HR 9105

1	House Resolution
2	A resolution congratulating the Silver Slipper as it
3	celebrates its 70th Anniversary in 2008 and recognizing
4	April 1, 2008, as "Silver Slipper Day" at the Capitol.
5
6	WHEREAS, in 1920, Jimmy "Papa" Kalfas, a penniless teenager
7	who could only speak a few words of English, arrived in
8	Tallahassee from Greece to seek his fortune, became manager of
9	the Silver Slipper in 1942, was a partner in the establishment
10	by 1944, and became the sole owner in 1947, and
11	WHEREAS, during World War II, hundreds of soldiers and
12	airmen would wait in the parking lot for hours for a real
13	charcoal-broiled steak and an evening of dancing at the Silver
14	Slipper, and
15	WHEREAS, the original Silver Slipper was built in 1938 as a
16	"dine and dance club," and evolved into the place to eat and be
17	merry while discussing the issues facing Florida, and
18	WHEREAS, for 70 years the Silver Slipper has been tied
19	closely to Florida politics and has been a favorite meeting
20	place of Governors, legislators, lobbyists, and VIPs from around
21	the state, and
22	WHEREAS, in the first 25 years of the Silver Slipper's
23	operation, Leon County was "dry" or "semi-dry," which meant no
24	hard liquor could be sold, and the Silver Slipper was licensed
25	to sell only beer and wine, and
26	WHEREAS, to circumvent the law, the custom developed at the
27	Silver Slipper and several other Tallahassee eating
28	establishments for patrons to bring their own bottles in a brown
29	paper bag, which worked well for many years until one day in May
30	1955 when law enforcement officers swept through the Silver
31	Slipper and confiscated all hard liquor brought in by
32	legislators, lobbyists, and other patrons, and
33	WHEREAS, although no arrests were made, legislators were
34	indignant and the first order of business in the Senate that
35	week was to pass a bill, read three times in one day, to permit
36	"brown bagging" of liquor, and
37	WHEREAS, between 1938 and 1974, there were seven additions
38	made to the old Silver Slipper building, but despite the debris
39	and dislocation of construction, the Silver Slipper was never
40	closed for a single day of regular operation, and
41	WHEREAS, during his 27 years as the Silver Slipper's owner,
42	Papa Kalfas devoted his life to the Silver Slipper until the
43	"Era of Papa" ended early on the morning of Sunday, February 17,
44	1974, when the Silver Slipper burned to the ground, and
45	WHEREAS, Papa died shortly after the 1974 fire, but not
46	before he moved the Silver Slipper to temporary quarters in the
47	lower level of the Northwood Mall, and
48	WHEREAS, at the time of his death, Papa was working on
49	plans to build a magnificent new Silver Slipper, but, as it
50	turned out, the Slipper remained at its "temporary" site for
51	another 10 years before the new home of the Silver Slipper was
52	finally built in 1984, and
53	WHEREAS, although the building is new, the Kalfas tradition
54	lives on with Chris Kalfas, the eldest of Papa's six children,
55	serving as the controlling partner and general manager and two
56	of Papa's grandchildren, Bill and Jimmy, having key roles in
57	running the Silver Slipper, and
58	WHEREAS, a great many people have dined at the Silver
59	Slipper over the years, including many distinguished guests and
60	at least four United States Presidents, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon
61	B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan, and
62	WHEREAS, the Silver Slipper is a place at which Governor's
63	races have been planned, election victories celebrated, key
64	state appointees decided, political alliances formed, moonshine
65	bagged, legislation initiated, and important compromises made,
66	NOW, THEREFORE,
67
68	Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
69	Florida:
70
71	That the House of Representatives congratulates the Silver
72	Slipper as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary in 2008 and
73	recognizes April 1, 2008, as "Silver Slipper Day" at the
74	Capitol.
75	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be
76	presented to the Kalfas Family, owners of the Silver Slipper, as
77	a tangible token of the sentiments expressed herein.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.