King of Malibu and the Snack Shack

John Sibert may be the mayor of Malibu, but if you walked around town and took a poll about who should be king of the city, the name mentioned most often would probably be John Paola.

John holds court at his modest castle—the Snack Shack in the town center, aka  Bluffs Park . Day after day, he shows up to man the counter and wield his spatula at the outside grill, flipping burgers, turning hot dogs (all beef or impossibly long Dodger Dogs), or for the granola crowd, veggie burgers.

Kids queue up to the counter, finger their coins and eye the Slurpees, the Starburst candies, the salted sunflower seeds and the Corn Nuts. They ponder whether Gatorade is better than Sprite and agonize over the choice of a doughnut or a corn dog. After all, that fist full of money will go only so far, and these are important decisions!

It’s all the same to John. Kids like fast food and candy, and who better than he to understand and accept that. He has been catering to their whims for the better part of two decades.

He has run the Snack Shack for 18 years, through AYSO soccer seasons and Malibu Little League baseball seasons, and God willing, he may be there for another 18 years. He gets the season schedules from each league and drives down from his Simi Valley home to open and work the Shack on game days, like clockwork. 

The proceeds from each sport go to that organization, he says, thus making it the ultimate exercise in fairness. So the families who purchase from him during baseball season benefit Malibu Little League; the customers who buy during soccer season fund AYSO. And so it goes.

It's his turf, and you’re welcome on it if only you observe his rules.

Wisecracking is not just a nicety, it is a necessity. The bigger the groaner, the better. A belly laugh is his calling card. A hearty appetite is a good thing, especially in a kid. Speaking of that, it’s all about the kids.

Kids (and parents) know him by name. He knows many of their orders before they even call them out. He seems to revel in the activity at the ballpark, keeping a mental note of who is winning, which team has had better days, which coach needs a little goose, which talented batter has hit one over the fence, and, of course, who needs a perfectly grilled burger to wipe that loss out of their mind. 

"How ya been? I haven’t seen you for a while … you get married or something?" he asked a young customer the other day.

Techniques in Using Goose Calls | cc-india.org

More than knowing that goose calls are vital in goose hunting, one must also know what to do to come up with correct and effective call. By so doing, the tool will serve its purpose best and you will be able to bring home a good yield.

Hence, it pays to know certain techniques in using goose calls to perform your hunting task better. Below are some lists of ways how you can use your calls at a greater advantage.

If you are still starting to learn how to use short reed goose calls, remember to master its fundamentals first before proceeding to the advanced styles. If you will finally master the basics, it will be a lot easier on your part to do the more difficult routines. Learn to know its technicalities as well like proper hand position and air control. With ease in handling the tool, you will be better prepared to do advanced styles of goose calling. Geese have different taste in creating sounds. What seems to be pleasant to the human ear is considered foreign for the geese and will just scare them away. If you would observe how the flocks make its sound, it would appear higher in pitch than those that we normally hear on stage. The secret of using goose calls effectively is by following the examples of the geese themselves. Talk and act like them and you will in no time notice these birds coming over you. Or better yet, spend some time observing these fowls on how they communicate and act accordingly. By so doing, you would know when to execute the calls that you have learned. When calling for Canadian geese, it is better to go in groups. This way, you can mimic the loudness of a Canadian goose’ sound. Experts in goose calls may blow off “feeding chuckles” to get the attention of nearby flocks. The basic sounds to be learned in Canadian geese are the “cluck” and “honk”.

Goose calls maybe effective according to the one who used it. That’s why it is better to employ goose calling techniques to find success in luring these birds.

150 Waterfowling Tips, Tactics & Tales

The first is the greeting or hail call, and it is to goose calling what the highball is ... World goose calling champion and noted southem Illinois guide, ...

The Ultimate Guide to Calling and Decoying Waterfowl, Tips and Tactics for Hunting Ducks and Geese

The next type is the tube goose call, originated by Harold Knight, the winner of ... The third type is the flute goose call. The flute call is a great call, ...

Field & Stream

But every year since then, there has been a World's Championship Contest, where those who have mastered the art of goose calling can compete for fame, ...

Field & Stream

The Call Doctors HOW A PAIR OF PROS KEEP THEIR DUCK AND GOOSE CALLS ... Or you can check out the tips below, and learn how two of the country's best callers ...

The North American waterfowler

Chapter 9 GOOSE CALLING AND CALLS Goose calling requires the ultimate in perfection. In duck calling you can make the occasional faux pas and get away with ...