Blast From The Past Collectibles Show!

- Me with Brooke McCarter of The Lost Boys fame and the upcoming The Uh-Oh Show!

- Me with THE KING OF B MOVIES! Joel D Wynkoop!

After a less then stimulating Friday evening of making small talk with hot lesbians (or she might have just told me she was a lesbian?) in the CD section of the Goodwill and meeting a guy on the bus outside of the Derby Lane dog track with a gambling addiction (and cocaine addiction) who had just lost all of his money playing cards, I was determined to make the most of my Saturday. Oh wait, after re-reading that my Friday night was actually pretty fucking awesome!

I awoke early on Saturday morning, ran downstairs and caught the bus downtown to The Satruday Morning Market which is actually a pretty nice weekly event in St. Petersburg. From there I hung out in Williams Park with the homeless and caught another bus which dragged me on a 20 minute detour through "the hood" to the Central Ave Goodwill (if you havnt noticed I have a thrift store addiction).

While on the bus I managed to weasal a ride from a friend to the Blast From The Past Collectibles Show being held at Clearwaters Ruth Eckard Hall. What a blessing that was, without a ride I would have had to of made two or three different bus changes. Not to mention Ruth Eckard Hall is damn near a mile off of the main street! But hell, it was something to do and sure as hell sounded like a better option then sitting at home watching pornography all day.

What I didn't quite expect was just how much of a "blast from the past" this afternoon would really be.

I had a suspicion that my old running mates from the PCR (Nolan's Pop Culture Review) would be in attendence but it was an experience that I was hoping to avoid. After a timultous year of decaying relationships and verbal back and fourths it had been close to 6 months since we had shared even the slightest bit of contact let alone being stuck in a confined space with one another. Had I had a little bit more of a warning I would have atleast downed a bottle of Night Train to subdue my nerves.

Anyways, after paying the outrageous $10 entrance fee (ok maybe thats not so bad) I had entered the building and was greeted by no more then maybe six dealers tables and virtually no crowd, with exception for PCR'rs.

It was a little annoying at first cause I really didn't want to have to spend my Saturday afternoon being stuck in a ackward situation, but it was worth it. I was thankful to be able to make peace with Chris Woods and congratulate Terence on finally getting a piece of trim, hopefully he understands now why the rest of us spend our free time chasing after it.

It occured to me as we were greeted by none other then former PCR contributor Andy Lalino that the real highlight of the show for fans should not have been Mary Anne from Giligans Island or the awesome toy collection upstairs. The real show was taking place on a uncomfortable bench between a nasty concession stand with week old hot dogs and a table full of bootleg DVD's. It was a mini re-union of sorts, a collection of colorful charectors that have made up one of the most unique stories the general public will probably never hear.

But I digress, much more was happening at the con. Per square inch I'd make the arguement that this show had more going on in six or seven dealers tables and celebrity appearances then the standard Tampa Comic Con (The Double Tree con). Every table had something I would have like to of bought. In the end I settled for a original theatrical poster of the film "Walking Tall" (I love that movie!), a paper weight with The Jaugernaut from X-Men (for a buck!) and a Bart Simpson Key Chain (also a buck!).

After wheeling and dealing I wound up upstairs in search of seeing my old pal Joel Wynkoop and meeting Brooke McCarter from The Lost Boys. Also upstairs were the daughter from "Lost In Space" and Dawn Welles aka Mary-Anne from Giligans Island. Who, btw...Is still smoking hot!

After some small talk with Wynkoop I was honored to have met and conversed a little with Brooke McCarter an actor from a movie that was so pivotal to my childhood. I'm pretty sure the first two films my father ever rented for me were Blood Sport and Nightmare On Elmstreet but somewhere shortly following that was The Lost Boys. It was a defining moment in my childhood (and life).

Brooke was also kind enough to give me a signed photo with all The Lost Boys on it. The picture itself is pretty damn sweet for a fan like me but the autograph makes it extra cool. I even talked him into signing one for my friend Mindy who sadly is a fan of the crappy sequals Warner Brothers throwed together to exploit the originals retro cult appeal. Hers reads "The original Lost Boys is the BEST!"

On a personal level this show was a blessing. The dealers selection and celebrity line up were great for such a small show. Hopefully the promotors will hold other events annually and get bigger with time.