David Miller is not a Dead Head. Although you’d be hard pressed to not think this given the flavor and tenor of his March of the Dead event, slated to be held at Port Washington’s H On the Harbor on March 1. An event planner, marketing consultant and promoter, Miller is an ebullient character with a handlebar mustache who has garnered a reputation as an over-the-top ringmaster who plans high-end and elaborate installation-type soirées.
In the past, his wildly creative mind came up with a collaboration with Glen Cove’s First City Project on an art fundraiser for Sunrise Day Camp held at Glen Cove’s JH Coles Homestead that found artists wrapping the entire house and a Lamborghini in graphics. Another coup was a “White, Red & Dead” sit-down dinner that saw tastings of Jerry Garcia wines paired with food and Grateful Dead songs picked by the band that most reflected the vintage’s description played by Port Washington jam-band Tiberius. Having pulled off the latter as a means of attracting a younger clientele to Roslyn Heights’ Table 9 about a decade ago, Miller was raring to go for this upcoming culinary cabaret experience.
“At this event in particular, we’re going to have an art show. There’s going to be an art installation, like a parking lot scene. Tiberius is going to play and then the food itself will all be inspired by parking lot fare, but with a gourmet twist. We’re also going to have a CBD (Cannabidiol) pop-up there with infused cocktails,” he said. “This is more of a concert experience. So we’re going to have an upscale parking lot [vibe] featuring everything from street tacos and jambalaya to grilled cheese, but it’s not going to be parking lot grilled cheese—it’s going to be a fancy version. There’s definitely a buzz around the event; it’s experiential and that’s kind of what the scene is going to be like there with like-minded people.”
Among the artists who’ll have their work featured and offered for sale are Hulbert Waldroup, Gary Kroman, Chriss Riggs, Heidi Stephens and limited edition Garcia prints provided by StraxArt. The Modern Improvement Club will be enhancing the experience with a “CBD Cart” featuring a variety of all-natural oils, edibles, creams and vapes. For the New Jersey native, this represents the harbinger of future events that also fuse music, art and cuisine around potential themes like “Stop Making Sushi” and “Beggar’s Banquet.”
“My idea of all this is that any of the local restaurants around here are mobbed on a Friday night, but people are just going out, sitting and having dinner. There’s nothing to it and there’s no entertainment value,” he said. “[My events are] a real convergence of art, music and food. They all go together.”
March of the Dead takes place on March 1 at H On the Harbor, 410 Main St., Port Washington. For more information, call 516-570-0470.
