2010CletusReports

A month has passed since I attended my very first Dark Shadows Fan fest, but the images of this adventure are forever etched in my memory. At times I relax in a cozy chair and re live many of the memorable moments in my mind. Its still hard for me to believe that I was a bit nervous and filled with trepidation on the flight to Burbank CA. Perhaps because I was taking this trip alone, however soon found out that I was not alone in spirit. This festival blog is meant as a general article for all, but I am especially trying to tailor it for those fans out there who greatly wish to attend a festival but are held back from taking that step for various reasons. All I have to say is…Just do it! And after you read about my experiences, you will echo those sentiments. Before I give my details and impressions of the festival, I would like to deviate a bit and briefly (I hope briefly, cant stop me now) describe my Dark shadows past. The events that molded me into a diehard fan did not happen during one specific period of time. I have to admit I always enjoyed watching Dark Shadows but never had a desire to become one of those blood suckers. I like my steak medium rare, not wooden. As an adult watching it, I learned quite a bit about what made the show successful. DS, at least where I grew up, came on at 3:30 pm after General Hospital. It had plot lines that were never seen before, or after, on a day time soap opera. The supernatural element of the show did not come into play until later, maybe 6 months after it began airing on TV. The first episodes mostly focused on one man’s revenge against a family (The Collins) who betrayed him, and a newly transplanted young woman who accepted a job as the family nanny in hopes of finding out why she grew up as an orphan. The only portent of things to come was the occasional mention of ghosts by the strange little boy. However, once they dipped into the supernatural pool full time, the show never had a normal moment. The writers intricately wove story lines from classic horror genre literature into the most unique and compelling television viewing. Some of the greatest horror novels were represented on DS, including Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Robert L. Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and whoever wrote The Turn Of The Screw. (Too lazy to google it now.) It can be said that the mind control element of the The Leviathan story line was loosely based on the wonderful movie The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. And the actors, despite working with limited resources and having to perform live without much rehearsal, gave such powerful performances and conviction to their characters that rendered them believable. I gleaned all of this by watching the show during its full series airings on the Sci Fi channel. As a child, I was mesmerized by the show simply because…It was too cool. Witches and werewolves and ghosts, oh my. And of course, the main ingredient in the stories, the vampires. They were led by the suave, yet perpetually troubled Barnabas Collins. My experiences while growing up probably are typical of most DS fans. Running home from school to not miss an episode, naming my cat Barnabas among some of them. All of us remember doing things like purchasing a cheap set of fangs, placing them in our mouths to sneak up on a brother. Slowly coming from behind, settling in to give him a bite on the neck only to be startled into reality by him jumping up and yelling, “Mom, he is doing it again.” Or baring the incisors of the above mentioned cat to a little sister and telling her that Barnabas was a vampire cat. One of our dark family mysteries revolved around why Amy ran down the hallway screaming whenever the cat entered the house. The most important thing that I recall is I was completely and utterly alone in my devotion. I dont remember ever having a deep conversation about Dark Shadows with another human being, in my childhood or adult life. All that changed the moment I stepped into those convention doors. And on that note, so ends my deviation and on to as vivid a recollection of the festival events as I can muster.

