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From
The Surrey Shore . .
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The Newsletter of the Hated Rivals on the Surrey Shore Vol. 4, No. 1, February 2005
****A Scion Society
for All Who Enjoy Sherlock Holmes in All His Manifestations!****
Well, some scoffers may think that anything we do falls into that
category, but those of you who have attended any meetings of the Hated Rivals
on the Surrey Shore know better. Our March meeting, we must admit, however,
does involve just a bit o’ the blarney—although only in that it’s being held at
the Claddagh Irish Pub on East 96th Street in North Indianapolis.
We’ll be meeting Sunday afternoon, March 13, from 1 p.m. to 4-ish, for a
pre-St. Patrick’s Day bash, plus a continuation of our theme for this year on
“The Rivals and Allies of Sherlock Holmes.” The rival in question for this
meeting is Baker Street’s other Master Sleuth, one who’s all-too obscure
today, Sexton Blake. (“Who?” you may wonder. And if so, you definitely
want to attend this meeting for enlightenment on Victorian London’s other
favorite detective—one whose career outlasted even that of our beloved Sherlock
Holmes, whose bizarre cases often surpassed even the strangest adventures of
Holmes, and who appeared in several times as many tales as our own favorite
Sleuth of Baker Street.) Our own Barker, Bill Barton, will present a brief talk
about Blake and especially his ties to Sherlock Holmes. Prior to the program,
of course, we’ll indulge in our usual Canonical toast, plus a sumptuous
afternoon feast fit for a . . . well, for a Hated Rival (which means only the
best.) Claddagh has an extensive menu of appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches,
and entrees, including many with an Irish twist. (Hmmm—and here we thought the
Irish danced only the jig. So much for stereotypes.) We do plan to start
promptly at 1 p.m., so if possible, try to be there a few minutes early. (If
you do run late, however, just ask for the “Barton” party.) For directions and
other information, please see the “Coming Meetings” section at the end of this
newsletter, or call the pub at 569-3663. You can also find directions and other
specific information about the pub at its Web site, www.claddaghirishpub.com/index.php.
You can view a list of menu items by clicking the Menu link (of course) and a
map of the location by clicking first the Locations link at the top of the page
and then the link for North Indianapolis (which you reach by scrolling down the
page). As we need to make reservations, please do let us know via e-mail (up
until the Friday the 11th at 6 p.m.) or drop us a note to tell us
that you plan to attend so that we can reserve enough room. (But if you decide
at the last minute to come, I’m sure the friendly folks at Claddagh will be
happy to set a few more places.) We hope to see you there!
***
It’s the end of February as I write this missive, and Spring is but a few short weeks away. (Of course, old man Winter undoubtedly has a few more surprises for us before he beats a hasty retreat north for the summer.) The Hated Rivals on the Surrey Shore are preparing for yet another great meeting, as you can see from the description above. We hope that you’ll be able to join us this month, as you’re always warmly welcomed on the ol’ Surrey Shore, regardless of your level of knowledge about things Sherlockian.
As you know if you’ve read our last newsletter, our
own Russell, Mimi DeMore, who served as vice president for the scion from its
inception till this January, is currently in Uzbekistan, once part of the
Soviet Union, working for the Peace Corps. Since you get to hear from me every
newsletter, I thought that it would be appropriate this time to reproduce here
a few e-mails we’ve received from Mimi, chronicling her ongoing adventures in a
country not too far from that wherein the saga of one John H. Watson, M.D.,
began. And, of course, if any of you would like to write to Mimi, you can reach
her at her current e-mail address, demoremarie@yahoo.com. I’m sure she’d
appreciate the correspondence. So take it away, Mimi!
January 30: Hi.
