My Amazing weekend at the festival

Hi All,

I rarely post to the lists...most of the time I just read them, and sometimes I see something that inspires me to respond. But today I just had to take the time to share my weekend at the DS festival. Just let me say I've been going to the east coast festivals since 1997. I remember the first time I went...it was before I had a computer and I'd only gone because I saw a commerical after DS one day announcing it was being held in Manhattan. I'd always loved DS since I was a little girl and decided since I lived on Long Island, I'd go. So I coerced my best friend Sam to go with me and we spent all three days attending the festival at the Marriot Marquis in Times Square. Needless to say I was thrilled to see the cast members that I grew up loving. But I was amazed at how slow things moved and how long a person needed to wait for just an autograph. The first time I waited in line for an autograph from Lara Parker, I was finally at the front of the line when I she was called away from her table...she saw that I was disappointed and she told me to wait there, she would be right back, if not to find Jim Pierson and he would get me the autograph.

I waited for a long time before I realized she wasn't returning and I noticed that her daugher had left some of her books at the table when I saw some of the hotel workers taking the table down. I took Caitlin's books and went to find Jim Pierson (as she told me) to not only return the books, but to get my autograph. To make a long story short, once I found Jim it took a little time to convince him that Lara had told me to ask him to find her so I could get an autograph (I also gave him Caitlin's books). He seemed so distracted, like he wasn't listening to me, and I repeated the story several times (at his request) before he seemed to get it. Eventually he did get me my autograph but I must say I was a little annoyed at his behavior.

I've also voiced my opinion about him online.

The next time I went was in 1999...I stayed at the hotel that time which was being held at the Marriot World Trade Center. It was different the second time I went...by then I was online and had met many people that I would be meeting in person for the first time at the festival. So again I had a good time. That year was the first time I went to the banquet and I was not pleased with the way it was run. It seemed as if things were so disorganized.

I was a little turned off by it, but I still enjoyed seeing the cast members.

The next festival I went to was in 2001, that time I only went one day. I found being there wasn't as enjoyable anymore. I still enjoyed seeing the cast, but I didn't like the way things were run, and all the waiting that I had to do. I figured I wouldn't go again.

Also in 2001 Nancy invited me to be a volunteer at Jonathan Frid's one man show at the Lockwood Matthews Mansion. I'd never done anything like that before, but I was willing to give it a try. Nancy would direct me on what was needed, and left me to figure out the way in which I could make what she wanted done work without insulting people, yet still keeping things organized. That weekend opened my eyes as to what it takes to run a show. All the dedicated and hard working people that are needed to do the various tasks that need to get done in order for the show to run. This time I was on the side of trying to make things go smoothly.

I learned a lot that weekend, a lot about organizing a show, helping people if they needed something, and also helping people control themselves if they got carried away. It was an eye opener...I loved doing it, but I saw that it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.

That brings me to this festival weekend. Originally I wasn't going to go...I figured I've been there done that. But then I heard it was going to be the last festival, and I knew if I didn't go I'd regret it. So I made plans to go...as the time drew closer the original plans that were made fell apart for various reasons, one was that I wasn't sure that I could do it financially...that depended on a situation I had at home that needed to be resolved. I told Nancy I wasn't sure if I was going to go, or I might just come in for the day.

Nancy was rooming with some friends of hers and told me not to worry, I could stay with her whether I had the money to split the room or not. She would take care of it. I didn't want Nancy to absorb my room costs so I was happy when my problem was worked out.

Anyway, Nancy arranged it with her roommates, Nina and Kristi, for me to stay with them. When I had been talking to Nancy the night before the fest, I'd told her that I'd hoped the fest was more interesting than I had found it in 2001. She didn't say anything, but the next night Nancy told her friends that I'd helped at the Frid show. Nancy isn't involved with the fest, but her friends were talking about how volunteers didn't show up so they were short. Nancy suggested they ask me to help out. So Nina, Marcy, and Kathleen said they needed the help and I said I'd be happy to help in any way I could.

Well help out I did! All weekend I helped to organize the autograph line which I found out was no easy task!!!! I helped by sitting with cast members to help them sell their own things while they autographed pictures, books, CD, programs, you name it they signed it!

I was one cast member's body guard while a female fan kept stalking him...and all she kept saying was "I just can't leave him alone!" That was a little scary. This woman came to this cast member once in the afternoon hysterical crying when she saw him...I asked if she was going to take a picture, and it would be easier if I took the picture for her so she could concentrate on getting her autograph and talking to him...I would stand ready with her camera so I could snap the picture when they were ready. (I did that with all the fans, I found it made the line go faster). She told me no she didn't have a camera, but when she got up to him after talking and getting his autograph, all of a sudden she was digging in her pocketbook for the camera. Then she needed to get behind him to take a picture, then she wanted more than one. She did everything she could to stall to be with him. Finally she left. But later that night she was in the major autograph line and she pulled the same thing again. She waited till the end of the autograph line to follow him...that's when I walked out of the hotel with him. Thankfully she didn't follow him out of the hotel!

She was an extreme case, but I found many many many fans come onto the autograph line with 6, 7, 8 and 10 things to sign! No wonder the line seems as if it never moves! Then, to make matters worse, as if they didn't have enough autographs the first time around, they came to every single autograph line with just as many things! No wonder the cast members insist to the staff they will only sign one or two autographs per person.

It got to the point that we would recognize those fans and follow them in line just to move them along. Now I understand why the people that run the fest have to be so strict with policies. The autograph lines were set up so there were two lines, one for the disabled and a line for the other fans. I couldn't believe how many able bodied people squeezed and wormed their way onto the disabled line. Every excuse that was imaginable was used. "All five of us are together...so because one of us is handicapped we all have to go with her/him" I could see one person, but all five?

Then there was a gentleman that claimed he had a bad heart, he used a cane and he wasn't young...so of course he was on the handicap line...but you know what, that same man that claimed he couldn't stand was at every event, stood on every autograh line all three days!!!

The reason I'm telling some of these stories is that my eyes were definitely opened this weekend. Here I thought that all the people, including Jim Pierson (whom I thought was rude to fans) weren't doing their job of making the fest run smoothly, but what I found out was they are really great people with good intentions of bringing all the fans a great festival. They go without eating, or drinking unless someone thinks of asking if they'd like something. They also go without much sleep. They can't even leave their posts to use the restrooms unless someone comes to relieve them. They are not only there to organize and help the fans enjoy themselves, but they are also at the beck and call of the cast members who are busy trying to be available for their fans. This weekend one of the cast members wasn't feeling well, he didn't want to disappoint his fans so he came and stayed anyway, but this person who is usually very easy and sweet wasn't in the best of moods. He didn't take it out on the fans, but it did slip out on the staff. He didn't mean it, and the staff understood he was in pain, but those are the things they have to put up with even when they are tired. Also the cast try to appear at the fest even when they have personal obligations themselves, so if they aren't there one of the days, fans get disappointed and take it out on the staff. It's not an easy job! I take back anything I ever said about things being disorganized, or people being too harried to answer a question.

The festival is a massive undertaking that is run by to few people...I give the people that put this event together an enormus amount of credit. I am truly amazed by how much of themselves they give and how little credit they receive, yet they do it over and over again! I for one say THANK YOU for all the hard work and dedication you give all year round so that we the fans of DS can still enjoy it 35+ years after it ended.

Cheryl