2009DianeReports

DAY 1 – THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2009

Thursday, August 13^th dawned gray, dreary and rainy. I hopped out of bed at 6 a.m., excited and ready to leave for my next Dark Shadows Festival adventure. Ah, but the rain! I knew that would probably make my trip to New Jersey a nightmare, but such is life. I wouldn’t let a little rain dampen my day!

After showering, dressing, and running around packing last-minute stuff, I was ready to leave at 9 a.m. Excitedly, I began my journey. Along the way, before getting on the highway, I stopped at a local deli to pick up milk for our morning coffee. The rooms usually have coffeemakers in them, so I’d brought my yummy Zabar’s coffee, freshly ground, to share with the roomies of mine who actually drink coffee. I already had sugar, too, so all I needed was the milk. Armed with my trusty mini-cooler, I knew the milk wouldn’t go bad in the two or so hours it would take to get to the hotel.

I had programmed my GPS, which Sunny, Lali and I had named Christine back at the 2006 DS Festival in Tarrytown. Why Christine? Majel Barrett, who’d played Nurse Christine on the original "Star Trek," also provided the voice for the various incarnations of the Enterprise’s computer. So, we decided since my GPS had a female voice, she’d have to be Christine. (Yeah, I know – we really don’t get out much – LOL!)

Despite the GPS, as I neared the hotel, I did get lost. The streets are one-way deals, and you have to ride around in circles to get to your destination. Oh joy – oh rapture! There’s nothing like riding around beautiful downtown Newark or Elizabeth when you’re a woman alone in a car! Still, I managed to survive without incident and get to the hotel in one piece.

As I entered the hotel with my luggage, I spotted Mary Wasmer waiting outside. Di was already inside searching for her car keys that she’d somehow misplaced. Mary and I went in, ran into Di, and went up to register at the desk. As we checked in, I was informed that we couldn’t have a rollaway. It was against fire codes, or so we were told. Oh, great! There are five of us ladies in the room. Who’d have to sleep on the floor? Luckily, though, Di, ever resourceful, had her massage table with her. (Di is a licensed massage therapist). That would serve as a rollaway. And, as luck would have it, Di’s keys were found and returned to her. Phew!

We also ran into John Karlen outside the hotel. He was his usual jovial self (that day, anyway – another story as we go along), and it was great to see him.

The room itself was a typical hotel room, complete with two queen-size beds, a desk, an armoire with TV on it and a bathroom (too small for five women!). Luckily, in the armoire was one of those little dorm-sized fridges – yay! The milk could stay fresh without having to keep putting ice in the cooler.

Sunny arrived shortly thereafter, and we hung around in the lobby a bit, watching people enter. As is customary, we saw many of our DS Fest friends, and hugged and exchanged greetings. It’s amazing how many friends you make over the years.

At around 1:30 or so, we decided to grab some lunch. Limited by our dining options, we went to the hotel restaurant. Of course, the food is always good in the hotel, but it’s not exactly cost-effective. Still, it was fine for the first day.

Thursday evening we got together with friends and just hung out in what was called the Library. We were waiting for Judy, whose plane wouldn’t arrive until 11 or so that night. When Judy did arrive, we got her settled in the room, but she and I went back downstairs because she hadn’t eaten all day and wanted to check out the restaurant. Fortunately, it was still open, and we feasted on shrimp cocktail and a pizza. I was hungry by then since I’d only eaten earlier in the day.

At that point, it was time to turn in. While Friday wouldn’t be a crazy day, we knew that once 3 o’clock hit, and registration was over, the frenzy would commence. Off to sleep we went, visions of vampires dancing in our heads.

DAY 2 - FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2009

On Friday morning, we all arose somewhere around 7:30. Sunny, though, had beaten us all to the punch and was up first, brewing her coffee, showering and running down for her cigarette. We all got it together and decided to go to Perkins for breakfast. Di had spotted Perkins on her way to the hotel, and it was just a short distance away. I had my trepidations because I knew we weren’t in the best of areas, but eating at the hotel again would be too expensive.