It's Mimi. First, I am alive and well. I now live with the Rakhmonov family in
Chirchiq, UZ (Uzbekistan). Their address is: Zavkiy Street, H38. The phone
number is (271) 3-14-89. The father's name is Egamberdy; mother, Karima;
daughter, Gulnoza, and the son's name is Farkhod. Gulnoza is 21 and Farkhod is
20. The Peace Corps office number in Tahkent is (8 371)120-73-90, and in an
emergency, the U.S. Embassy's number is (8 371) 120-54-50. The PC Duty
Officer's number is (8 371) 131-69-05, and the PC Duty Medical Officer's number
is (8 371)131-86-72.(Dr. Eldar and Dr. Rob)
First, we spent two days in
Philadelphia, and I met all 65 new volunteers with our PC trainers. We are
divided into four areas, English Teaching (primary, secondary, university),
Health, Water, and NGO (nongovermental organizations). I’m assigned to the
last. I am happy that I will get the training to work in a global arena. There
are 11 volunteers in the NGO training. Some are learning Uzbek, and some are
learning Russian. I am learning Uzbek, but it seems that all Uzbeki learn both languages.
I have my own room with a
bed, table, two chairs, and a beautiful rug on the wall. The house consists of
two separate areas. One side is the bedrooms, with a very large living area
decorated with rugs, pillows, and curtains. The other side has a small kitchen,
dining room, and family room, with a TV with only four stations. Tomorrow I
will start classes in Uzbek. We had language and culture classes last week at a
sanatorium in Qubray and moved into our Uzbek families’ houses last Friday.
We seem to eat just soup and
chai tea with some tangerines and apples (olma). They have Snickers here
and Pepsi, Coca-Cola, but I still have to find diet cola. Lots of
carbohydrates. I am only managing the pit toilets (more later). Please write
and send letters! I miss and love you all!
February 6: I’m still alive and well in
Uzbekistan. Peace Corps Boot Camp keeps me very busy. Grammar or NGO classes
start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. I walk four blocks to my language classes,
and for NGO tech classes, I have to take a Marshuka, or taxi, to the center of
Chirchiq and walk to the Peace Corp Headquarters, about six blocks. I am
getting my exercise and I have already lost some weight.
Now for the good news. Tonight all PCVs are taking a bus into Tashkent to the U.S. ambassador’s house to watch the Super Bowl. It will be 4 a.m. on Monday morning until 9 a.m. Monday will be a day off to recover. Next weekend, the Peace Corp is paying for the volunteers to take a trip. Sixteen of us are taking a train trip to Bukara and staying the weekend. We are all working hard to learn the language. I and most volunteers are learning Uzbek, but 10 volunteers are learning Russian. And all are taking classes on the Uzbek culture, plus health and safety classes on Fridays when we all get together. The food is a little bland, and I am glad that I loaded up with Chinese food before I left. I keep tangerines and Snickers in my room to supplement my diet.
We have had many blackouts at my house since I have been here, hence the need for candles. I love you all. Pray for me and, of course, letters and e-mails are gratefully accepted. Take care.
February 7: Tashkent, UZ. It is 11 a.m. on Monday, and I am in a Internet hub at a bazaar called Broadwey. (Get it?) This morning, we saw the Super Bowl game at the ambassador’s house. The PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees) met at the Peace Corps office in Chirchiq and stayed up (or slept on the floor) all night until 2:30 a.m. and then boarded a nice bus to take us to the ambassador's home in Tashkent. He was there to greet us, and I had someone take a picture of us together. I will send the film home to be developed and shown around. He has a beautiful house with indoor plumbing. The funny thing is that he also has chickens and animals surrounding him. He supplied us with potato chips (yum! and I miss them) and Pepsi (but no Diet Pepsi) and cheese and crackers. We were all hungry, and they disappeared quickly.
I joined the Super Bowl pool for 1,000 sums.(1,000 sums equal $1.) I won! We drew numbers and checked what the score was at quarter time. Of course, it was 0. I won 10,000 sum, or $10 dollars. (By the way, there is a 10-hour time difference between Tashkent and Indianapolis.) After the game, many PCTs decided to go into Tashkent City and write home. We will catch the Metro subway to a halfway home and then catch a Marshuka into Chirchiq. It is never easy to travel, but slowly I am getting my sea legs. We have been told to travel in groups as a safety measure.