Day 1: Curiosity and Enlightment

Burbank, California…I knew only two things about this city. One, that it was very close to Los Angeles and, secondly, it had some connection to Bob Hope. I learned that by seeing the big sign upon arriving, Bob Hope Airport. Now it will be forever in my heart, the city, for hosting my first Dark Shadows Festival experience. I wish I could add other unique features of this place to this report but, nope, nothing comes to mind. I arrived at airport at 1 pm, grabbed a taxi to the hotel I booked, checked in, scouted area, took a nap…yada yada yada yada… and was standing in front of Marriots hotel by 5:45 pm. Signs pointed me in the direction of the convention hall, or maybe I asked a Marriotts employee. Don’t quite remember and only important thing is I entered the doors and my life hasn’t been the same since.
The convention hall was already filled with people and many activities were transpiring within. Tables were set up with Dark shadows stars sitting behind them. They were in the act of taking pictures with fans, giving out autographs and selling books and memorabilia. Tears welled up in my eyes as I gazed around. I finally made it here! There was Kathryn Leigh Scott sitting on my left, a sea of people buzzing around her. Lara Parker sat at a table ahead of me, people spellbound by her elegance and grace. (That’s an Angelique reference in case someone didn’t catch it.) David Selby, my favorite ghost, looking very lively, smiling and signing away to a long line of admirers. I made up my mind that he was the first star I was going to approach, but that came later.
I took a deep breath and steadied myself for my first interaction with someone at the Festival. It was a necessity, for I had not purchased the 3 day pass yet so had to finally talk with someone. I approached the table that sold the tickets, smiled at the volunteer, only to be rebuked for getting in the wrong line. He may have been the only person close to being rude that I encountered. I quickly took 3 steps sideways and gave my money to a very friendly elderly lady. She handed me the Festival program and warmly welcomed me to the Festival. My heart was beating rapidly, as I headed toward the room that sported a sign that read Main Room, or something similar to that. Finding a seat near the back of the half full convention room (the chairs were of the comfortable fold up variety), I settled in a few minutes before 6 pm.
A gentleman approached the podium, one of the emcees, welcomed us all and announced that the Festival was about to begin. I was delighted to see that the hosts, Jeff Thompson and Richard Halpern, were informal and light hearted. This went a long way to helping me feel at home. It was obvious that they were old pros at this and recognized the need to amp up the comfort level of the fans. After a brief welcome and program itinerary run down, they opened up by showing an old DS episode. (OK they are all old, and this one came from the later period of the show so could be called a newer old ep.). It was a landmark type of episode, the one that Julia and Barnabas were whisked away from the present day parallel time room into the future. This was the beginning of a new and exciting story line. It had the typical ambiguous cliff hanging ending that forced u to wait until the next episode to find out what happened. (I gleefully realized I knew how the next one was going to begin). Next came a skit by a DS fan based group called The Collinsport Players. They performed an original play that combined DS with a classic Twilight Zone episode, It’s A Good Life. It was humorous and well done. We were allowed a few minutes of down time between presentations at this point, so they could allow the stars time to make their way to the stage. I took advantage of this by checking out the Dealer Room next door. The whole room was lined with tables of memorabilia and DS items for sale. I perused each, stopping to talk, albeit nervously, with many of the proprietors. At the table of the author of Grayson Hall’s biography I tried to show off my knowledge of Ms. Hall’s characters, but the name of her gypsy role embarrassingly escaped me. I only viewed that story line a few months ago. Obviously I wasn’t completely comfortable yet. That became even more apparent when I rambled on shamefully with Frank Borzellieri about my distaste for the Terminator “who was John Connor’s father the first time” story line. Poor guy, but at least I bought his The Physics of Dark Shadows book. After purchasing a Barnabas key chain and a Quentin Collins photo in the room, I returned to my seat in the main room.
For the next 2 to 3 hours, we were richly treated to stories, backgrounds and sentiments from a group of the DS stars. They entertained us in pairs, first Marie Wallace (Eve, Jenny Collins, Megan Todd) and Kathryn Leigh Scott (no need to name her characters) Marie Wallace described each of her characters to us. She admitted her favorite character she portrayed was crazy Jennie. Kathryn Leigh Scott has been part of the festival activities from the very beginning. Ms. Scott told us about what is going on with her present life and gave a little bit of her background for first time attendees (who is pointing that finger at me?) and fans who may have alzheimers (cant point that finger at me, yet). I was acquainted with her history from reading her 35th anniversary DS book. Still was intriguing to hear her stories in person. And time has been so kind to her, she is still a very vivacious, beautiful woman. During their presentation, clips from DS that featured each of them were shown every few minutes. Memories restored to all of us involved, very nice. Fans had the chance to ask questions also.
Next came Kathleen Cody (Hallie Stokes, Carrie Stokes in 1841) and Jerry Lacy (Reverand Trask, other incarnations of Trask, Tony Peterson). This was Ms. Cody’s maiden voyage into the DS festival world. She addressed the crowd a bit nervously at first, but was given such a warm reception by us all that her timidness quickly disappeared. She gave us her history, growing up as a child actor but changing gears when she became a single mother. She is now a very successful businesswoman, but let us know that she started from the bottom and worked her way up. Kudos to you Ms. Cody, what an inspiration you are to your fans. I was relieved to see that Mr. Lacy was nothing like his conniving, self righteous Reverand Trask personas. He appeared to be a soft spoken, friendly man. His Tony Peterson portrayal was more of an innocent character. Tony was a well meaning lawyer (yes, I know well meaning lawyer doesn’t make sense, but remember this was Dark Shadows) who always happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. More DS clips were shown and questions answered by the two.