I was chosen to drive since my car is a four-door, and we’d all fit in it better. Di led the way, giving me directions on how to get there. Because of the one-way streets, it was a little tricky, but her expert guidance got us there.

On the way in, Judy spotted a sign that read, "$3.99 Breakfast Special." You can’t beat that! However, our waiter just handed us menus and didn’t bother to mention it. Unbowed, we asked him about it. Sure enough – for $3.99, you could get two eggs any style, hash browns or breakfast potatoes, your choice of bacon, sausage or Canadian bacon, toast or pancakes and coffee or tea! Hey, that’s a deal, and we all took it. With that big a breakfast, we knew we’d be good to go for the rest of the day.

We probably got out of Perkins at around 11:30, so we decided to pick some things up that we’d need at some local stores. The shuttle bus driver had told us where a Walgreen’s was, so we went there. I wanted shampoo because the hotel shampoo smelled awful, Di wanted body wash, and Sunny was looking for beer and knee-hi’s. We all got what we needed with the exception of Sunny. There was no beer at Walgreen’s. I had spotted a Stop & Shop as we drove (it’s a huge supermarket) and thought she could find beer there, so off we went. At Stop & Shop, some of us picked up some snacks, and Di picked up a rotisserie chicken we could put in our fridge and eat cold for a dinner instead of spending megabucks at the hotel. Again, there was no beer in sight. Weird, I thought. My supermarkets carry beer. Undaunted, we set out again in the car and hit a liquor store, and I don’t mean we held it up – LOL! Sunny got her beer, and Di, Mary and I bought two bottles of wine, a Zinfandel and a Shiraz. This would be a lot less expensive than buying booze at the hotel where a glass of draft beer was $5 and wine was $9! We also bought a cheap corkscrew for the wine.

Back at the hotel, we unloaded our goodies and relaxed a bit in the hotel room. We only had a short time to go now before registration, which would start at 3 p.m. We had learned over the years that if we started standing in line at 2 p.m., we’d be one of the first to register and be done with it. And that’s exactly what we did. We went down at 2 and just waited. Of course, we did let any handicapped people who came in ahead of us because that’s the protocol and the right thing to do. Still, thanks to a more efficient way of doing things, we were in and out of registration even before 3 p.m. Thank goodness registration is no longer the nightmare it once was. Too, we now get our banquet tickets right at the registration desk, a change from years past when you’d have to wait on another long line on Sunday afternoons for them. Why? Who knows? Someone finally woke up!

The festival’s official opening was at 6 p.m., which gave us time to mill around in the lobby and/or Library and greet fans who were still arriving. I was happy to see my fellow Collinsport Players come in, and we set a time for rehearsal that evening. It was to start at 10:30, which was when they’d be showing movies in the ballroom, which means nothing much is going on.

Also as we waited, we managed to catch Jerry Lacy roll up to the hotel in a limo along with his wife, Julia Duffy. What a treat! Julia is so tiny, it’s amazing. I think she’s even more petite than Nancy Barrett, and that’s going some. I never saw Julia Duffy come to a festival with him before, so I was delighted.

Believe it or not, fans started lining up outside the ballroom right after registration for the 6 p.m. festival opening. We chose not to do that because Mary, who is handicapped, goes to the front of lines with other handicapped fans. Thanks to that, she always reserves us good seats in the ballroom for events. This time, she got us into the second row (you can see the backs of our heads in that YouTube video Lali sent around).

The first panel was Marie Wallace and John Karlen. They opened the festival. Jeff Thompson emceed, unlike in years past when Richard Halpern had those duties. Jeff is a wonderful human being, probably one of the nicest men on the planet. However, he’s a college professor, and it’s obvious. His style is so very different from Richard Halpern who is as manic and funny as Robin Williams. Still, Jeff did his best to keep things lively and interesting, and having John Karlen open the festival was a good thing. He is a complete maniac and just dominated that panel from the get-go. Poor Marie! She’s a real firecracker, but it was hard for her to get a word in as John bounced around the stage. I’m sure you all saw the YouTube posting, so I won’t reiterate what went on.

