Also seated at the table was Robert Fuller and his wife and again we had an opportunity to talk about the events of the week and how the convention was overall. It even went so farĪs to continue through dinner dessert service where he insisted everyone have a piece of chocolate cake. We joked the entire time afterwards about his quest for us to be well fed. He disembarked from the table and asked the banquet staff if he could have some bread. While we were engaged in conversation, Sam was eager to start enjoying some dinner rolls. My party was paired with Sam Jones, best known for his role on the film Flash Gordon. This gives everyone an opportunity to meet someone they did not get to meet during the show. All of the actors are situated in seats throughout the ballroom with random attendees. The highlight of the convention had to be on Saturday evening during the convention’s annual dinner gala for attendees electing to purchase the special event. I even was able to find some Star Trek autographs but unfortunately did not purchase those this time. I thoroughly enjoyed looking through some of the old autograph books and lobby cards available for purchase. The convention also boasts a large vendor area where you can find memorabilia from throughout the early days of Hollywood up through modern times. It’s not just celebrities that people come to see at the nostalgia convention. Many of the shows had been popular before I was born but I did have a familiarity with shows like Batman and Bewitched. I had the opportunity to sit with Linda Gaye Scott (Westworld, Batman) throughout the weekend and I was amazed by how many people came by to share their memories with these celebrities. Once doors were opened, a plethora of people came through to visit the many celebrities on hand. Unlike most conventions, that are held on the weekend, this convention begins its day on Thursday morning and ends Saturday evening. Honestly, it was better to be safe than sorry and I appreciate the efforts of the pilot. The pilot even joked that he would burn so much gas that the price of fuel would go up the next day and it would be his fault. After that time, we again boarded the new plane for our flight to Baltimore and it was smooth sailing from that point. We sat in the lobby area waiting for our new flight which took about two hours. He elected to make everyone leave the plane in a wait a new plane to go to Baltimore. The plane had experienced a mechanical breakdown and after some investigation the pilot found that maintenance had not been performed in several days. Once on the plane it was then trouble occurred. Finally we were permitted to board the flight headed to Baltimore. I wanted to introduce myself to them knowing we would be working together all weekend. After arriving in Dallas, and waiting a couple of hours for the connecting flight I met up with actor Robert Fuller and his wife. My convention journey to Baltimore started off like any normal trip find from Lake Charles, Louisiana in our small regional airport. The convention headliners included Robert Fuller (Laramie), Nancy Kovack (Bewitched, Batman), and Sam Jones of the almost 20 actors and actresses in attendance. In a recent discussion with former editor Eric LeBlanc, we joked about the topic and I was corrected many times with being told that it was not just for old people. I’ve been poking fun at the concept behind a nostalgia convention calling it an old people’s convention. The convention is in its 17th year and continues to grow each year offering opportunities to meet stars of some of the greatest shows from the 60s and 70s. However none of those quite compared to that of the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention held annually in Hunt Valley, Maryland just north of Baltimore. This summer has been filled with great conventions such as San Diego Comic Con, Creation Entertainment’s 57 Year Convention saluting Star Trek and Dragon*Con. I love going to conventions, it’s an opportunity to visit with people who enjoy some of the same things that I enjoy.
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