If I remember correctly, this was when we were given another little break between presentations. I stepped into the hallway and noticed that David Selby was still at his table with only a couple of autograph seekers waiting to meet him. This was my chance and I ran with it. OK, I stumbled with it. I tentatively approached him and, with a trembling hand, handed over the photo from the dealer room for him to sign. He gave me a welcoming smile and it eased my nerves. A tinge of guilt hit me when I saw piles of his photos for sale on table in front of him. Next year I will buy one of his for an autograph. I said, “Such a pleasure, Mr. Selby. You realize u gave a lot of 9 year olds sleepless nights back in the day.” Referring of course to his portrayal of the ghost Quentin. He grinned at this, looked at the photo and remarked to the person sitting next to him about how he had seen that pic before. After signing, he shook my hand. What a thrill, shaking the hand of the person who, when I was a child, not only paralyzed me with fear as a haunting spectre, but also gave me nightmares of waking up to a zombie Quentin sitting in a chair next to my bed. I snuck away, spying the growing line forming behind me.
I believe the next cataclysmic event for me occurred within minutes of the autograph signing. I wandered outside to the smoking section and saw I was not alone. A lovely lady, who introduced herself as Diane had come outside to get some fresh air. After starting up a conversation, I admitted to her I was a first time attendee. She confessed that she has been here quite a few times, and was also involved in some of the festivities, first hand. She was sympathetic to my cause and, through her, I was ensured I didn’t feel alone again. My next visit outside, after presentations were over, was another encounter with her and many of her friends. Introductions were made and I, without knowing it, became part of their group. I am getting ahead of myself though. There was another DS star pairing ready to entertain us coming up after my first meeting with my new friend.
I rushed back to my seat just in time for the next and last presentation.
Lara Parker (Angelique, Catherine Hammond. I mean Harridge but does anyone care? She was boring, the exact opposite of Angelique) and John Karlen (Willie Loomis, Carl Collins, Desmond Collins, Kendrick Young) were each veterans of the DS Festival circuit and it showed. They were both charismatic, affable and very comfortable with one another. (Maybe too comfortable, what was up with the tickling and fondling). John Karlen has a unique sense of humor and he brandished it with every retort he made, quite entertaining. He didn’t talk too much of his acting career or what he was doing at this time. And like Ms. Scott, Lara Parker’s beauty has transcended time and years. Those large blue eyes and sly smile still captivate one and all. And, oh my, when a fan talked her into displaying her evil “Angelique” laugh, shivers ran down my spine. She answered questions about her other acting roles. As an example, talked about her feelings on starring with Darrin McGavin in her guest role on Kolchak the Night Stalker. She also gave us a bit of an inside look at her role in the movie Race with the Devil, where she had the pleasure of starring as the wife of Peter Fonda. And laughed about Loretta Swit’s fear of snakes. (Oh by the way Ms. Parker, it was Warren Oates that played the other male lead, not…whoever u mentioned, forgot who u said it was…maybe Darren McGavin). The bottom line is they capped off a very scintillating first day of the Fest. It was a sign of things to come, how entertaining and educating these 3 days were going to be. An autograph session and further chance to meet the stars followed. Two movies starring DS actors came after that. The first one was introduced as the above mentioned Race with the Devil. The second was an obscure film starring Jonathan Frid.
I had every intention of staying for the first movie since it took me back down memory lane. However, as in all aspects of life, things change.
It was during the final autograph session that I participated in the introductions outside to Diane’s friends. Mary, Judy, Jack, Di and of course Sunny were, one by one, given the impossible task of having to remember the name “Cletus”. But they all handled it with aplomb, dignity and determination and, to this day, I can call them all friends. As I will chroniclize in the last two parts of this blog, many more friends and acquaintances were made over the the next couple of days.
I was invited at the time of the introductions to partake in after Fest, festivities, I guess you can call it. All the people I met were staying at the Marriotts hotel, along with many other Fest goers. After each day’s events, many of the regular attendees got together to catch up on each other’s lives and to reminisce over the day’s activities. I initially rejected the invite, since I thought I had my itinerary all planned. I was going back to my hotel, a mile away, after the movie. However, while in the convention room during the movie, I had a change of heart. It hit me that this was a golden opportunity to become involved in the whole experience of being here. Halfway through the viewing, I decided to seek out those that I had met only an hour earlier.
I didn’t have to go far, a small congregation of fans were milling around the lobby of the Marriotts. I recognized Diane and she beckoned me over to the group. More introductions and many smiles later and, well, just go to the DS 2010 Festival photos and you can see me already in group pics taken that very night. I am easy to pick out, the unsmiling, unsure of himself guy in the middle of all the grinning, happy go lucky people. That night though, spent more time with my new friends, got to know them and vice verse and a pattern was forged for the rest of the festival. I knew for sure that I was where I was meant to be. It was the best feeling in the world to be able to walk up to anyone within those convention walls and talk unabashedly about Dark Shadows. I barely slept that night, afraid of oversleeping and missing the next day’s programs. According to the schedule, it was going to be a very full day and I wanted to be part of it.