A highlight of the panel was when Jonathan Frid unexpectedly appeared. He and John Karlen have such a great rapport and obvious friendship. Frid just told us he was looking forward to being with us the next day, and the crowd roared.

We were also treated to Kathryn Leigh Scott, Lara Parker and Jerry Lacy, who came on as the second panel. I have to say, I just adore Jerry Lacy. He is a true gentleman with a wicked sense of humor. And handsome? The man has it all!

At 9:00 p.m., nothing much was going on except DS Bloopers and the stars giving autographs (lines up the ying-yang because of the immense crowd with many newcomers), so I left for a bit. At 10, though, there was a "surprise screening" to be shown which I didn’t want to miss. What could be the surprise, I wondered. What a disappointment! It was the 2004 WB DS pilot, something I’ve seen every year now since 2005. Still, I’m sure it was a treat for the newcomers.

I parted ways with my roomies in order to go to rehearsal for our Collinsport Players skit. This year, it was "Bewitched Shadows," a crossover of DS and Bewitched, of course, with Lara Parker very much featured. Unlike the past few skits, Lara was front and center, the star (as she should be!).

Rehearsal was to start at 10:30 as mentioned previously, but we didn’t actually begin until 11:45. Still, we ran through the skit twice and were through somewhere around 1:15 or so. Bed? I don’t think so! Off we went to the bar to grab a nightcap before they closed.

We chatted happily until they kicked us out and then moved to the Library where we stayed until 3 p.m. Heck – it’s the festival! I always say that I’m there to have fun and can sleep when I’m dead (you know the famous expression).

I crept into the room because, by now, everyone was asleep. I quietly washed up, brushed the old fangs, changed into jammies and went to bed, ready for another fun-filled, festival day.

DAY 3 - SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2009

On Saturday morning, there was no time for a Perkins breakfast. The first event would begin at 11:00 a.m. in the ballroom. That meant Mary would have to go down to get some good seats for us all. However, I had a rehearsal scheduled at 10 a.m. for our Collinsport Players skit, which would go on that evening.

I arrived outside the ballroom shortly before 10 and greeted my fellow thespians. We were scheduled to use the actual stage this year and have the sound people do the sound cues, which is a wonderful thing. It would go a long way toward preparing us for the actual performance. Alas, it was not to be. Jonathan Frid was inside, practicing his dramatic readings, which he was to give on Sunday. We were relegated, instead, to the room we’d used the previous evening for rehearsal.

Once again, we ran through the skit twice. At the conclusion of the rehearsal, we were instructed by Peter Mac (who wrote and directed the skit) to meet outside the ballroom around 6 or so in costume. We were scheduled to do the skit at 6:30. Also, Peter reminded us, if we were going to then appear in the Costume Gala, which takes place immediately after the skit, we were to tell Marcy Robins to be sure we were placed somewhere near the end of all the performers to give us time to change our costumes.

For those of you who don’t know, Marcy is one of the original people who founded the Dark Shadows Festivals. At that time, in the early 1980s, they were called Shadow Cons. Of course, as these things do, things have evolved since then. Marcy is also the lady who does Shadow Gram, which is distributed throughout the year to DS fans. She emcees the Costume Galas every year, ably assisted by volunteers. Helen Samaras is one of the primary volunteers for the gala, and she is also part of the Collinsport Players, working very hard behind the scenes.

After rehearsal, I met up with Judy meandering around outside the ballroom, so we decided to go in and catch the rest of Frank Borzillieri’s talk on The World of Parallel Time. Frank is the guy who wrote The Physics of Dark Shadows, a book I bought and read last year. His talk was fascinating, explaining to us all how time travel actually is theoretically possible and why.

Following that, the Memorabilia Auction (part I) began. I never stay for that because the bidding goes pretty high. I suppose it was a lively auction because it ran over a half hour, which pushed the whole schedule back for the rest of the day. That’s nothing new at a festival, and a half hour is actually nothing. I’ve been at festivals where things were so screwy schedule-wise, they were hours behind or completely rearranged.

