(AVON-BY-THE-SEA, NJ) -- Thanksgiving is a wonderful November holiday, a time of gratitude and goodwill, but arriving this spring, Franksgiving will be celebrated!
Cool Sinatra-esque gifts will be given away, as a Franksgiving gesture, during the exciting seaside show, SPRING IS HERE: Celebrating the Music of Frank Sinatra, on Sunday, May 5, 2024, indoors at the Avon Municipal Marina Building, 2 Main Street, Avon-By-The-Sea, NJ, to begin promptly at Noon.
Lucky attendees will experience Franksgiving while an assortment of Sinatra-related prizes are awarded, all offered as a genuine thank you from the producer of the event, Karen Morris.
Any item donated, by the event guest speakers and other notable Sinatraphiles, will be raffled off.
Charles L. “Chuck" Granata, a leading authority on the music of Frank Sinatra, is graciously contributing a 3-CD Capitol set which includes Screen Sinatra, Sinatra Classic Tracks and Swing Easy; plus a 4-CD Frank Sinatra Big Band set with Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Harry James and Benny Goodman. Mr. Granata will personally present these superb CD sets at the event.
Another splendid prize, donated by Host/Producer Mark Sudock of THE SINATRA SONGBOOK, Metromedia Radio, is a limited edition CD sampler issued by the Sinatra Estate, containing 10 highlighted tracks from the Sinatra London boxed set. Mark is an Advisory Board Member of The Rat Pack Music Alliance. Many thanks to Mr. Sudock for his generosity.
For book lovers, a terrific gift, courtesy of author Darren Grubb, who co-penned the highly entertaining celebrity memoir of Tom Dreesen, Still Standing: My Journey from Streets and Saloons to the Stage, and Sinatra. Thank you to Darren and Tom for their kind donation of this captivating read. Darren is an Advisory Board Member of The Rat Pack Music Alliance.
Event Producer Karen Morris is gifting a reissue copy of a Life Magazine Special Edition - The Rat Pack, The Original Bad Boys, by James Kaplan. Additional prizes are being gathered and considered.
Distinguished Sinatra Scholars Charles L. “Chuck” Granata and Dana Polan, will begin the Franksgiving festivities with a fascinating talk about Mr. Sinatra, his music and career. Special guest speaker Brian Mark will follow, extending the illuminating discussion and segue to the prize giveaways. A delightful musical interlude by vocalist Zack Alexander will close the show.
Guest Speaker Chuck Granata is a writer, record and radio producer, music historian, and archivist. He is the author of 4 books, including the award-winning book Sessions with Sinatra: Frank Sinatra and the Art of Recording, which has been identified as one of the most important studies of Sinatra the recording artist. He is also the producer of Nancy Sinatra’s weekly radio program “Nancy for Frank” on Sirius-XM radio.
Guest Speaker Dana Polan, a Martin Scorsese Professor of Cinema Studies, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, has taught about Frank Sinatra at NYU and lectured about him at Ohio State University and Notre Dame. He is the author of 10 books in film and media, including, among others, Dreams of Flight, The Great Escape in American Film and Culture, and The Lego Movie. He is the former President of the Society for Cinema Studies.
Guest Speaker Brian Mark, Executive Producer of The Sounds of Sinatra, has spent the last 30 years producing alongside his father, the legendary broadcaster, Sid Mark. Sadly Sid passed away, but both have shared an extraordinary number of experiences with radio personalities and entertainment luminaries such as Frank Sinatra Jr., Nancy Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Vic Damone, and more. "Working with my father has been the best years of my life and I look forward to continuing the tradition of Sid Mark & Frank Sinatra.”, says Mr. Mark.
Jazz Vocalist Zack Alexander, a sensational crooner, will add his marvelous talent, performing a medley of spring tunes and favorite melodies from his vast Sinatra songbook.
Event Presenter Karen Morris is an independent producer and founder of Sand Castle Communications LLC and The Rat Pack Music Alliance. Since 2018 she has been producing a variety of inspiring events to honor the memory and music of Frank Sinatra.
Tickets are on sale now. A code number is needed to enter the ticket site. For reservations and the ticket code, contact Karen Morris at [email protected]