Day 2: Fun and Salutations

Now that I knew what to expect from the festival, I was up bright and early and ready to get my groove on. After tossing and turning for a few hours, I eagerly showered and set out on foot for the Marriot an hour before the 11 am beginning time. A long day was scheduled with very little breaks in between. On the way there, I happened upon Kevin and Dale, both had wives attending the festival. We reenacted the march of the penguins, talking and floundering around until we found the convention center. Throughout the next 2 days, the three of us bemused about that walk. We each had different versions, depending on the narrator and the audience.
I stood in front of the convention center that morning, and one thought hit me like a lightning bolt, I had not eaten since the afternoon before. A trip to Dennys, located across the street, was in order. I filled myself with protein, and good thing for that. I forgot to nourish myself again the rest of the day. One word of advice to festival newbies…bring snacks. Live and learn I guess.
Enough of my meandering, on with the day’s Festival events. I made myself comfortable in a seat near the rear of the room again and opened my eyes and ears to what was coming up. After another warm salutation from the emcees, they began the day with an episode of a generic 60s cop show (I cant recall the name of it). It featured a guest appearance by our own John Karlen. Not much more to say about it.
Oh wait, I believe they introduced some DS fan videos before the episode. I didn’t pay too much attention to those. (I hope none of the people making those videos read that, and if you did, dont take it personal.)
Rebecca Jamison, the author of the Grayson Hall book, did a presentation. A nice video montage of the career of the DS actress was shown. When it finished, Kathryn Leigh Scott joined Ms. Jamison on stage. Ms. Scott acknowledged the fans and made a surprising speech. She said (I am paraphrasing but still this is very close to what she said), “ I first would like to ask, is Gary from Baltimore, MD here? I want to tell you, I didn’t appreciate you waking me up at 3 am this morning with those unkind words.” (Shame on you Gary, may the wrath of the ravens devour you. Or worse, may the fiercest of the Ravens, Ray Lewis blindside tackle you.) Without skipping a beat, Ms. Scott confided about her experiences and interactions with Ms. Hall. She related some special moments she had with the quirky actress. John karlen came up a few minutes later. After mumbling a few incoherent sentences about Mussolini and some other off the wall topics, (what the heck, right?) he shared his thoughts of his time with Ms. Hall. Toward the end, Mr. Karlen had a sincere heartfelt message for us DS fans. He admonished that there was a special place in heaven for all of us involved with Dark Shadows. And of course he concluded with his brand of humor, “ And Johnny Depp will be in the audience.” It was one of most hilarious lines uttered that day. (I know, you had to be there, and I was!) The stage cleared and a few minutes later, on came a fellow named Sy Tomashoff. He was one of those behind the scene guys, the head of the set designs. He created some of the most recognizable daytime TV sets for DS. Mr. Tomashoff talked about many of the ideas he had for the show. He burst a few of our bubbles by telling us where the door on the upper hallway of the foyer lead to. Still hard for me to believe that the actors entered that door and stepped into a void, nothing on the other side but a narrow ladder to exit down. His beautiful designs and craftwork enabled DS to have a very unique look, and I was enlightened by his presentation. I fought the urge to ask about the terrible special effects. Dark shadows and groundbreaking effects have never been uttered together under the same breath. For us fans though, the rubber bat just symbolizes…well nothing, but we accept that Barnabas was actually bitten.
The DS charity auction followed, and I took this opportunity to take an extended break. I witnessed bits and pieces of this event. Their items ranged from the sublime (rare original scripts signed by Jonathan Frid) to the mundane. (Who was that who paid 40 dollars for a pair of Mr. Frid’s worn tennis shoes?) The bottom line is that all proceeds went to worthwhile charities. Another part of DS festival that endeared me.
Saturday was a very long day at the fest. It went fairly quickly because I didn't have a boring moment. Everything had its place and I soaked it all in. With that being said, I confess I took frequent breaks for one reason or another. During these times, I had the pleasure of meeting many other DS fans. My relationship with the group I hung out with was evolving naturally, but also made more acquaintances. Toni, Rick, Will, Brian and Robert, Fawn, Carol, Michael, Sam, to mention a few. Hello to you if happen to be reading this, and see you next year.
During one of these timeouts, I had an unforgettable experience with John Karlen. (after reading this, you will think the word unforgettable might be subjective.) On one of my trips to the Gentlemen’s powder room, it was pointed out to me by someone (wont mention any names, OK, Sunny) the person entering ahead of me was John Karlen. He ducked into one of the stalls, and never came out until after I left. I guess I gave him the willies. (it was all right Mr. Karlen, I understand the unwritten rule of not bothering celebrities while they are at their most vulnerable.) This is the closest I came to rubbing elbows with the stars.
The festivities resumed after the auction, although they were already falling a bit behind time. DS Reborn stars took the stage. A group of people who called themselves Big Finish Productions detailed what they do, something about making audio tapes of new Dark Shadows episodes and using original DS cast members. I sheepishly admit that I didn’t pay much attention to them, to busy going in and out, hobknobbing, making new friends and bonding with ones I knew. Next year, I promise I'll write another blog and make a special attempt to learn more about the Big Finish Productions.
At this point, the action was turned up a notch. Bob Cobert pranced his way onto the stage, waving his arms and gyrating his hips to the DS theme. One of the most overlooked aspects of Dark Shadows is the music, but us fans appreciate it as much as any other part of the show. This was proven by one of the rare standing ovations given to a presenter. Mr. Cobert was a very flamboyant speaker, detailing in vivid fashion his first encounters and hiring with Dan Curtis. I clung to every word. He told us that it took him a couple of days to think up the original DS theme, despite being rushed by an impatient Mr. Curtis. The talented composer, within 30 seconds, came up with the haunting, delicious theme exclusive to Quentin Collins, my favorite of all the DS scores. He made a very good living making music for other shows and movies.
Saturdays, I was told, draw the biggest crowd for the Fest. The ballroom seemed to expand each hour until no seats were left and the walls were decorated with people. Many walked the aisles looking for seats, only to let out exasperated breaths and head for a spot on a wall. I kept my seat well protected, leaving everything but a WET PAINT sign on the chair before wandering out for a few moments.

