CAYA; T-8 days - Bon Ton! You are Invited to the Haberdashery's 11th Annual Mardi Gras Extravaganza on March 4th!

Dear Lost Souls,

It's time to turn it up to 11! You are cordially and officially invited to join us for our 11th annual Fête Extravaganza, celebrating the highpoint of the Haberdashery's friscal year! Of course, Cocktail Hour is also on for this Friday evening; usual time and place ... but with only 8 days to go, be sure focus on March 4th! ... when Haberdites from near and far will gather to pay homage to the royalty of New Orleans Carnival with a fanfare of great live music and Cajun cuisine! Here are some details to whet your appetite!

Friday, March 3rd

• 7:30pm – 12:00am – The Taming of the Roux (CAYA Cocktail Hour, Saturday prep, and a Cajun cooking primer) 

Saturday, March 4th

• 11:00am – 10:00pm – all-day Mardi Gras Party including live music jams, DJ Mr. Fabulous, & plenty-o good food . . . and Lagniappe!
• (3:00pm – 7:00pm) – Primary period of feasting! 

COME JOIN THE CAYA GUMBO!

Gumbo is not just a dish . . . it is a ménage of flavors, people and ideas. Come experience the Haberdashery's brand of social alchemy and Loooousiana hospitality first hand. We already have an outstanding lineup of live music planned, but musicians should be sure to bring along your instruments! We are scheduling sunny weather and there will be lots of live music jamming in the back courtyard. DJ Mr. Fabulous will also be on hand to spice up the mix.

WARNING: Please be prepared to shake your booty . . . this is not a spectator sport.

DETAILED SCHEDULE:

• Friday evening, March 3rd: There will be Friday Night Cocktail Hour as usual. For those of you interested in the Festival of the Roux, and other cooking secrets from The Big Easy, this is the time to come. Chop, chop chop!! WARNING: Friday night can be detrimental to Saturday . . . and should be taken in moderation, particularly if your intent is a full-on Saturday.
• Saturday, March 4th: This is an all day affair . . . give or take a day . . . so feel free to come and go as you please; children are more than welcome; particularly during the daylight hours (before storytime). In the morning, beginning whenever we crawl out of bed, there will be Mimosas, Screwdrivers and Bloody Marys for those that venture out before noon . . . or whenever. We will start the primary serving of food in the mid-afternoon. There will be the usual fair of Gumbo, Jambalaya, Red Beans & Rice, etc. . . . whenever they are ready . . . and of course, lagniappe . . . yea, yea . . . and there will be LOTS of NOLA Bread Puddin' for the ladies. 

WHAT TO BRING: . . . Hurricanes are in the forecast and we will also have a full keg of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale  . . . but your favorite beverage contribution is much appreciated, so please bring along other libations to share (we will have coolers and ice on hand). There will copious amounts of food, beads, and Hurricanes. There will also be plenty 'o munchies, but if you are feeling particularly motivated, feel free to add a little something extra (lagniappe!)! . . . but, for GOD SAKE, please take home your beads!!! They are our Mardi Gras gift to you!!

• Musicians! - Bring your instruments. There will be live music galore!
• Face painters! - bring your paints . . . nothing says Mardi Gras like some beautiful painted people!
• Amateur photographers! - bring your cameras . . . there will lots of colorful scenes to record!

DRESS CODE: Well! . . . there is no dress code, and you can wear whatever the hell you want . . . but this IS Mardi Gras . . . so festive attire is appropriate! In general, this could mean carnival masks, and/or your favorite colorful wig . . . pull out that old sequined party dress (e.g. flapper style), a boa, feather tiara . . . a dapper hat or sport coat . . . Seersucker is always encouraged! HOPPE style! . . . or just show up in jeans and a t-shirt!!!! . . . the point is to relax and have a good time. We will have lots of beads and other parade trinkets on hand to accessorize.

As always, please feel free to stop by for a quickie . . . on Friday or Saturday; or to linger indefinitely.

Yours!

Los Cabañeros

!!Please drink responsibly and arrange for safe transportation !! . . . your well-being is our first priority!

