Bryce Figdore takes Jimmy Buffet pretty seriously. So seriously that he spent his entire weekend on the road attending his concerts. So seriously he spent the start of Fall Semester officially uniting fellow Buffet fans here at Penn State.

Figdore (sophomore-engineering) is president and founder of the new Parrothead Club at Penn State, which has been designed to serve as a forum for discussion, appreciation and enjoyment of the music and philosophies of Jimmy Buffet. It is a club appropriately named for Buffet's avid fans.

"I urge anyone who's listened to Buffet to join," said Parrothead Club Vice President Robert Alfano (sophomore-international politics).

The club is modeled after the national organizations of Parrothead clubs, including clubs based out of nearby Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, where Alfano said the club is "really, really active."

The Penn State branch is not directly associated with the other nationally recognized ones, but it involves many of the same club goals and activities.

The idea to create a Parrothead Club at Penn State originated when Figdore initially visited the university. Upon realizing that such a club did not exist, he decided to form one on his own. He figured out of 40,000 students, there had to be a few Jimmy Buffet fans.

Figdore began his quest for a Parrothead Club by posting fliers about it around East Halls last Spring Semester. The positive student feedback he received was promising, 54 emails were sent to Figdore from interested students the first day alone.

He then worked with Erin Grenoble, staff assistant for student activities, who reviews the university's policies on enacting a new club. Starting a club is an involved process that usually lasts one to two weeks, Grenoble said. Certain specifications include a 12-member minimum for the club to remain active, she added.

The Parrothead Club currently consists of 23 students who are very serious about Buffet. There is a point system within the club where members receive credit for things such as attending functions, meetings and serving as officers. The group plans on attending numerous Jimmy Buffet concerts together and participating in charity events, as other Parrothead clubs do.

"This club is the the type of organization where you have a common bond with other parrotheads, Alfano said. He calls the Jimmy Buffet concert experience "amazing."

The club has also been designed to "help kids relax and to kick-back," said Alfano. He said the aura of Jimmy Buffet music is a "warm community, for people who love music, and love to enjoy life."

Since the official start of the club this fall, there has been a lot of positive encouragement from students.

"It's awesome to see how many people are interested," said Figdore. "I'm stoked to be a part of it."

The Parrothead Club will be at the Student Organization Involvement Fair today and tomorrow. There will be sign-ups and fliers for all interested students.