Now came the moment many people attended the festival for…the appearance of the incomparable, the one and only Barnabas Collins, aka Jonathan Frid. As the audience roared their approval, Mr. Frid slowly ascended the stage, with assistance from an aide, or family member. He looked every bit the 85 year old man that he is. Quite frankly and in all honesty, when I realized he was still alive, the possibility that he was an actual vampire crossed my mind. (How cool would that be?) But no, an elderly man with all the complications inherited by aging stood in front of us. His mind was still sharp, and he commented, albeit slowly, on all the clips that he showcased. This phase of the program was called The Game, and 10 clips voted on by fans were presented. Mr. Frid introduced each one. He also appeared in all. My favorite of the scenes was the revealing of Angelique as the witch to Barnabas, by Ben Stokes. “V for Victoria Winters? A, for Angelique,” the B man exclaimed. I cherished his presentation and mightily appreciated his taking the time to entertain. Nobody knows how long he will be with us, or how often his health will allow him to attend future festivals. It wouldn’t be wrong to treat each of his festival visits as a possible last time.

People barely had time to get over the thrill of the Barnabas moments, on next came the #2 man of the series, David Selby. (Does anyone not know who he played?) Quentin the ghost, Quentin the irresponsible playboy, Quentin the wanna be warlock, Quentin the zombie, Quentin the werewolf, Quentin the immortal, Quentin the beguiled…My goodness, Quentin Collins was quite a busy character. In my opinion, David Selby was among the strongest, most talented actors on the show. His mistakes were minimal and he knew how to quickly rectify them. I especially enjoyed his scenes with Humberto Allen Astredo. (Evan Handley). With that in mind, Mr. Selby introduced his new book, about life during the 60s. He stuttered and stammered a little while speaking, and his mind sometimes appeared to be elsewhere. However, still quite entertaining and after all, he is Quentin Collins. (another reminder in case you didn’t get the point earlier in the paragraph.)