My classes are going well but my mind is usually mush by the end of the day, and I never have trouble sleeping. For the past week, we often have not had electricity, and I finally found batteries, for 100 sums each. One last thing before I go: The PC is being very careful about our safety and health. So far, I have received several shots: rabies, 2 shots; hep A and B, 4 shots; tetanus; typhoid; and mononucleosis.
February 14: Happy St. Valentine’s Day! It is 9 a.m. in the morning in a Chirchiq Internet office. I have just returned from the train station and my trip to Bukara. The Peace Corps sent all of the trainees on a trip in groups of four. We got a nice B&B in the old city and went to the Rug and Gold Bazaar, plus visited all the little stands with trinkets and the spice man for herbal teas, etc. The train ride was overnight, so we had a coupe with four bunks, two up and two down. Going there, I rode bottom, and coming back, I rode top. We found a couple of restaurants that we liked and plan to go back again when it gets warmer. It has been about -10 C. Cold and snowy. They keep saying that it will be spring in two weeks. I hope so. I am still doing well, and I have my first language test this coming Saturday.
I am still having trouble finding anything here that I like to eat and have had a few challenges, including pit toilets, food transportation, and cleanliness. Apparently, there are different degrees of clean—no showers, and baths are hard to come by. We had a shower in Bukara, and I showered twice, just because. The PC staff and all the other trainees are wonderful, and I cannot believe that I am among them. I have had no sleep for a while, so I’d better go.
February 27: Dear family and friends, I want to share with you what my schedule for a week is like. I usually sleep until 6:30 or 7 a.m. Monday through Thursday and half of a day on Sunday, I have classes. On Mondays, I have Uzbek language class all day. Tuesday mornings, I go to Tashkent with Ahad, our NGO program manager, and another Peace Corps trainee, Ryan, to visit an NGO, called Mexp Tarhyn or Mehr Tayaichi. This not-for-profit was once a very active organization that strived to help street children. It was started in 1999 with a generous grant from Save the Children Foundation, and for about three years, they helped children with medical, legal, and counseling services. But as with a lot of NGOs here, graft and interference by the "powers that be" has all but shut their doors. A unpaid staff of a director, admin assistant, program manager, and a part-time doctor barely keep the doors open. During these visits, we have asked many questions, and they have been generous and honest with their answers. It is our hope to learn about the "system" and what problems NGOs in this country face so that we can be helpful to the ones we will eventually be assigned to. I will find out on March 11 what NGO I will be assigned to for the next two years and where I will be living. I should be moving there by the middle of April.
Also, good news: My midterm evaluation was very good, so I guess the Peace Corps plans to keep me. We are having visa problems with the government, and so "The Great Game" continues. Mine is good only until April 16, but the new PC country director and the American ambassador seem to think that they can work it out. I have to say that the Uzbeki people are very friendly and like Americans—and especially the Peace Corps. My host family is wonderful, and I hope that they will visit me on my assignment.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I alternate between language class that takes place at the Peterson's host family's house and the NGO classes in Chirchiq, at the College of Social Sciences. I walk about six blocks to language class. (We really live in Arancha, a "suburb" north of Chirchiq.) To get to my NGO class, I walk three blocks to the main street then wait to flag down a Marshuka as it travels pass. It is 200 sums for the ride. To go to my NGO practicum in Tashkent, I take a Marshuka to Chirchiq, then a Metro Marshuka to Maxin Gorki (Metro), and then the Metro next to the Parliament; then I walk about a mile. (Now you see why I have lost weight.) It is about 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, so I’d better start home to do my laundry by hand. Today I bought a new washtub ... such is my life now. (I miss my Chinese buffets!) Your e-mails and letters are welcomed. I love you all. —Mimi DeMore (Russell)
And that, dear readers, is Mimi’s saga thus far. Do take a little time and contact her by e-mail or otherwise, if you can, at one of the addresses above, as I’m sure that she’d really appreciate hearing from all Hated Rivals, both new and old. We’ll run updates in future newsletters to keep you up on her progress. And on that encouraging (you to write) note, I remain, till next issue, ever yours . . .
