MegaCon 2007

MegaCon 2007

February 16-18th

The convention center where MegaCon was held.

The place was jumping. I was there on Friday and Saturday. Friday was more sane. Fewer people....

Anyway to back track; I flew in on Thursday to Sanford Airport (Allegiant has a great service--but not to Orlando International!!) and as I was too cheap to pay a hundred dollars for a shuttle, taxi or limo, and I wasn't going to pay $300 for a rental car, I had already received an itinerary to take the LYNX down to the convention area. You see a great deal of humanity when you take public transit, but the plus side was that it only cost me $3.50. Anyway, I got to the hotel, called Carol, who had already arrived and arranged to meet at her hotel a little later. This time I took a trolley, went up International Drive once and then took the green line directly to her hotel. We had a great time talking and watching TV. After I got back to the hotel I relaxed until Kim got in near midnight. We chatted a bit before hitting the rack, er sack.

Nice flight!! This was actually a twin of the jet I flew in and out on.

Downtown Orlando, the LYNX terminal.

The next morning, after getting our pre-paid passes and waiting in an immense line for the doors to open, Carol, Kim and I immediately went to see David. John Kachmar was still setting up when we got there. (Diane and John were David's personal assistants. I was so glad to meet them, too!) I had brought a picture with me, which I had made for David from a publicity shot of him and Richard Basehart (Thank you for the screen capture, Kim). It had a tile effect on heavy pressed wood matt board stock with a special epoxy finish that a friend from church showed me how to make. The moment my friend had shown me how to do the technique last fall, I knew it would be a beautiful tribute to Richard and David's friendship. I wasn't sure how to give it to David, so I just explained the genesis of its creation while I unwrapped it. I reminded him of the conversation we had had the previous summer (in Cleveland) about Richard and told him how much it had affected me. I told him I wanted to do a picture to give him of the two of them together using this technique and hoped he would like it. He was very impressed and asked me if it was a gift. I said it certainly was, but I could ship it for him if he wanted me to (it was in an 11 X 14 frame). No, he quickly said. He would take it with him when he went home. Then he set it up on one end of his table display. I was so happy that he liked it. Kim took a picture of us with the picture.

This was taken Saturday, but it was almost that crowded in the lobby on Friday.

Thanks to Kim for the very nice picture

I chatted a bit more with David and mentioned the 'dime' scene from the episode "A Time to Die" (where the admiral was changing the signs to fool Pem, the time travel scientist) and how wonderfully he and Richard had done that one. We all took pictures with David. He was so sweet to pose with each one of us, in groups and in various candids.

Carol had been working on David's family tree and gave him the results of her research. It is quite an intricate, detailed, beautiful work, and David was delighted. We also bought pictures and had them autographed.

Carol and David- she was one busy lady!!

After a while we talked with Bob May (The Robot on Lost in Space). He remembered meeting me at the HWOF star event for Guy Williams in '01 and the walk from the ceremony site to the Hollywood Roosevelt. He was asked about his very brief appearances on Voyage and he responded that it was just bits as a seaman. I bought a couple of pictures from him, too, including one that also had an autograph of Lee Merriwether from Time Tunnel. (It was a group shot consisting of May as Adolf Hitler, James Darren and Robert Colbert and Lee Merriwether.) I had my picture taken with him and he said take all the pictures I wanted at any time I wanted to. I gave him a jar of jelly I had brought with me. It was dewberry and he was very amused when I described dewberry as blackberry on steroids.... vicious little brutes to pick. He thanked me and then we headed over to see Lou Ferrigno. Ferrigno is looking fine as usual and had some really nice Hulk photos. I bought one and he signed it, and the ladies and I wandered on some more.

Bob May and me

Lou Ferrigno

I then talked with Noel Neill (Lois Lane in the 50's series) and told her how glad I was to see her again. (She was at AdventureCon in Knoxville '03) I bought one of her pictures, too. After a while longer, Kim and Carol and I, who were feeling the effects of standing too long, went to the outside the hall food court and bought a bit of lunch and chatted.

Noel Neill

Chewie taking a break, too.

MegaCon 2007-- Page 2

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