He stayed on stage and all the other stars, the actors, joined him. It was cast reunion time. Along with the ones who made earlier presentations during the last couple of days, Christopher Pennock (Jeb Hawkes, Cyrus Longworth, John Yaeger, Sebastian Shaw, Gabriel Collins) and James Storm (Gerard Stiles) joined also. They both had time in the spotlight scheduled for the next day. Roger Davis (Peter Bradford, Jeff Clark, Ned Stuart, Dirk Whats his name, Charles Delaware Tate) sat with them too. This was almost exclusively fans questions and celebrity answers hour, or half hour, or however long it lasted. Of course most of the questions were centered on Mr. Frid. One lady had the audacity to ask him for his exact residence, because she thought she may live nearby. After the person sitting next to him, Ms. Scott i believe it was, repeated the question to him, he simply said, "No". I dont blame him, us DS fans can be a strange bunch. The emcee asked them each to briefly describe what their current activities were and, down the line, the question was answered.

Another break time ensued, although it was officially called autograph signing time. The stars took their places behind their respective tables and the hall turned out to be a duplicated scene of the day before when I first arrived. The program listed bloopers as being shown in the ballroom, but I remember something else, auditions for specific acting parts on the 1990 Revival series. As usual, I was floating in between the room and the outdoors. People were beginning to leave also, crowd was thinning out. I continued making friends, and turning into a social butterfly. I prefer Social Caterpillar.

The programs were running significantly behind scheduled time. Dark shadows the Revival Series condensed to an hour was allowed its whole hour. All twelve episodes trimmed down to fit a 60 minute time frame was done very coherently and in an easy to follow manner. (Coherent means easy to follow doesnt it? Oh well).

Dark Shadows in the 2000's had a discussion of the upcoming movie directed and written by Tim Burton. Essentially the only actor cast so far is...well it is a Tim Burton movie...so guess who will be playing Barnabas. Three guesses and the first two dont count. A clip from an Australian talk show guest starring the two was revealed to us, supposedly because they mention the making of the DS movie. And mentioning it is the appropriate statement...after 25 minutes of general talk with the host, finally the topic of the movie came up. And they mentioned it, a one minute blog. Tim Burton reminisced about the bad camera angles employed at times on Dark Shadows. He said very little more, they quickly were redirected to another topic. (Did I mention they mentioned the movie?). The only thing more disappointing was the unaired pilot, from 2003, of yet another attempt to revive the series on TV. We had the chance to view it, before the Depp/Burton clip, if i remember correctly. To call it a re-imagining is an understatement. The only common bond it had with the original series, retaining the characters names. A chorus of boos and a parade of thumbs down gestures greeted the conclusion. I admit, it wouldn’t have been too bad if it invented DS, and not tried to redo it. The general consensus among us, however, was relief that it died on the cutting board table.

For many years, one of the most popular segments of the Fest is always the costume gala. Fans get their chance to emulate their favorite characters. This year, about 20 or 25 people waited in line, in some sort of DS costume, to perform something related to Dark Shadows on stage. The acts varied from a singing group (Angelique and the Supremes), to a fortune teller, answering cue card questions concerning the show (in a clever and humorous style), to a self proclaimed Nicholas Blair zombie who silently stumbled, walking dead person like, across the stage. (wasn't it Jeb who raised the zombies?) The performers all put their hearts into it and were quite fun to watch. A special shout out to Diane, my first DS fest friend, and her spellbinding portrayal of Josette. Look at the Fest photos to see how beautiful she was.

Speaking of Diane, a second collinsport player skit, featuring her, was scheduled now. Unfotunately, it had to be cancelled, a couple of the actors were not able to make the Fest. An impromptu skit, starring Diane, Jack, Judy, Walter and a couple of people I met later, Tom and Amanda I believe, was performed. They wittily integrated the movie The Pirates of the Carribean with an original story of Joshua and Naomi's first meeting. (Barnabas' parents). Very impressively done, considering it was hastily prepared for earlier that evening.

