Who's going to Wonderfest

[typhooforme]

Thank you, Mike.  We appreciate your strong loyalty and love for the group.  If your kneejerk reaction post did inflame matters a bit--it was nonetheless well-meant on your part.  Devoted UMA friends like you are, I suspect, more the rule than the exception.  As General Terry says, say what you will about the toy/Forry exhibit--but I will echo him in stating that this is possibly the least elitist group imaginable.   When I joined the UMA some years ago, I felt a little uncertain about whether or not I belonged--it is, after all, at heart, a toy collectors' group, and I don't collect toys (and still know damn little about 'em!).  I was taken in and made welcome.  It's a great gang of folks.

UMA Elder, Robert Taylor

[Richard]

Richard, I think of the ODC in terms of the Classic Horror board, because Gary, David, and the rest of the usual suspects mostly post there.  As to it's origins being there, that's an association I made in my head, not from facts, just because it's where most of them post.  To my understanding, Gary was more or less a one man band on putting things together this year, with some support from others of course.  It really looked cool! 

Bobby, you are correct.

To explain a bit to all-
Gary Prange has taken the Old Dark Clubhouse under his personal care and has made it more wonderous every year! He IS the heart & soul of it now! I think the confusion that it is a Classic Horror Film Board "retreat" is due to the fact that it was created by people who knew each other through the old AOL Classic Horror board (which is NOW the Classic Horror Film Board~ CHFB) and originally wanted a cool place to hang out after hours at the Monster Bash in Pennsylvania. I attended Monster Bash #1 & #2 (1997 and 1998) and remember discussions of fixing up a room with a monster kid theme. Monster Bash #2 (1998) was the real start of everything. Gary Prange and Joe 'Sorko' Schovitz were the main creators at the start and continued to build the idea, pushing each other on year after year to make the Old Dark Clubhouse more complex & cool than the one before it. But many contributed each year with ideas, items, artwork,  $, time ~me included.

The Old Dark Clubhouse has always been 'open' to anyone but tends to have it's regular attendees each year (sort of a yearly family reunion  ) Unfortunatly, the room is only so big and can easily become overcrowded! That may make some people feel that it is an "exclusive club" if they can't get in because of no room (keep in mind, in this state of overcapacity, people probably can't get out either!).
Someone has to be in the room and be responsible if the door is open for visitors. In the past, a handful of us each had keys to the room so it could remain locked when not occupied. A danger of an unguarded, unattended open door policy is damage from vandalism, mischief or theft. There can be some expensive/rare items in the room which need to remain there. Any damage to the room itself becomes the responsibility of the signing guest (Gary). Pop, chips, beer (which ain't free to obtain for the room) will "walk off" if not under control (I saw this actually happen~ a stranger walked in, grabbed a few beers out of the cooler, and walked out down the hall without so much as a look at the room, a "Hi" to the occupants, nor a "thanks" for the free beer). Gary's high voltage 'jacob's ladder' could cause real trouble if someone touched it. This is NOT being snobbish or elitist. It's protecting the room experience for the enjoyment of all.

Did I mention the large amount of work to make this room happen?! Like the UMA display, the ODCh doesn't just set itself up and take itself down. It takes a lot of work, before the show event and afterwards.
.
Again, this is a cool little monster kid room (Gary Prange's labor of monster kid love)~ open for view and fellowship for anyone at appropriate times. My original concern (with Brother D's implication that the Old Dark Clubhouse is an elitist group or exclusive member's club) was to set the record straight about the ODCh. Because it 'seems' to be CHFB controlled~ well, that's just because the regular attendees almost all started with the AOL boards. Many here at the UMA did too.

Best,
Richard

ps. I miss seeing everybody so much! It makes me very sad talking about the Old Dark ClubHouse and the UMA Display these past couple days, and thinking of another "missed" WonderFest. So, I will hold further comment for now. I really appreciate seeing the pictures and hearing the stories of WonderFest though! Thanks to all for posting!!!

[raycastile]

Richard, your absence is felt.  I hope I see you at a show sometime in the next 12 months.  And if we do the display at Wonderfest again next year, you really HAVE to be there.  That's an order, soldier.

[Getter_1]

Hey, just wanted to say I had a great time at Wonderfest and it was great meeting you guys.  I only got to speak with a few of you on Sunday but it was nice finally meeting you guys!

Can't wait for the next event that UMA attends (formally or informally).

Jasen

[typhooforme]

Jasen, It was a pleasure to meet you!  I didn't stand and talk, for which I apologize, but my Wonderfest experience this year was troubled with my back/hip pains (hence the constant cane I was leaning on).  From now on, when I see "getter", I'll have a face to put with the name!  Glad you stopped by and introduced yourself!

[monsterphile]

I also heard that Ranier (Nightmares in Plastic) was there all the way from Germany.  Ranier, can you confirm?

Rob

[raycastile]

I also heard that Ranier (Nightmares in Plastic) was there all the way from Germany.  Ranier, can you confirm?

Rob

He was there.  He came up and talked to us.