P.S. This week's Haberdashery Flashback takes us back to March 5th, 2003; CAYA - Mardi Gras 2003

P.S.S. Be sure to visit the CAYA blog and register for updates: caya20.blogspot.com

The Haberdashery is located at:
2124 5th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
T: 510.229.2970

Come As You Are; At Least We Have Mardi Gras . . .

Dear Lost Souls,

T-15 Days! ... The Haberdashery Mardi Gras party will be Saturday, March 4th ... so everyone should be in full training mode for the big day. Hurricanes are in the forecast and our cabana boys are busy planning our emergency response maneuvers to make sure that this will be the best Mardi Gras party ever ... God knows we can use the distraction!

Yes, my Liquored Lilliputians, Cocktail Hour in on for this Friday evening. Cocktails will be served at 7:30pm. So, pry yourself away from the unmitigated dumpster fire that is the current state of American politics, and give yourself the gift of an evening nestled in the dappled shade and shadow of our low expectations ... comforted and secure beneath the sparkling promise of our eclectic wishing stars and a magical fluorescent moon. As always, please do not hesitate to stop by for a quickie en route to your primary train wreck … or to linger indefinitely.  
Yours,
Los Cabañeros
 
!! Please drink responsibly and arrange for safe transportation !! . . . your well-being is our first priority!
 
P.S. This week's Haberdashery Flashback takes us to February 13th, 2003; CAYA - St. Valentine's Day
P.S.S. Be sure to visit the CAYA blog, and register for email updates: http://caya20.blogspot.com/
 
The Haberdashery is located at:
2124 5th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
T: 510.229.2970

Come As You Are; A Greener, Cleaner, Bluer World!

NOTE: Mark your calendar for Saturday March 4th! ... for this year's Mardi Gras party!

Dear Lost Souls,

 . . . As our not-so-fragile little blue space ship careens blithely at breakneck speed through the dark and frigid cosmos, we strive evermore to reach a sustainable equilibrium with our benevolent host before she shakes loose the growing pestilence that is the unchecked avarice of humanity. This week's Cleantech Open awards and festivities, along with our recent strides forward in the prospect of realizing floating urban "Seasteads" in the Pacific heart of Oceanus, reminds us that there is still hope on the horizon for a greener, cleaner, and bluer way of expressing the kinder and gentler aspects our humanity. Let us raise a toast to Hope's Blue Horizon!

Yes, my Caring Cosmonauts, Cocktail Hour in on for this Friday evening. Cocktails will be served at 7:30pm. Tonight we also offer you another chance to sample our Czechs & Balances Lager ... "Because good taste is an all-natural product of accountability!" Please feel free to stop by for a quickie en route to your primary soiree … or to linger indefinitely.  

Yours,
Los Cabañeros
 
!! Please drink responsibly and arrange for safe transportation !! . . . your well-being is our first priority!
 
P.S. This week's Haberdashery Flashback takes us to February 5th, 2003; CAYA - Debate Rages!
P.S.S. Be sure to visit the CAYA blog, and register for email updates: http://caya20.blogspot.com/
 
The Haberdashery is located at:
2124 5th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
T: 510.229.2970

Come As You Are; A New Brew For Yew!

Dear Lost Souls,

NOTE: Mark your calendar for Saturday March 4th! ... our tentative date for this year's Mardi Gras party!

In these harrowing times, The Haberdashery is always seeking to offer you a welcome distraction from the slowly evolving train wreck euphemistically referred to as today's politics. Its a big job, but in this spirit, this week we are pleased to offer you a chance to taste the Haberdashery Brewing Company's newly minted "Czechs and Balances Lager". It may not help hold this administration accountable ... but its clean honest flavor, along with some good CAYA company, will help numb the pain for just a couple of hours.

Yes, my Convulsing Compatriots, Cocktail Hour in on for this Friday evening. Cocktails will be served at 7:30pm. Please feel free to 'shhhwing by for a quickie en route to your primary shit show … or to linger indefinitely.

Yours,
Los Cabañeros

!! Please drink responsibly and arrange for safe transportation !! . . . your well-being is our first priority!