—C.
Barker, Esq.
***
A sizeable group of Hated Rivals
braved the raging floods and the devastating ice storms that had gripped the
state in the prior week to turn out and wish a fond farewell to our own Russell
(Mimi DeMore) at our annual Victorian Tea and (Slightly Belated) Sherlock
Holmes Birthday Party at the Hamilton County Historical Society Jail Museum, in
Noblesville, on Sunday afternoon, January 9. We were a bit concerned that the
recent fury of the elements, which had closed roads and shut down power over
much of the area, may hurt attendance—and the two of us who were first to
arrive “sweated it out” while waiting for others to appear, fearing perhaps
we’d be the only ones to make it—but we were soon reassured as one after
another Hated Rival pulled up out front and joined us inside the Jail Museum.
Our first order of “business” (which always translates to “pleasure” for the
Rivals) was the Tea and Birthday Party itself. We had a grand repast of tea,
coffee, scones (with several types of jams and real English clotted cream),
mini-blackberry muffins, and a variety of tea sandwiches—plus two cakes. We ate
and drank our fill while engaging in several lively rounds of Sherlockian
conversation and fellowship. (The Rivals are, of course, proficient at
multi-tasking.) Finally, after we couldn’t consume another scone or sandwich
without bursting, we adjourned to the jail’s parlor for the program, which
included “creative” Canonical toasts (since we’d neglected them during the meal
in the kitchen), special announcements, a description of the CSI Sherlockian
episode (see below), a paper (and discussion) presented by our own Amelia
Peabody (Suzanne Snyder) on the Laurie R. King Holmes/Mary Russell novels; and
an a capella rendition of a tribute song written by our own Barker (Bill
Barton) for our very own Russell, entitled “THE Woman” (which, of course, Mimi
shall always be for the Hated Rivals on the Surrey Shore). A brief tour of the
museum followed for those who wished to delve into its Victorian depths.
Reluctant to leave, especially knowing this was our dear Russell’s last meeting
for at least the next two and a half years, we finally tore ourselves away,
looking forward to our coming (albeit, sadly, Russell-less) meetings of 2005.
***
Since our March meeting is at an Irish pub, we thought a bit of trivia on Ireland during Victoria’s reign to be in order:
During the Victorian era, all of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom and not a separate nation at all, as is all but Northern Ireland today. Many in the British government, however, advocated Home Rule for Ireland, something that wouldn’t happen until well after the Victorian age ended. The Liberal party of Gladstone championed Home Rule in Parliament—a stand that split the party and brought them defeat in 1895. Most of the Irish, primarily Catholics, chaffed at being ruled by Anglican England. Some so hated British rule that they engaged in violence against Britain and its people. Chief among these were members of the Fenian Brotherhood, a revolutionary Irish-nationalist movement. Irish emigrant James Stephenson (1824-1901) founded the Brotherhood in America in 1858. Stephenson’s aim was to secure republicanism in Ireland through violent action. From 1866-70, American Fenians attacked Canada from across the U.S. border. Irish Fenians, meanwhile, attacked London’s Clerkenwell Jail in 1867, killing 20 people.
Attacks by the Fenians and related groups, such as the “Dynamiters” (who went so far as to bomb Scotland Yard), became so frequent as to spur the Home Office to create a separate Irish Branch as part of the Metropolitan Police Force (later to be known as the Special Branch). Even Britain’s Beloved Queen Victoria became the target of a (fortunately thwarted) Fenian assassination plot.
The Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood, founded in
1873, was a direct descendant of the Fenian Brotherhood. Its underlying plan
was to wage war against Britain for Irish freedom, but the Brotherhood failed
to develop any clear policy due to a lack of unity in its ranks. Some members
chose to focus their opposition to British rule by working through such
organizations as the Irish Land League and in Parliament rather than to pursue
violent means. The 1898 centenary of the United Irishman Rebellion swelled the
Brotherhood’s membership, but the organization ended up taking no significant
action during the remainder of the Victoria years.
***
I Hear of Sherlock
Everywhere!
Serious (and even-not-so-serious) Sherlockians who
haven’t yet done so would be advised to add to their collections the New
Annotated Sherlock Holmes, edited by Leslie S. Klinger (W.W. Norton &
Co., 2004; $75). This two-volume slipcased collection not only contains the
entire Sherlockian Canon, but like its venerable predecessor, the Annotated
Sherlock Holmes by William S. Baring-Gould, includes a wealth of historical
and speculative information about the stories. This quality, 1,878-page edition
may seem a bit pricey, but it’s well worth the cost, especially if you don’t
own Baring-Gould’s masterpiece. And you can find it at many online outlets at a
considerable discount—$51 (plus postage) on Amazon.com, $49 (plus $3.50
postage) at www.edwardhamilton.com, and so on. Recommended. (And those who
don’t own the Baring-Gould Annotated but would like to secure a copy can
find it used as low as from $20 to $40 online at Amazon.com and other outlets.)
One of Sherlock Holmes’ first appearances outside
the Doyle stories was in one of Maurice LeBlanc’s tales of Arsene Lupin, the
Gentleman Burglar. LeBlanc’s stories of Lupin, a French counterpart of A.J.
Raffles, have been out of print for a while. Now, however, you can see how
Holmes fares against the burglar in Arsene Lupin vs. Sherlock Holmes: The
Hollow Needle, by LeBlanc, adapted by Randy Lofficier and Jean-Marc
Lofficier (Black Coat Press, 2004; $20.95). The book contains two short
stories, including “Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late,” the 1906 story that
first brought the two antagonists together, and the novel The Hollow Needle
(although Holmes makes only a brief appearance in the latter). The book ends
with an original tale, “Escape Not the Thunderbolt.” This is the first of a
three-volume series, with the other two books due out over the next few months.
The next is Arsene Lupin vs. Sherlock Holmes 2: The Blond Phantom, by
LeBlanc, adapted by Frank J. Morlock ($20.95), containing LeBlanc’s 1906 title
story about Holmes’ and Lupin’s duel over the legendary blue diamond; their
1907 clash, “The Jewish Lamp;” and a new tale by Morlock, “Arsene Lupin Arrives
Too Late,” plus a timeline of all of the Holmes-Lupin encounters. Volume 3 is
the Arsene Lupin vs. Sherlock Holmes Stage Play, by LeBlanc, Victor
Darlay, and Henri de Gorsse, also adapted by Morlock ($19.95). This marks the
1910 play’s first appearance in English, along with a new play by Morlock.
The Final Solution, by Michael Chabon (Fourth Estate, 2004; $16.95), is a novel set during WWII, as one may guess from the title, but it is only peripherally concerned with the topic with which most will associate that term. The story takes place in the English countryside—Sussex, to be exact—and involves the mystery of a mute Jewish boy with a talkative parrot, discovered walking along the railroad tracks by an elderly detective-turned-beekeeper. Although he’s never named in the novel, it’s quite clear that an 89-year-old Sherlock Holmes is the detective in question. Complications include a murder, the mysterious disappearance of the parrot, and the code-like numbers that the bird continually recites. Although only 131 pages in length (today, merely a novella rather than a full-blown novel) and strangely reticent in its refusal to name the protagonist, The Final Solution gives us a glimpse of how Holmes may have spent some of his waning years—still utilizing his skills for good amid a changing and increasingly dangerous world.