[UniversalTim]

Hey All,

I finally made it home and got caught up on some much-needed sleep!

I want to thank everyone who put in so much of their time and effort to make the UMA display this year and every year so much fun for me. It's really appreciated.

And Elizabeth, it was so nice to meet you and talk with you at the show! I'd love for the UMA members to have, say, a breakfast get-together at next year's show. I know maybe 8-10 members on sight, and since most members don't exactly resemble their avatars (ha ha) I can't pick members out of the crowds at the show!

I look forward to meeting more UMAers at Monsterpalooza and at next year's Wonderfest!

-Tim

[Nightmares in plastic]

Yeah Monsterphile- for the forth time in a row I attended WF- and had a blast!

Was great talking to the UMA members, even I wished to have some more time to do so. I had to catch up with all my magazines writers & modelers as well, so heck, blame me how time flies!

The display: Hats off to those who put it together! I liked it very much (wish I had only half of the stuff) and can't see any "elitist" thing going on there - The Memorial to Meek was touching and reminded me how much she's missing. Everybody was friendly and approachable. Picked up a Terry Toys Dracula and can only recommend everybody to get one - it couldn't get any better. More characters ...pleeeease with maggots on top!

Bought of course lots of Kits like f. ex. Ceasare from Caligari, a lifesize Mummy and Lugosi head and even found that '76 King Kong Whiskey bottle at an Antique Mall in Bullit County. The latter unfortunately didn't make it in one piece - shattered to pieces only the head survived. But I finally got me a Big Frankie and  Monster scenes figures, whoooza!

I salute the General, Creepy Jeff, Ray, Elder Robert , Frank Dietz and those I forgot now: Hope to see you all again next year!

PS: Robert, I scan the piece we talked about within the next days (first I have to get back in gear jetlagwise) and give you a heads up!

[Elizabeth]

Elizebeth, I was heavily involved in the genesis of the Old Dark Clubhouse. It's no more an offshoot of the CHB than it is the UMA. As to the present, I am unaware of any group sponsership of it. But I am not a member of the CHB so things may have changed. Please explain more.

Sorry for the lag in replying here to your direct post-- and nice to meet you, Richard!

I read both your original post here, and the longer post you made later in this thread, with the Clubhouse history.

My intention was in no way to indicate that I had any kind of background information or additional information on the Old Dark Clubhouse.  (And I hope I did not sound off-handed, dismissive or disrespectful in anything I posted previously.)

My intention was, rather, to echo what Bobby said: that our focus here (on this board) should be on this community, and the UMA exhibit.

Criticisms, comments and so forth regarding the ODCH would be more appropriately shifted over to the CHB, and onto Gary P's broad shoulders a moderator at that community.

And I do indeed concur with you that there are a lot of parallels in terms of work load with the UMA exhibit and the ODCH room decorations-- it was very apparent that a great deal of forethought, work and thoughtfulness goes into making those decorations and creating the atmosphere in that room!

To be honest, it made me miss some of the art work that the UMA used to display with the exhibit... the large reproductions of the cards from the Old Maid style card game and Remco package faces and such... and I can't believe I just said that, because I think the last time those were displayed, I got to do a lot of the sticking up, and boy did that take a long time...

[Elizabeth]

And Elizabeth, it was so nice to meet you and talk with you at the show! I'd love for the UMA members to have, say, a breakfast get-together at next year's show. I know maybe 8-10 members on sight, and since most members don't exactly resemble their avatars (ha ha) I can't pick members out of the crowds at the show!

I too really enjoyed having the chance to chat with you, Tim!

The weekend went by in such a flash-- it's kind of a blur now, and hard to remember if I have the right faces to go with the names, after meeting so many folks.

I think your suggestion for a get-together at breakfast time is a great idea-- it's such a tricky meal to get at the hotel, if the buffet lines get long, so maybe we could figure something out with that.

And I *do* look like my avatar... when I have my hair up.

[Scatter]

I went, but was not impressed this year with the UMA exhibit. A few changes, but honestly not for the best. I think the UMA has become  focused on certain "personalities" (cerain members), and has become very elitist, and thus has resulted in an every increasing decline in the interest of the UMA display. A good idea would probably be to focus less on these personalities and more on actually generating interest and completely equal discussion of the classic Univeral Monsters topic. This group was MUCH better when it was a Yahoo group.

Brother D

As a newbie and virtual NOBODY on the UMA, I've experienced ZERO elitism. I've been welcomed, befriended, and inundated with gifts for my 8 year old son to encourage his love of the Monsters.

Elitist?? Hardly.

[typhooforme]

We're friendly folks, by and large (I am one of the "large", of course!).  Everyone is welcome--and then, of course, one's bed is what one makes it.  I think some folks make their beds out of thorns and rocks, though why that is completely escapes this old codger.  You, now--you came in and carried a comfy chair out of the corner and--well, here's to ya, Scatter!  Cheers!

[packy120353]

I think having Ootmas would make everybody happy!

[Elizabeth]

Or a nap. 

Naps always make me happy.