And now, I’m going to slink back to my little area “backstage”. But first, everyone reading this, please consider becoming CPR certified!!
I’ve always been a backstage kind of person; I prefer directing, stage managing, writing. I have performed onstage, and although, I enjoyed my experience, I soon realized I really rather be behind the scenes, and then one day two years ago, I performed some impromptu “dying” on the world stage. The “actors”, I have no doubt, wouldn’t for a moment consider themselves heroes. But what is a hero? In the television series Smallville, Clark Kent says, "The suit doesn't make the hero. A hero's made in the moment by the choices that he makes and the reasons that he makes them. A hero brings out the best in people." I just didn’t know what more to say to my heroes who were willing, ready, and able to help a stranger in distress. It’s not like Hallmark makes “thanks for saving my life” cards. (Trust me, I have looked). Nonetheless, thank you – Jesse, Pete, Mary and the rest of the Point Bonita YMCA staff, and thanks Ranger Eddy and Ranger Gibbs and the Golden Gate National Recreational Park Area for keeping me around a bit longer and not letting that morning be my final curtain call. You truly are MY heroes.
And now, I’m going to slink back to my little area “backstage”. But first, everyone reading this, please consider becoming CPR certified!!
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Because of work commitments, I was unable to attend the Scarecrow and Mrs. King 30th Anniversary, so I asked my good friend, Dava, to write a recap of the events. Thank you, Dava for taking the time to write this.
*************************************************************************************************************************** SMK 30TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION TRIP Written by: Guest Blogger Dava DATE: October 4 - 5, 2013 PLACE: Beverly Garland Holiday Inn Hotel, Los Angeles, California EVENT: SMK 30th Anniversary Reunion ATTENDEES: 58 Fans of the Show, Bruce Boxleitner aka Scarecrow/Lee Stetson, Martha Smith aka Francine Desmond, Greg Morton aka Jamie King, Myron Natwick aka Dr. Smyth, Richard Herd aka Jake (Photo Finish), and Dennis Duckwall, Producer FRIDAY: October 4, 2013 - WB (Warner Brothers) TOUR A group of about 50 of us met at the WB VIP Tour Lobby. We saw a short film about how Warner Brothers Studios was started. It was very interesting, and I learned a lot. We then split into three tour groups: A, B, and C. I was in tour group B. Our tour guide said it was group B for "Boxleitner" or "Bruce" or his name "Brad". Brad was an excellent tour guide and had watched Scarecrow and Mrs. King "The First Time" and a few other episodes so that he could discuss the show with us. We were so excited when we saw the stairs that Lee/Scarecrow comes down in the opening credits. We also saw the stairs to Nedlingers (stairs may have been at "The Ranch" below), grassy area that was Rock Creek Park, and the wooded area used for "Utopia Now". Our biggest surprise was we got a special tour of "The Ranch". "The Ranch" is part of Warner Brothers lot, but down the road. It was an outdoor walking tour. We saw & took a tour of one of Amanda's houses. I took a picture of the bookcase and gate door. It was so cool standing in Amanda's living room. We also saw "Harry V Thorton's" balcony where he had put out the flowers for Amanda (Tail of the Dancing Weasel), "Sonia's" house on (Stemwinder), and the house where Amanda squirted the hose to take out the bad guys (Fearless Dotty). SATURDAY: October 5, 2013 - THE 30th EVENT AUTOGRAPH SESSION AND RAFFLE: The doors opened at 9:00 AM for a three hour autograph session. Autographs were $10 each which you were given a ticket for. There were also $5 each tickets for a raffle drawing to be held later in the day. You could buy as many tickets as your money would allow. Each star was at a table and you went to that stars line. Of course, Bruce's line was the longest. I went to each line getting autographs from each star. Bruce and I being friends caught up. We had not seen each other since November 2012. I found all of the stars very warm, funny and gracious. The first three hours flew by. At 12:00 PM, we broke for an hour for lunch. The afternoon session resumed at 1:00 PM for more autograph signing as well as the raffle drawing. I actually won a raffle. I won some SMK trivia cards, some fanfiction stories and an old program from the SMK 20th Anniversary. I was thrilled to win anything. The next three hours also flew by and we stopped for a two-hour break before dinner. Dinner was to be at 6:00 PM. We all went to freshen up and get dressed up for the evening dinner. Stars had a room at the hotel to rest. DINNER: We entered the dining room at 6:00 PM and went to each table to find our name card. I was seated at Martha Smith's, Francine Desmond, table right next to her. We were told that dinner was served buffet style where you go up to get your food yourself. It was an Italian themed dinner. We had a green salad, several pasta dishes, antipesto dish, marinara dish and chicken picata. Cake was for dessert. Martha was very gracious and wonderful. She asked us where we were from, what was our favorite SMK episode and our favorite Francine moments. She giggled and was lovely. Martha's favorite episode is "Life of the Party". Because Martha's birthday is coming soon, she was surprised with a birthday gift and chocolate birthday cake. Bruce presented her with her "gift". Yes, it was a feather duster. She laughed when she opened the gift. They brought out the chocolate birthday cake with three candles. We all sang to her, and she blew out the candles. I asked her if she loved chocolate as much as Francine did, and she said "Yes". HA DINNER ~ VIDEO and AUDIO: We were treated to a short bloopers video (no, not for sale anywhere... sorry), a video tribute from Beverly Garland, Bruce and Martha to Mel Stewart. A video tribute to Sam Melville from Bruce and Martha. The audio was a message from Kate Jackson that her friend and assistant, Mike, had personally delivered to us just for the event. Bruce and Martha were very moved by Kate's words, as were we all. DINNER ~ Q&A: Question and Answer session included Bruce, Martha, and Greg. Richard Herd, Dennis Duckwall and Myron Natwick had left. They joked that two microphones were needed or Bruce would do all the talking himself. Various audience members asked questions. Greg was asked a lot about being a child actor. Martha was asked about her wardrobe and how she softened towards Amanda as the show went on. Bruce was asked about his stunts, locations, etc. Lots of laughter and fond memories by the stars and us as well. This lasted until midnight. Bruce went outside before he left and hung around. I was able to get a few minutes of private time catching up. He also chatted with others. They said their "goodnights" to us. Then my roomies and I went up to our hotel room. Goodnight all. October 3, 1983 - Scarecrow and Mrs.King premiered on American television screens and thirty years later after the show ended there are fans who still love, write, and talk about this series. Little did I know that over the years I would meet friends from around the world who love and enjoy this show as much as I do. We had many wonderful seasons and episodes (although I still wish we had had more seasons!) This weekend in Burbank, California fans are gathering for the SMK 30th Anniversary Reunion. I'm sorry I will not be able to attend as I had a fantastic time at the 25th; however, due to the government shutdown and other financial obligations, I will miss out this year. I hope those who are lucky enough to attend have an amazing time and say "Hello" to Bruce Boxleitner for me.
