Dark Shadows Halloween Weekend

Friday, October 20, 2000:
     The weekend started on Friday. Me (Lyn), and my mom, Linda, arrived at the 4 Points Sheraton in Norwalk, CT at around 3:30 PM. After checking in, we met Bob, one of our Dark Shadows Inn Yahoo! club members. (If you get a chance, check out his collectibles he has for sale, including shirts, mouse pads, clocks, and more!) After unpacking, we came down to the lobby, which was filled with fans. We caught up with Lily and Dave. Kim and her son Eddie came down a bit later.

     The night at Lockwood mansion was not ready to start, so Dave, Lily, Kim, Eddie, Mom and I headed out to eat. Not knowing the area, we used the "drive til you find something" method. We picked out a place called The Lighthouse, which claimed to have a $12.95 lobster dinner special. However, we failed to see the "Tuesdays only" part. The food was good, but pricey. (Ask Dave and Linda about the Lobster ravioli.) Unfortunately, this place was slower than Friendly's (is this possible?!?) and we ended up being a tad late for the festivities.

     At the mansion, it was too dark for any good photos. Inside, everyone was on a really long line to get David Selby's poetry book, autographed. Couldn't get anywhere near there. The main room was packed. We ended up all sitting on the floor, except for Lily who managed to get the absolute last chair.

David Selby and Eddie

We were supposed to watch "House of Dark Shadows" and "Night of Dark Shadows", but since David Selby was only able to stay for Friday's festivities, everything was centered around him this night. David Selby read from his poetry book and answered questions. He was presented a plaque/clock by Edward Lambese, the man who ran the festivities. There was a charity auction. David Selby singled Eddie out (picture on right) when he was bidding on an item. :) He ended up getting it for $5 because no one would bid against him. Some interesting stuff went for sale at the auction: the movies, other misc. videos, books, poster and playbill from David Selby's play in Hartford, copies of scripts, soundtracks, and an LP from Dark Shadows were among the items. Proceeds went to a charity picked out by David Selby, I believe a battered woman's shelter.

Saturday, October 21, 2000:
We ate breakfast at the hotel this morning, a buffet. Here, Jim Storm and Chris Pennock were eating at the next table over from us. Dave needed film for his 110 camera (I'm still shocked that they even sell film for those anymore), so we went to the Stop and Shop. Then it was off to the mansion again.

Today we learned a bit more about the Lockwood mansion, which was used as the Old House for the filming of the two movies, "House of Dark Shadows" and "Night of Dark Shadows". (See the picture on the right.) Today we met other various stars in the lobby area. James Storm was signing (and selling!) his new CD. Chris Pennock was signing and selling his comic books. Marie Wallace was signing pictures. Everyone at the convention was given a tote bag and program today. I managed to get pictures of all the stars in the lobby, as well as their autographs. In the midst of it all, was the mysterious coffin in the middle of the room. It contained a "surprise" DS star.

Barnabas' Coffin

Finally, the stars came down the stairs. As well as Jim, Chris and Marie, who were out in the lobby before, we also got to see Roger Davis and Terrayne Crawford. The coffin shown at the left is the first prototype coffin made for Barnabas in the movies. However, he had problems with the size and in the end a different one was used. The surprise DS star in the coffin? Diana Millay! We ate a buffet luncheon, and then went back out to the main room to see two spoof films. Really great flicks, one was with Barnabas learning to use a bed instead of a coffin. Just loved seeing "Julia" in Madonna style cones. *winks* Then, there was the movie with "Julia" dressing up as a cow to get "Barnabas" to bite her. Kudos to Cheep Productions, the makers of these films. :)

Jim Storm Singing

     There was some entertainment. Chris Pennock read from his new comic book, which poked fun at his experiences on the cast of Dark Shadows. Some funny stuff in there. (The roaches spoke Spanish, Si Senor! I wonder if Dave ever hooked himself up with a copy of part three.) Jim Storm sang country and western while playing his guitar. He was a real hit, and has a great voice, even though I'm not a big fan of country. (See picture at the right!) Not much else went on that day, with the exception of the banquet that night. Mom and I opted to not go, although now we wish we did. Probably wouldn't have had much luck anyhow, limited seating. In the two hours between the end of the festivities for the day, and the beginning of the limited seating banquet, we all went back to the Sheraton.

     Dave, Lily, Kim and Eddie went to the banquet while we stayed behind. You want info on that, ask them. As for us? We went to see "Meet the Parents" at the theater in Norwalk. Then, it was fried shrimp and cheese fries at a restaurant called Duchess.

Sunday, October 22, 2000:
     Woke up before the rest of the gang today. Went down to breakfast early. Another breakfast buffet. Big disappointment. Half the food was mysteriously missing from the buffet. Jim Storm, our savior, noticed I was miffed over the missing pancakes and french toast. *grins* I never realized how effective a complaining celebrity is at getting waitresses to move their butts. After he told the waitress that the pancakes and stuff were missing, they were very shortly brought out. We headed off on the highway to today's location, Lyndhurst mansion in Tarrytown, NY. Unfortunately, we ended up on Route 9A instead of Route 9 and got totally lost. *lol* An hour later....

Although we looked for Dave, Lily, Kim and Eddie, Lyndhurst mansion (shown on left) was such a big place that we never found them. Also, we *thought* everything was supposed to be included. Ended up being charged $4 at the gate to enter the property, and another $6 to look inside the mansion. We were given a very informative tour by Rick, one of the Dark Shadows Association's staff. (Rick had an amazing replica of Barnabas' wolfhead cane. He had it made by the same people who made the show prop.) Rick was very knowledgeable about the rooms where Dark Shadows movie scenes happened. It's a shame no pictures were allowed to be taken inside the mansion.

Outside, we were able to see other interesting Dark Shadows movie "hot spots". We were informed about tricks the camera people used in the rooms of the house and outside. Also, different stunt secrets were revealed. Shown on the right is the "hanging tree" where Angelique was hung. We also saw the greenhouse (glass was taken out for safety). The rose garden Angelique ran through surprisingly had some late bloomers, in all different colors. We took a horse and carriage ride, where we were able to see the pool house where David bounced his ball. Cake was served in the greenhouse, where giant gourds grew from the the framework. From here, since this was on the way home, we left directly afterwards, back to New Jersey.

According to the programs we got, if you want to go to next year's Halloween Weekend, it will be on October 28, 29, & 30, 2000. You can contact Edward Lambese at 631-968-7575. The website is here: http://members.aol.com/dscollassn/index.html