Both of the previous books can be found on
Amazon.com and similar online outlets (the latter for only $11.53 at Amazon). A
number of other recent pastiches are also listed on the Amazon.com Web site.
Following is a sampling of a few of the most recent and/or most interesting
(with Amazon’s prices listed after the /):
Sherlock Holmes: The Hidden Years, edited by Michael Kurland
(St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2004; $24.95/$16.95), is an original anthology of tales
set during Holmes’ “Great Hiatus” of 1891-94). Kurland, author of the Professor
Moriarty series, brings together tales by such writers as Gary Lovisi and
Richard Lupoff, with Kurland himself contributing a new Moriarty tale,
“Reichenbach.”
The long-titled Spider Dance: A Novel of Suspense
Featuring Irene Adler and Sherlock Holmes, by Carole Nelson Douglas (Forge
Books, 2004; $24.95/$16.47), is the latest in Douglas’ Irene Adler series. In
this eighth outing, THE woman and her own “Watson,” Penelope “Nell” Huxleigh
(with some help, of course, from Holmes), investigate her past in 1889 New York
City, following closely on the events of the last book in the series.
Information comes from Nelly Bly, the real-life Victorian reporter who traveled
around the world in imitation of Jules Verne’s Phileas Fogg. Also involved,
through a murder at his manor, is millionaire William K. Vanderbilt, and a
British spy named Quintin Stanhope plays a role as well. Readers of the earlier
Irene Adler books by Douglas will want to pick up this latest of her tales.
The Affair of the Incognito Tenant: A Mystery with
Sherlock Holmes, by Lora Roberts (Daniel & Daniel Publishers, 2004; $13.95/$10.46),
is another tale set immediately after Holmes’ retirement to Sussex Downs, in
1903. Holmes is the tenant in question, staying at a manor in Sussex under his
Sigerson identity. The story is told by the widowed housekeeper, Charlotte
Dodson, and centers around a strange conspiracy involving vampires (!), a
missing jewel, and an escaped prisoner from Dartmoor (shades of Hound!).
Finally (for now), is the forthcoming The Ghosts
of Baker Street: New Tales of Sherlock Holmes, edited by Martin H. Greenberg
(Carroll & Graf, 2005; $13.95/ $11.46). This is the third in the series
that has so far featured Murder in Baker Street and Murder, My Dear
Watson. Unlike the first two volumes, this collection of tales by such
authors as Caleb Carr and Daniel Stashower pit Holmes and Watson against “the
supernatural,” as suggested by its title. Whether the stories contain more
mundane explanations made up to appear supernatural or feature “real” spooks is
a mystery that must wait until the book’s release (although it was originally
supposed to be available this February).
For reviews, pro and con, and links to other
Sherlockian pastiches, check out the pages for these book on Amazon’s Web site.
The January 6 episode of CBS’s CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation series introduced a decidedly Sherlockian theme for one of
its two investigations. In it, a Holmes enthusiast died in his own reproduction
of Holmes’ and Watson’s sitting room at 221B (complete with simulated fireplace
and faux Victorian street scenes outside the “window”). The victim was found
shot in the head with an antique (but surprisingly not British) revolver and
with a 7% solution of morphine in his veins. (Sherlockians should note a
significant discrepancy here.) He was a member of a weekly four-person
Sherlockian club, where all attendees dressed and acted as major Canonical
characters.
The victim was “Holmes,” while his three friends
portrayed Watson, Moriarty, and Irene Adler. The crime scene was set up to
simulate an apparent suicide (although, quite cleverly, the method of the
supposed suicide became apparent only after an extensive investigation).
Unfortunately, only one of the show’s major characters (and one minor one)
seemed to have any knowledge at all of the Holmes stories—which was what
finally resulted in the perpetrator’s downfall. The other characters seemed
ignorant—even disdainful—of anyone being so enrapt with the Great Detective and
his stories, a sad situation indeed (and one that would have let the murderer
escape, if not for the more savvy investigators).