The next event I wanted to see in the ballroom was the DS Cast Reunion. Since that wouldn’t take place until sometime after 4 p.m., I threw caution to the wind and visited the Dealer’s Room. Oh, the temptations and goodies to be had there! And, I fell right into the temptation trap. John and Peter had a table from which they were selling some DS stuff they’d acquired over the years. Displayed prominently was an absolutely beautiful gown – Josette’s wedding dress! A friend of Peter’s had sewn it years ago, and what exquisite workmanship there was! Needless to say, I had to have it. After all, it could have been made for me since it was my size. Despite the price ($100), I bought it. You’ll all see the pictures, too.

When I got upstairs, I tried it on. It fit, but there was one problem. When the zipper got up to the chest area, it wouldn’t go any further. It has to be altered. Of course, I should have known. The dress was sewn for Peter after all, and he doesn’t have the same (shall we say?) equipment I do. Still, there’s enough material in the seams to let that portion of the dress out, so I can’t wait to have it tailored.

We all went back down for the Cast Reunion, which was a lot of fun. John Karlen surprised us, though. He obviously had no respect or affection for Henry Kaplan, who was one of the directors of DS. Oh, well. I suppose doing a TV series is kind of like having a family you see day in and day out. You can’t always get along or even like each other all the time. It’s fun, though, to hear their reminiscences.

Then it was time to dress for the skit. I would be playing Liz again, but this year, I didn’t have a suit. I wore a black sheath dress over which I had a matching black and red coat (not winter coat – just matching material). And, once again, I had the 1960s bouffant wig.

Chaos reigned as we waited to begin the skit. Still, at some point, we were given the green light to go onstage, so off we went. While there were some minor gaffes, all in all, the audience loved it. Hey, it’s Dark Shadows! If it went perfectly, we wouldn’t recognize it as our beloved show.

After the skit, it was time to run up again and change for the gala. Di and I were singing a parody of the "Sisters" song from "White Christmas" dressed as Magda (Di) and Jenny (me). That meant wigs for both of us and a different outfit for me. It didn’t take as long as I thought it would to change, so I needn’t have rushed. Too, we were placed near the very end as per our request. Phew! That’s a relief. You really need to catch your breath before rushing from one act to another.

The gala was great. There were so many talented performers, and it’s always quite enjoyable. Judy didn’t do anything this year, but we’ll nail her next year. Di and I were a hit and had the audience in stitches, so that’s a good thing.

After the gala, it was time to have some fun (and some food!). I changed into shorts and a top and Di changed as well. Then it was off to the hotel restaurant to get something to eat. We relaxed, ate, had a few drinks and mingled with friends. It all goes so quickly, and before you know it, it was time for bed.

DAY 4 - SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2009

With just a few hours of sleep under our belts, we arose groggily on Sunday morning with the sad realization that this was the last day. We had to make the most of it, so we decided to go to Perkins again for breakfast. Their $3.99 special wasn’t available, but it was still going to be less expensive than eating at the hotel.

This time, we took two cars because the third Diane had joined us. Imagine that! A plethora of Diane’s! She and Di rode in Di’s car, and the rest of us were in my car. We entered the restaurant parking lot and noticed an elderly couple, engine idling, blocking a parking space. They seemed to be waiting for something but weren’t exactly parked. Di commented, "Look at how she’s parked." A young couple leaving the restaurant obviously took offense at that for no reason at all. The young woman flipped Di the bird and then made another rude gesture as well. It took us by surprise, but people can be weird, so we laughed it off.

As we were perusing our menus, our waiter, David, came over to take our drink orders. Most of the group ordered coffee, but since it was already past noon by then, and I’d had my coffee in the room, I ordered a coke. This is unusual for me since I don’t drink soda as a rule. I might have one or two cokes a year, but it’s a treat when I do have it. After a bit, David came by with the drinks and two carafes of coffee. As he went to set down the carafes, the entire tray of sodas and waters tipped over, landing squarely on my end of the table and me! There was liquid and ice everywhere. Di, who was sitting next to me, was also treated to a bit of a shower, but I was thoroughly soaked. The manager came running over with towels, and everyone proceeded to mop up. It took a while, but the table was eventually cleared, and there I sat, dripping wet. Still, the whole group of us was hysterical laughing. It really was funny and not a reason to get upset or angry.

