Long before she ever heard of

Jimmy Buffett, Kay Moore always loved the beach, from the glistening ocean waves to the cool breeze at sunset. But after hearing some of Buffett&8217;s songs and reading some of his books about a decade ago, Moore became a full-fledged &8220;Parrot Head.&8221;

Although a Parrot Head is, at heart, a Buffett fan, it&8217;s also a lifestyle.

The purpose of the Magic City Parrot Heads Club &8220;is to bring together like-minded folks infused with the tropical spirit of Jimmy Buffett as well as his kick-back lifestyle, his music and his writings,&8221; Moore, an Alabaster resident, said on her website www.mcphc.com.

But Parrot Heads also like to &8220;party with a purpose&8221;.

&8220;We like to socialize with others but want to throw in some goodness along the way,&8221; Moore said. &8220;We like to have &8216;phun&8217; or party, and we like to give back to the community while having &8216;phun.&8217;&8221;

Annually, Moore and her fellow Parrot Heads participate in at least four community service projects benefiting local and national charities.

In the past three years, the local Parrot Heads have donated more than $13,000 to Alzheimer&8217;s of Central Alabama from the annual &8220;MargaritaHAM&8221; fundraiser. They expect to raise even more with this year&8217;s event on Aug. 11.

The group has also

donated pet food, toys, treats and blankets to the Shelby County Humane Society and thousands of dollars of toys to Toys for Tots.

Each August, the Parrot Head Club also prepares goodie boxes to send to troops in Iraq for their &8220;Buffettfest&8221; party.

Even though charity work is a big part of

being a Parrot Head, Moore says she would do it anyway.

&8220;You don&8217;t just take from the world; you must give back,&8221; said Moore, who takes a trip to Key West each fall for the Parrot Heads &8220;Meeting of the Minds.&8221;

When the 20-member-club gets together monthly at Margarita Grille in Pelham, there is a sea of tropical shirts, Buffett music, dancing, eating and, naturally, some drinking. Although some members don&8217;t drink, Moore doesn&8217;t believe they need it because they&8217;re all &8220;just naturally crazy,&8221; she said.

Moore said the best part of being involved is &8220;to make it better for others, and we get to party while we do it!&8221;

For information visit the website www.mcphc.com