The day's activities came to a conclusion, for all intentional purposes. Another set of movies were scheduled into the wee hours. Night of Dark Shadows was the first, followed by another Jonathan Frid movie. I considered staying for one movie, but was drawn again to the temptation of extracurricular activities with my new friends. First things first, it was time to eat again, after 12 hours in between meals. I rushed across street to Macdonald's for a grilled chicken sandwich. Then met a group of people in the patio of the Marriotts hotel. Sunny, Jack, Diane, Di, Judy, Mary and I reminisced and laughed over the days events. Many others joined in. Michael brought his guitar out and we all sang along to the Beatles and other requested songs. I was liberally introduced to people as they came by. Most of the time Diane would tell them, "this is Cletus, he is a festival virgin." Everyone was very friendly, in fact almost too friendly. I have to admit, for a micro second there, a disturbing thought entered my mind. I couldn't help periodically glancing around, making sure a sacrificial pillar didn't mysteriously appear. I was anointed the Fest virgin, so I had my running shoes on. OK, i am kidding, well half joking. We stayed out there longer than we wanted to, i am sure, but had so much fun. This was a surprise benefit of attending the festival, the fellowship. With one more day left, eventually we went our separate ways to try to sleep.

Day 3 Last but Not Least

Last day of the festival and again, despite staying up until the wee hours of the morning, I was up and raring to go at the crack of mid-morning. Programs were set to begin at 11 am that beautiful Sunday morning. I had plenty of time to walk back to the convention center, eat a hearty breakfast with friends and be in a seat by the start of the day’s activities.
The third day began with some more videos and tributes from die hard DS fans. I settled in once again toward the back of the hall. People filtered in and out during the first half hour, but when the dust settled, I noticed something different from the other days. My breakfast buddies were sitting near me, a row or two ahead of me, or behind me. Sunny set residence in the chair next to me. Jack had most of the row behind us to himself. They took my word to heart concerning the ventilation being much cooler near the door. One word about Jack. He is a gentle, unassuming person, with an aura of strength surrounding him. He quickly became my festival male role model. One incident during the day, when a gentleman nabbed Sunny’s seat while she was playing photographer, I informed him the place was taken. This person shrugged me off in a rude manner. My first instinct was to snap at him, but one look from Jack, telling me to “don’t even think about it“, brought me back to earth. The guy eventually slinked off.
One of the emcees, Jeff Thompson, is also the author of a pair of books detailing the works of Dan Curtis. Mr. Thompson had the privilege to oversee a presentation of those books. It was a rousing tribute to the creator of Dark Shadows and producer/director of other projects. His movie credits include moderately popular films such as The Night Stalker, The Night Strangler, Burnt Offerings and Trilogy of Terror. A video montage put an exclamation point on this wonderful segment.
Christopher Pennock entertained us next with a hilarious reading from his new graphic comic, Fear and Loathing of Facebook. The title tells it all, but he breathed comical life into it, complete with voice variations and ruff imitations of his dog. (little canine humor there.) Another side story to this: A few minutes after he was finished, Sunny and I chatted outside. She asked me to join Facebook, to keep in touch with her and the others. With a smirk, all I could say was, “ummm, ummm.” Ah, the ironies of life.
Mr. Pennock’s daughter followed by displaying her vocal musical talent. She certainly was able to hold a tune and sang admirably, as the proud father stood on the side of the stage, grinning.
James Storm performed a set of music. He is a professional musician now, mostly country music and bluesy stuff. He had a new CD out, and a 100 percent of the proceeds go to the Cancer society. How cool is that? He invited Tara, Mr. Pennock’s daughter, and a devoted DS fan by the name of Sunshine up to assist him with the last song. Gerard Stiles singing country, what a strange world we live in.
Another DS memorabilia auction took place, with more of the same types of items being bid on. I caught bits and pieces of it, but spent a great deal of the time perusing the Dealer Room again. I believe next came another set of interviews concerning the DS Reborn group, Big Finish Productions. As I mentioned earlier, they produce original audio stories of DS.
I, once again, traversed the convention floor, taking frequent breaks and meeting people as fanatical about DS as I am. The DS desk had trivia questions for the taking, which was part of an annual contest. The entries answering all questions correctly were part of a drawing during the banquet, with the winner winning something, don’t remember what. (Obviously I, or anyone I was acquainted with, didn’t win.)
