I’ve been receiving numerous questions about this past Sunday’s strip so here’s the back story on it. Sometime over the winter I heard the Rodney Crowell song ” ‘Til I Gain Control Again” and was knocked sideways by the beautiful lyrics. I often use song lyrics as a soundtrack for events in Funky and I thought that these would be perfect for an anniversary strip for Funky and Holly. As I began looking for a Sunday slot, I realized that my own 40th wedding anniversary fell on a Sunday this year. So I set about getting permission to secure the lyrics and chose Montoni’s as the obvious setting for the celebration in the strip.
Now Montoni’s, as I’ve explained before, is based on the real Luigi’s located in Akron, Ohio. I suddenly thought that holding a surprise party for my wife Cathy at the real Luigi’s on the same day the strip ran would be kind of cool. Luigi’s went out of their way to accommodate my plans even going so far as to putting a mix CD which included the Rodney Crowell song on their juke box. In short, somehow I was able to pull off the surprise, and it turned out to be one of those perfect days that life allows us once awhile. If you ever want to visit Montoni’s, all you have to do is drop by Luigi’s and you’re there. The place is magical, the people are wonderful, and it’s a party every day. A million thanks to Luigi’s owner Mickey Ciriello for not only making our anniversary so special, but also for allowing me to use Luigi’s as a stage on which my characters can perform.
And now you know the rest of the story.
