event a fantastic and wonderfully fun experience that will be remembered by all those who attended, quite probably, for the rest of their lives. Several of our lady Dawg Pound members began the food prep and the special touches yesterday (Sunday).....now, there were so many wonderful people helping here that I dare not try to name them, as I fear I will forget someone and never be forgiven. ;) But those ladies and gentleman know who they are, and we could not have done any of this without them. They were invaluable. Each and every one of them. You could just feel how much love they were putting in to it all. Anyway, as the day ended we were ready to put it all together and add the final touches the next morning. Of course the final touches took us about 7 hours to complete. ;)

But I must emphasize this next point. This must have been one of the hottest days that I personally ever experienced. There was just no way to stop the sweating. ;( I must have lost 10 pounds in just the water that dripped off of me like a leaky faucet. LOL Ahh.... My diet is more successful than I thought it could ever be. hehehe Watch out Jenny Craig. ;) The temperature was in the 90's with a very high humidity. I don't think I have the words or the time to tell you how uncomfortable the weather was for all of us...including seasoned Clevelander's. But the Dawg Pound braved the elements and forged forward, not allowing themselves to be deterred in making Scott's homecoming and BBQ the best ever. After all....isn't that the type of tenacity and persistence that makes the Dawg Pound what it is? The best darn fan base ever. Anyway...I digress. ;) On with the story.

The guests started arriving a little after 4PM Monday. But the house and the yard was brimming with activity and people all day long prior to this. The Channel 8 Fox news crew was here periodically throughout the day doing interviews with many of our Dawgs. I kept my distance as I was a bit camera shy. lol The hard work was done...it was now time for the fun. A Karaoke guy (Kenny) set up his equipment in a place set aside in the Savol's Garage. Every one was enjoying themselves and having a blast.......but no one was singing....so what does Nuke do? Well....I figured someone had to christen the Karaoke machine. So why not me? And what song do I choose to get the ball rolling? The song "Yellow" by Coldplay of all things. LOL It was a disaster. hehehe But we were having fun. ;) So anyway, that got the ball rolling and the Karaoke guy was kept quite busy after that. I have to tell you...we have some very talented vocalists in the Dawg Pound. I was quite impressed. But this is where the fun part begins. ;)

We were all just having a blast and waiting for Scott to arrive when the rumors started spreading that Scott was on his way. The police officers started clearing out the front yard...yes we needed security....but little did we know why at that time. Well, three unmarked buses and a huge 18 wheel tractor trailer pulled up in front of the Savol's house and guess what? The buses contained Scott and 5 other of the Idols.....Bo, Carrie, Constantine, Anthony and Vonzell. Quite a surprise I must say...we were all ecstatic...well word spread like wild fire........and of course at such a surprise, people were just drawn to the front of the yard like moths to a flame. LOL The police were helpless...but we didn't mob anyone. hehehe All the neighbors started pouring out of their houses in amazement and hung out on their porch for the duration of the party. Well....most of the idols ate the wonderful food prepared by so many....but it is my understanding that Bo was particularly looking forward to tasting Papa Savol's homemade spaghetti sauce (Eddie your such a sneak lol...you too Cathy and Janet). ;) The idols that didn't eat just had some beverages. Bo's leg was hurting so he went back to the bus soon after finishing eating....Carrie and Con didn't stay long either. After Anthony made a most adorable introduction to Maggie, the Savol's puppy, (definitely a Hallmark moment, and there are pictures posted in several places all over the web. The cutest thing. I think they both fell in love with each other. lol) Anthony dug right into the food. He was fond of the marinade chicken tenders as I recall...although I was busy, so I didn't watch every move. ;) We later learned that the other Idols would also arrive soon. And sure enough, Nadia, Nikko, Jessica and Anwar arrived. That's right.....all 10 of the Idols were here at the Savol's house munching and sipping and having a pretty good time it seemed for the most part. I have to tell you, this was the most exciting surprise any of us Dawg Pound members could ever expect...or even imagine was a possibility......but as sure as I breath....it was a fact.......The idols were here: ALL TEN OF THEM. ;) Woohooooo!

We expected just Scott, and we were pretty sure he'd spend a good deal of time here being that this is his family's house.....and he did. He was very gracious, respectful and polite. And he appeared to be having a fantastic time. Scott really does treat his fans well. He signed T-shirts, gave autographs, shook hands ( I might have been a little over-zealous.....because the first time I shook Scott's hand I felt and heard his hand crack. LOL Hope I didn't hurt him he looks so fragile ROFL) and gave lots of hugs. The fans reciprocated by showering Scott with gifts of all sorts from all over the country. He needed help getting the items to the bus. ;) The Dawg Pound presented Scott a ball cap signed by the message board members that were here...and there were a lot of them. We also gave him a basket filled with stuffed dogs and puppies. That was MamaTenes idea...and Scott really enjoyed it. One of the most interesting gifts was a personalized Louis Ville Slugger with the inscription "Scott Savol, Top 5 American Idol Finalist." Scott really, REALLY liked that. I did too. LOL But the surprising fact was that both Jessica and Nikko stayed for almost as long as Scott did. I even had the honor of sipping a little Tia Maria with them in the Savol's living room. Well, it was getting late and the concert is tomorrow (oooops...I mean it's today....LOL...I have to get to bed....can't believe it's 4AM) so, the idols needed to get back to their hotels to rest up for the concert.

It was after 12AM but the food needed to be put away and the tables cleaned off and picked up....and guess what? The Dawg Pound pulled through again. One minute the tables were still set up, and when I went to the bathroom and came back, most of the tables and chairs were stacked up for the trip back to where they came from. The only thing left was getting the leftovers put away. That took some time, but we did it. There's still quite a mess to clean up in the morning (I think I'm calling in sick LOL), but we had a blast and all the hard work paid off. I'd like to thank all of you who made this trip...BBQ and a life time of memories possible. I am particularly grateful and forever indebted to Mama and Papa Savol.....and of course Aunt Janet. I also send big hugs and kisses to my new sisters Stacey and Patty Savol and a high five to my new brothers Scott and Michael. You folks are great and I look forward to the next few days we spend together. I am certain that lifelong bonds were made here this week.

OK...OK...it is so late...this boy has to get to bed....I'll re-read this tomorrow...I know I have forgotten some stuff, or will have to edit......but hey? Give a Dawg a break. :) Good night everyone....tomorrow the Dawgs and Scott continue to rock Cleveland at the concert. Give it all you got Scott....you haven't let us down yet bro. Cheers!

Watch out Cleveland...someone let the Dawgs out. Woof Woof! lol