I always wake up with a heavy heart on this day. Even twelve years later, the feelings from that day never dies. It was a beautiful sunny September morning in the Pacific Northwest. I was just starting to wake up and had reached for the television remote. I usually had the television on for background noise while getting the boys ready for the day. Joey had just turned a year old, Steffen 3 ½ and Michael was 7. Also living with us at the time was Shinsuke, a cultural exchange student from Japan.
However, instead of my usual morning program of Little House on the Prairie playing in the background, breaking news reports about terrorist attacks on New York City was on the screen. I remember the horrifying images of the planes hitting the World Trade Center towers, the black billowing smoke filling the skyline, terrified people jumping the their death, and rescue personal rushing inside the burning buildings. I heard the reports of a plane hitting the Pentagon and one crashing in a Pennsylvania field. I said a silent prayer for those planes reporting missing during all this chaos and I was grateful for cities and towns in Canada that were allowing planes to be rerouted there. I knew right then life had changed forever. I was glued to the television, while tears continuously rolled down my cheeks. However, I also knew we were America, and we were not going to let these terrorists win. I got the boys ready and loaded them up in the van. I dropped Michael off first at the private Christian school he was attending at the time and then Shinsuke to a local church who was partnered with the exchange program. I remember gazing on people’s faces – we were all numb and in shock, many openly weeping. They too realized life had changed forever. A few days later, Shinsuke flew back home, but before he left, we attended a party for the exchange students and their host families. I remember the director of the exchange program talking about the importance of being host families and opening our hearts and minds to exchange students. More then ever we needed to share history, culture, and traditions. Our country changed forever that day, and so did I. Dates for the 30th SMK Anniversary celebration have been set and registration is now open. The dates will be October 4-5, 2013 at the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn at Universal Studios Hollywood. It's a FANtastic weekend for the fans of the show and a chance to meet the cast and crew of SMK. There are autograph sessions, a WB tour, a celebration dinner and drinks, and a Q&A panel. Click on the link for more information and details.
If you are interested in reading about the 25th SMK Anniversary celebration you can read about it here. I'm thinking about submitting a story for The SMK Anniversary Committee, but I don't have any story ideas currently at the moment. For other SMK fan fiction writers, The Anniversary Committee is now taking fic submissions for a SMK fanzine to raise funds for the 30th Anniversary celebration.
Any fic submitted must be: - an original fic (not been published/posted anywhere else) - submitted by the author - publishing-ready (proofread, edited, etc.) - no higher than a PG-13 rating Please note that submitting a fic means, if it is chosen to be in the zine, you agree not to publish it anywhere else until after the 30th Anniversary celebration. You may submit more than 1 piece for consideration. Submit your fic(s) by June 30, 2012, by emailing them, preferably as an attachment in Word format, to the following email address: [email protected] Authors of fics selected will be notified by the end of July. The zine will go on sale by August. Thank you in advance for your fics! - The SMK Anniversary Committee I’m reposting for Narelle who wanted all the details about the SMK reunion I attended back in 2008.
The Event: The 25th Anniversary of Scarecrow and Mrs. King. The Location: The Beverly Garland Hotel in Burbank, California. When: October 3-4, 2008 Fans got the opportunity to visit with SMK cast members and I was one of the lucky few! It was also a chance to meet many of my online friends, who share my addiction to SMK. Thursday I flew from Seattle to Burbank Thursday afternoon where I was picked up at the airport by the lovely Jen V. She took me to the Beverly Garland Hotel where I checked in, sharing a room with Buffy and Neeney. We hung at the pool for a while and then several girls and I took the subway to Hollywood Boulevard, we walked along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, found Beverly Garland’s star, viewed Grauman’s Chinese Theater and the famous hand-prints, walked past the Kodak Theatre, saw the famous “Hollywood” sign from the distance, and did some shopping. Then we took the subway back to the hotel for dinner. |
"Hey. . . it's me."I live in the shadows of the Olympic Mountains in the state of Washington and I love camping, boating, kayaking, hiking, and hanging out with my husband, our three adult children, and our Bernese Mountain dog, Henry. Tags
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