P.S. This week's Haberdashery Flashback takes us to February 1st, 2002; CAYA - T-8 Days
P.S.S. Be sure to visit the CAYA blog, and register for email updates: http://caya20.blogspot.com/

The Haberdashery is located at:
2124 5th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
T: 510.229.2970

Come As You Are; Inauguration Day Blues

Dear Lost Souls,

Need a stiff drink? . . . 

As California weeps, and the rest of the world ducks and covers in the fetal position, we begin a new era of ignorance and American bluster. Now, more than ever, we must protect and celebrate our established American institutions built on foundations of intellectual rigor, high character, generosity, and the open exchange of creative ideas (particularly of the alchemical variety). With over 15 years of solid history to demonstrate our steadfast constitution, the Haberdashery will continue to stand vigil with our weekly communion, providing the physical and intellectual space to incubate the critical exchange of ideas to counterbalance an executive branch committed to dismantling the mechanisms that protect and serve this country's vulnerable human, as well as natural resources.

Yes, my Left Coast Expatriates, Cocktail Hour in on for this Friday evening. Cocktails will be served at 7:30pm. Please feel free to motorcade on by for a quickie en route to your primary weekend inauguration … or to linger indefinitely.  

Yours,
Los Cabañeros
 
!! Please drink responsibly and arrange for safe transportation !! . . . your well-being is our first priority!
 
P.S. This week's Haberdashery Flashback takes us to January 8th, 2004; CAYA - The Sabbath
P.S.S. Be sure to visit the CAYA blog, and register for email updates: http://caya20.blogspot.com/
 
The Haberdashery is located at:
2124 5th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
T: 510.229.2970

CAYA; A Fresh Start Towards Armageddon!

Dear Lost Souls,

Ready to dive in to 2017!? It's the first Cocktail Hour of the year, and we are ringing it in with our usual brand of good fellowship and tantalizing relaxation. As the proud home of your Last Resort, our cabana boys stand ever vigilant; ready to dazzle you with alchemical fortitude, tirelessly low expectations, and inspiring leaps of frivolity. Yes, it may seem like we are staring down the barrel of Armageddon in 2017 ... but at The Haberdashery, we are always ready to offer you a comfortable deck chair ... just so you are sure to have a good seat for the end of the show. 

Yes, my Titanic Teetotalers, Cocktail Hour in on for this Friday evening. Cocktails will be served at 7:30pm. Please feel free to sail on by en route to your primary evening's calamity … or to linger indefinitely.  

Yours,
Los Cabañeros
 
!! Please drink responsibly and arrange for safe transportation !! . . . your well-being is our first priority!
 
P.S. This week's Haberdashery Flashback takes us to January 3rd, 2002; CAYA - Year of the Palindrome
P.S.S. Be sure to visit the CAYA blog, and register for email updates: http://caya20.blogspot.com/
 
The Haberdashery is located at:
2124 5th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
T: 510.229.2970

Come As You Are; Up Yours, 2016!

Dear Lost Souls,

It is not at all easy to find a list of good things that happened in 2016. In fact, probably the best thing to happen is that it is almost over! Be that as it may . . . Thanks to you all, the Haberdashery has enjoyed another excellent year of outstanding fellowship, good cheer, excellent food, and quality cocktails ... and the piece of mind that comes from knowing that there is always a warm, friendly sanctuary waiting for you on the road just ahead; at the end of another week in the proverbial coal mines. On this, our last CAYA of the year, we invite you to once again join us for a moment of repose beneath the comforting shade of low expectations as we toast the end of 2016 and look forward to the promise of 2017!

Yes, my Tempestuous Time Travelers, Cocktail Hour in on for this Friday evening. Cocktails will be served at 7:30pm. Please feel free to drop by en route to your primary evening's festivities … or to linger indefinitely.  

Yours,

Los Cabañeros

!! Please drink responsibly and arrange for safe transportation !! . . . your well-being is our first priority!

P.S. This week's Haberdashery Flashback takes us to December 27th, 2012; CAYA - Adieu to You Too 2012!

P.S.S. Be sure to visit the CAYA blog, and register for email updates: http://caya20.blogspot.com/

The Haberdashery is located at:

2124 5th Street

Berkeley, CA 94710
T: 510.229.2970