(l-r) Tom Cantone, VP of Sports and Entertainment, Mohegan Sun, Ringo Starr, former drummer for The Beatles, and Lynn Malerba, Tribal Chairwoman and forthcoming Chief of the Mohegan Tribe, unveil Ringo’s star on Mohegan Sun’s Walk of Fame.
story & photo
by Alexa Jaccarino
On June 27th, a typically bustling Sunday afternoon at Mohegan Sun, another star was unveiled on the Walk of Fame located outside the Mohegan Sun Arena. The star bore the name of Ringo Starr, former drummer of The Beatles and now frequent performer at Mohegan Sun with his All-Star Band.
The ceremony was brief, but momentous. Lynn Malerba, Tribal Chairwoman, and the forthcoming Chief of the Mohegan Tribe, spoke fondly of her personal memories of Ringo Starr and his rise to stardom with The Beatles. Lynn recalled how The Beatles, “Changed music in America once The Ed Sullivan Show came out,” and how she and all of Mohegan Sun were “thrilled to have with us a man who will forever be a permanent part of our history.”
With no further introduction needed for the musical legend, the doors were flung open and Ringo Starr sped his way to the podium, brandishing signature peace-signs in the air as fans from over four generations screamed after him. Flanked on either side by Lynn and Tom Cantone, VP of Sports and Entertainment, Mohegan Sun, Ringo stood over his still-covered star and asked the crowd to join him in a countdown.
On count one, Ringo whisked away the velvet covering and proudly posed with his star. In receiving his place as the 19th star on the Mohegan Sun Walk of Fame, Ringo joins the equally legendary likes of Bon Jovi, Rod Stewart and Journey.
In the short acceptance speech that followed, Ringo noted how he has a history with Mohegan Sun, first performing there in 1989 when he played in “the tent” (the arena wasn’t opened until 2001). He went on to say thank you for the “incredible honor,” and for being placed in such “good company,” amongst the other inductees.
After preaching “peace and love, peace and love!” and posing for a few more photos, Ringo was off to prepare for his and the All-Star Band’s 7:00pm concert in the Arena.
Posted on July 7th, 2010 | category: Featured Articles, Mohegan Sun