At 3 pm, Kathleen Cody appeared on the stage once again. Since she was a festival virgin, she was given a lengthy spotlight of her career and her life in general. She reminisced about her chidhood acting days, specifically on how she became a beautiful teen idol at the age of 15. She laughingly admitted to the many marriage proposals she received in fan mail back then. And she wasn’t adored only by DS fans. David Cassidy and Davy Jones of The Monkees fame were included among her suitors. We were treated to a video tribute of her with clips from her Disney movies and guest star appearances on Television shows. A scene from the Partridge Family was highlighted; Laurie and she playing a practical joke on Keith. She went into further details of her post acting career, including her rise as a business manager. What a delightful lady she is, and I hope she attends future fests. She fit right in.
David Selby and Lisa Richards (Sabrina Stuart) magnificently acted out a two person play based on a 19th. century piece of writing. Unlike the day before, Mr. Selby appeared completely at home and at ease with the audience, as he showed off his acting chops. Ms. Richards portrayed a southern belle being courted, uncouthly, by a Yankee drunkard (Selby). They both were hilarious in their roles, very fun to watch.
The last segment of the day belonged to Jonathan Frid. He read a stirring passage from a Shakespearean work. DS fans know that Mr. Frid’s first love is theater, in fact he was an established theater actor before receiving his beckoning to vampire infamy. I relished his reading, especially since it was my first and possibly last chance to enjoy his attendance.
As soon as the performance ended, we were shooed out of the room, so the metamorphosis into a banquet hall could be undertaken. The Banquet marked the ending of the festival. Tickets to it were purchased in advance, by mail. I never convinced myself to send away for a ticket, for a couple of reasons. Although I built the courage to attend the festival alone, I had trepidations about sitting among strangers and being a stick in the mud. It was my first convention, and I was feeling my way around. Well, all that changed when I became chummy with the others, and somehow, a way to attend was presented to me. I jumped on it, and was invited to sit at the same table as Sunny, Diane and company. My only obstacle, I wasn’t comfortable in my Sunday attire, a Led Zeppelin Tee shirt. My hotel room was a mile away, so I took a half step up and purchased a DS sweatshirt for the occasion. I will take this time to make mention of a very nice lady sitting near us who, after hearing of my plight, offered to give me a ride to my hotel to change clothes. I politely declined, since the sweatshirt was already purchased, but I deeply appreciated her gesture.
Every table in the banquet hall had occupants sitting at them, though not every seat was taken. Still, I would say it was ninety five percent filled to capacity. We settled for a table near the end of the room. A nice meal of roast chicken and wild rice and veggies was served after, of course, a salad. And no 3 course meal would be complete without dessert, a piece of apple streusel this time, I believe. Roger Davis hosted the festivities during the banquet. I knew of this ahead of time because, an hour earlier, while outside, he walked past a group of us. Diane asked him, “Are you coming back for the fest?”
He turned around briefly and smiled. “Yep, I m hosting it.” Then he sped off.
At my table sat Mary, Judy, Diane, Chuck, Christopher, Di and Sunny. Another lady named Mary plopped next to Sunny for the meal. She disappeared soon after eating. Some videos were shown on the screen, drawings for prizes were held and Roger Davis and Kathleen Cody entertained.
With heavy hearts, we filed out of the convention hall when it was over. Three exciting and enlightening days of Dark Shadows programming had flew by. The evening for most DS fans wasn’t completely finished, however. After wardrobe changes and taking care of business breaks, we convened in the patio of the Hotel for more fun and games. Eventually the crowd spilled over into the Marriott’s lounge area. Michael brandished his guitar, this time on the bar stage, and led us into song. When the clock struck 3 AM, reality sunk in for most of us. We said our goodbyes, and with heavy hearts and tearful eyes, set off to our respective rooms to sleep.
As a first time Fest attendee, I personally need to thank all the people I met who made my experience one of the most exciting and enlightening events I have…well…ever experienced. Dark Shadows, a show which showcased so many evil characters and heartless foes, is loved by a loyal fan base of people with humongous hearts and gentle souls. (Years ago, a teacher of an English Grammar class told us that humongous was not a word found in the dictionary. All I can say is…if you can spell it, you can use it.)
If you are an advent DS fan, and considering meeting those with a heart pulsing the same red vampire blood, I urge you to take that step. Check out DS websites, including darkshadowsfestival.com. You can subscribe to the Shadowgram newsletter, which sends info to your email addy concerning any DS News, including festival information. Attend the festival, have a great time, enlighten your brain with behind the scenes stuff about the show. If you are lonely and feel out of place, look for my name tag. (Which hopefully will be adorned above my breast pocket.) Go to Sunny’s 2010 DS showcase photo gallery. I am there, along with many of the kind folks I have mentioned in my blog. Approach us, let us know of your fears, anxieties and anticipations of being a first time goer. I guarantee your anguish will be extinguished.