Settled again, we picked up our menus and began deciding what to order. I took out my glasses case, opened it, and burst into hysterically laughter once again. There were two ice cubes sitting in the case. This elicited howls of laughter again from the group, and I’m sure the rest of the patrons thought we were quite nuts. Too bad. We weren’t going to let a little dampness ruin our fun.

The rest of the meal was quite without incident, and the best part of it all was, my meal was comped. Heck – they should have comped the whole table, not just me! As for our waiter, David, well, let’s just say he didn’t get quite the tip we’d normally have left, although we did leave him something.

Back at the hotel, I had to wash off and change. By then, I was all sticky from the sugar in the soda. Go figure – I just had to order a coke, right? Still, it could have been worse. At least no glass broke and cut any of us.

Back downstairs, there was nothing much going on that I wanted to attend in the ballroom. I would have gone to see Donna Wandrey’s presentation, but she was ill and couldn’t make it. Judy and I wandered around a bit, hit the dealer’s room again, and just hung out. We had plenty of time before we’d have to change for the banquet.

The banquet was sold out to overflow capacity this year, and we saw the hotel staff setting up the overflow room. Our poor Sunny would have to sit in that room because she was one of the unlucky ones to get her banquet ticket after the main room was sold out. Still, we figured we could find a way to sneak her in with us, even if her banquet ticket was a different color from ours.

The line to get into the banquet was mind-boggling, but that’s nothing new. People begin lining up quite early, too – hours in advance of the 7 o’clock starting time. We didn’t worry about it, though. Mary always goes to the head of the line and gets us a great table. Once the doors opened, the line moved quite quickly, and we spotted Mary up front. What a great table!

In all the years I’ve been going to fests, I’ve never once had the pleasure of having one of the stars sit at our table. This year was no exception. However, we were surrounded by stars! John Karlen was at a table next to us. Next to his table was Jerry Lacy, and next to us on the other side was Jonathan Frid. Marie Wallace was nearby as well, and so was Lara Parker. I’m beginning to think our little group has cooties. That’s why no one ever sits with us – LOL!

As we began to eat our salad, we made note of the fact that there were three empty seats at our table. Di decided she’d go get Sunny, so she did. Fortunately, there was no problem with that, and our Sunny, who’d already eaten her salad in the other room, got to eat another one (well, if you can call what Sunny does eating!).

Thank goodness the food was edible this year. It was the typical rubber chicken meal, but it sure beat last year’s mess. The only thing was, there was no cheesecake for dessert! We couldn’t do our ritual staking of the cheesecake. We did, however, have a positively scrumptious slice of chocolate cake. While I don’t indulge in sweets much, I did eat the whole piece. It was so rich and delicious!

I felt sorry for John Karlen. People kept interrupting his meal, asking him to take pictures etc. Finally, in exasperation, he yelled at Alice (a fan we know from fests past), who kept bugging him, "No! I’m not doing it. I’ve had enough this weekend." Oops! You couldn’t blame him, though. She really was being a pest.

Once the banquet was over, we changed clothes and went down for our last big hurrah. I hung out a bit with the Collinsport Players at a table where Marie Wallace was holding court. I say that in a facetious way because Marie is no diva. She’s a down-to-earth, warm, wonderful human being. I just adore her. Lara Parker stopped by for a bit, too.

We stayed up till the wee hours, snapping pics, trading hugs and stories and just having a marvelous time. Mary, though, couldn’t stay too long with us since she had to leave the hotel at 5 a.m. to catch her flight. Still, she did stay longer than you’d expect. Judy, too, had to be ready to leave at 9 a.m. The lucky stiff was going on the DS Road Trip. Ah, to see Collinwood! One of these days …

So, another fest came to an end – once again happening too quickly. Next year – onto Burbank!