1996 Dark Shadows 30th Anniversary Celebation
Tarrytown, NY-- Lyndhurst-- August 24, 1996
This is how I remember the Lyndhurst event; I wrote this on 6/8/98.
August 24, 7:00 am:
Mom, Dad, and I left the house at this time to go to Tarrytown, New
York for our very first Dark Shadows Event! Down by Clinton, CT there
was a very good thunderstorm and I even shut off my walkman- that's
how good it was.
I had no clue if any Dark Shadows stars would be there, like Jonathan
Frid (Barnabas) or David Selby (Quentin), but I was hopeful. The
drive lasted about five hours, in which I went through four batteries.
It normally would have taken four hours, but we were stuck in
traffic for a while and had to find Lyndhurst.
The tour of Lyndhurst started at 1:00, but we didn't know this and
toured it at 12:30. We took pictures inside and out, then went
outside where at 12:45 a black limo drove by. I jumped for joy!
[literally--hey, I was only twelve!] I would get to meet a Dark
Shadows star! I went and found Mom taking pictures of the south side.
Mom, Dad, and I went to the Carriage House, but we didn't see anyone
around. We just sort of walked around for the next half hour.
The bus from New York carrying fans was about an hour late already
when we went back to the carriage house. The doors were open now, and
we found Diana Millay (Laura the Phoenix) selling her I'd Rather Eat
than Act book. We immediately bought one, and she signed it. We
talked with her for the next half hour! We told her about our friend
Craigy on the internet and she said, "Well, I don't go on the
internet too often. I don't like technology so much; I really like
candles, and matches, and FIRE!"
A man from the local newspaper came up to us and asked us if we
wanted our picture taken for the paper. Of course, we said yes! It
was about this time that the bus arrived carrying Jim Pierson, the
man arranging it all.....
At the auction, I won the 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, and new 1996 Dark
Shadows Festival books; the 1989 book carrying information on my then
current obsession with Humbert Allen Astredo (Nicholas Blair). I was ecstatic!
There was a messed up egg-hunt...
Afterwards, everyone drove to the abandoned train station
which, when it was still in use, was the very same Collinsport
station shown in the very first episode! We took pictures, and soon
were on our way home. Mom and I vowed to go to the 1997 Dark Shadows
Festival right then and there!
Guess what....we did.
