Editor’s note: The original article indicated that the event was taking place Oct. 28 but in fact Randy’s Cheeseburger Picnic is showing this weekend, Oct. 21 and is sold out.
By Stan Ashbee
Randy, from the Trailer Park Boys is bringing his Cheeseburger Picnic to Highway 97 Brewing this weekend on Saturday, Oct. 21.
But the popularity of the show had it sold out weeks ago, said organizers.
“Randy’s Cheeseburger Picnic” brings a little bit of happiness to whatever area Patrick Roach is lucky enough to visit. Roach plays the shirtless character, Randy Bo-Bandy, in the Canadian trainwreck of a mockumentary, “Trailer Park Boys.” The over-the-top, foul-mouthed, but monumental franchise is set on the East Coast of Canada and has been a TV series with numerous seasons on Showcase and Netflix also stars Mike Smith (Bubbles), John Paul Tremblay (Julian) and Robb Wells (Ricky).
Fans, Roach says, can expect Sunnyvale Trailer Park’s beloved Randy on stage in all his glory with no shirt. “And I sure hope there’s some cheeseburgers. There better be some cheeseburgers or I’ll be an upset guy.”
Randy tells a few jokes, sings a few songs and hosts Cheeseburger Picnic party games with fan interaction - which ends up being a good old time with the many “Trailer Park Boys” fans. “I consider myself very lucky.”
According to Roach, fans at the live appearances always seem to know various quotes from the show.
“Sometimes they will tell me to ‘frig off,’ which is one of the quotes.”
Unfortunately, Randy lost the best damn trailer park supervisor in the world, Mr. Lahey, a few years ago. Jim Lahey was played by John Dunsworth and toured with Roach across Canada and abroad.
“Sometimes, a little bit of authority is needed. But on this Cheeseburger Picnic, you can’t get too drunk. You’ve got to pace yourself. It’s just meant to be fun because you want your neighbour to have fun too,” Roach adds.
Randy has been all over the world, has done live shows and has spoken to many fans.
“I guess there’s people like us everywhere in the world. I feel bad for all the Rickys, that’s for sure. Ricky peed in my shoes once. You just can’t get that smell out. Even though sometimes everyone might have their differences and we live close together in our trailers, we try to live a good and happy life.”
It also takes a brave soul to venture out during a Canadian fall, winter and spring, especially when you don’t wear a shirt, like Randy.
“Mr. Lahey and I did a lot of touring together. Back when ‘Trailer Park Boys’ was on a network named Showcase. It aired mainly in Canada at that time and fans had VCRs. They would tape it on VCR tapes and share it with friends and it spread that way. Back in the day, Mr. Lahey and I went to so many college and university campuses and did shows and we had driven across the Prairies in the freezing cold. One show was shut down in Saskatchewan because there was so much snow,” Roach recollects.
There’s an official Bubbles movie in the works, according to Roach. “I was over in Europe with Bubbles. We were making a documentary about him starting his band. So there’s going to be a Bubbles movie. That was pretty exciting.”
“You just never know what’s going to happen with the ‘Trailer Park Boys,’” Roach adds.