Spoiler Alert! (If you haven’t seen the show and want to
try to catch it on reruns, you may want to skip over this paragraph.) The
culprit, as it turned out, was “Irene Adler,” whom “Holmes” had upset by his
decision to end the club and auction off his entire Sherlockian collection.
She’d even planted evidence to make it appear that “Watson” had done the deed.
(“Moriarty” was briefly a suspect, as he’d coveted the victim’s original
edition of Hound of the Baskervilles but had been outbidded for it
online. His blood was even found on the pages of the book, although that was a,
ahem, red herring.) And as you may already have guessed, it was the
knowledgeable character’s realization that Holmes used a 7% solution of cocaine
and not morphine that was key in solving the case. (End of Spoiler Alert.)
The one truly disturbing thing, however, was how
followers of our hobby were portrayed in the episode—as obsessive-compulsives
who’d go to any length to emulate their idols, including actually use cocaine
and even kill to keep their fantasy world alive. Now, grant you, there may be some
Sherlockians who might at least consider murder to get hold of an original
edition of a Holmes story—and I sadly know from personal experience that our
hobby is not filled entirely with selfless saints—but even so, the picture that
the episode gave of Sherlockians was extremely distorted at best. But that’s
Hollywood for you. At least Holmes and his admirers were considered worthy enough
to focus on for the show’s main storyline.
***
Coming Meetings!
Following are the details of our
upcoming meeting, plus the dates and tentative information about our other
meetings in 2005. (Check our Web site or our Indianapolis Star Web page
for updates.) So do set these dates aside to join the Hated Rivals at the
following soirées:
A Bit O’ the Blarney? (No—it’s Baker Street’s Other Master Sleuth)
Sunday, March 13, 2005, 1-4
p.m.
Claddagh Irish Pub
3835 E. 96th
Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46240
Directions
and Details:
The program for the meeting consists of an afternoon meal; a paper on Baker
Street’s other Master Sleuth, Sexton Blake; Canonical toasts; a short business
meeting; and loads of great Sherlockian fellowship. To get to Claddagh, take
I-465 to the Keystone exit in North Indianapolis. Turn north (right if you’re
coming from the east; left if you’re coming from the west), and then
immediately turn right (east) onto 96th Street. (It’s the first
street north of the highway.) Claddagh is just a few blocks east of Keystone,
on the south side of the street, facing 96th—you can’t miss it! (If
you need additional directions, see the map on the pub’s Web site at
www.claddaghirishpub.com/locations.php, North Indianapolis link, or call the
pub at 569-3663.) Please e-mail or call us if you plan to attend so that we
reserve enough space.
And don’t forget to mark
your calendar for the rest of the coming year’s great meetings . . .
Sunday, May 1: Sherlock Holmes—No Strings
Attached!
(A Sherlockian puppet show,
a 19th-century magic-lantern presentation, and more!)
Sunday, July 10: Our Annual Barker Birthday
Bash!
(Featuring, of course, our
scion’s second-favorite Victorian Detective—Mr. Barker)
September [Date TBD]: Our Second Sherlockian
Cookout
(Program TBD—but lots of
food and great Sherlockian fellowship)
November [Date TBD]: Our Second Holmes/A.C.
Doyle Mini-Film Fest
(Featuring Professor George
Edward Challenger)
(Note: Dates and
programs are tentative and subject to change as circumstances
change—but we’ll try to stick to these as much as possible!)
***
For
more information, contact us at P.O. Box 26290, Indianapolis, IN 46226-0290; or
send us an e-mail at postmaster@surrey-shore.freeservers.com (And don’t forget to
venture online to check out our Hated Rivals Web site at
http://surrey-shore.freeservers.com, for recent updates, or drop on by our Indy
Star Web page at http://community.indystar.com/928/.) See you again in two
months, back on the ol’ Surrey Shore, where the game’s always afoot! (But you
already knew that—didn’t you?)