The inaugural Fayetteville Comic Show was held in Fayetteville, Arkansas on February 29 – March 1, 2020. In a previous article, I recapped my first two days in northwestern Arkansas which included nature studies, pizza and good friends. It’s fitting the first official day of the show was on Leap Day as it was filled with extra special memories that I’ll never forget.
DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3
DONUTS & COFFEE SOCIAL
The morning began around 8:00 a.m. for the sold out Donuts & Coffee Social.
This event was held at the Graduate hotel, which originally opened in 1981 as a Hilton. The hotel’s name changed from Hilton to Radisson in 2001. After John Nock and Richard Alexander purchased the business for about $16 million in 2006, the hotel was renamed the Cosmopolitan. In 2012, the hotel received a $7 Million renovation and another new name – The Chancellor – which gave a nod to the nearby University of Arkansas.
Chicago’s AJ Capital Partners purchased the hotel in 2018 and converted it to one of its boutique Graduate hotels. Renovation of guest rooms, common areas, the lobby-level restaurant and bar and the hotel’s 12,200-square feet of meeting and events space were completed in fall 2019.
We gathered in Spoofer’s Spoon Room, the same conference room where panel discussions would be held during the event.
A Policeman’s Dream assortment of donuts were stacked on long tables.
I think I had three or four cups of coffee which was perfect when paired with pretty delicious donuts. I wish I knew who provided the delicious treats as I’d highly recommend them.
Thanks to Karen Addison Craig, several of us received Blue Roses.
I wish I could tell you more about them, but I can’t. James Marshall and Dana Ashbrook also stopped by the social that morning before we all headed over the the convention center.
At this point, I need to give a nod to Evona Qualls and her incredible cookies she brought the the show. Wow! Check out her work on Facebook – Qualls Hauls Sweets and Treats.
FAYETTEVILLE TOWN CENTER
A small lined formed outside the Fayetteville Town Center in downtown Fayetteville which housed the show’s artists, exhibits and photo experiences.
A variety of panels would be held on both days between 10 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Once inside the doors, staff greeted fans and distributed passes, wristbands and tickets.
The show floor had numerous booths with artists and vendors surrounded by the celebrity autograph tables.
EVENT T-SHIRT
Just inside the show floor room, attendees to order the event tee.
Tees were offered in several colors and with a choice of different logos. Obviously I chose the Twin Peaks logo since I need one more tee from my favorite show. The coolest part is that the tee was created on site. It took about 20-30 minutes to make after I placed my order.
I selected a black tee (in retrospect, I should have selected purple as how many black tees can one own?).
VIP BADGE
The VIP Badge included unique Twin Peaks artwork by Josh Howard who has been writing and drawing comics professionally since 2003.
The front and back of the VIP Badge.
The best part was Josh was at the event! It was wonderful to see him as I’ve loved his Twin Peaks works for years. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
Josh also recently created the cover artwork for Ben Durant and Bryon Kozaczka’s “Twin Peaks Unwrapped – The Book.” It’s a must-have item for any Twin Peaks fan, so order a copy HERE.
I’VE BEEN TO ONE OF THEIR MEETINGS
One thing I enjoyed throughout the weekend was seeing long-time friends and making new acquaintances. The Twin Peaks community is one of the best and it was a wonderful being welcomed by so many people from around the world.
I was so happy to see author John Thorne and wife Laura. He spent years publishing “Wrapped in Plastic” magazine with the late Craig Miller (no relation) which was my lifeline in the early days of this obsession. The last time I saw John was at the 1996 Twin Peaks Fan Festival in Washington. His book – “The Essential Wrapped in Plastic: Pathways to Twin Peaks” – should be on every bookshelf. John was always so kind to me, publishing my letters in the 1990s about music, locations, props and, my 29 1/2 hour marathon (funny how some things don’t change).
Even the Mayor of Twin Peaks, Karl Reinsch, traveled from Washington state to attend the show.
Ashleigh Raczkowski and I dressed up as favorite characters.
I chose the more muted earth tones worn by Deputy Dale (complete with vintage Pendleton shirt), while Ashleigh was a dead ringer for Teresa Banks.
Fellow Bookhouse Boy and super fan A-Aron Cohen was there sporting an awesome Twin Peaks-themed jacket.
Cheryl Lee Latter and Carl Hershberger made their first visit to the states! It was great catching up before they traveled to the Pacific Northwest to visit the real “Twin Peaks.”
So glad to see David Hirsch again. Our last event was Festival of Disruption 2018 in Brooklyn, New York. Just look at that jacket!
LOTS OF STARS
When the Fayetteville Comic Show 2020 was announced, the line up of Twin Peaks stars was most impressive. With the 30th Anniversary of the show on the horizon, it seemed like a great time to celebrate with folks who appeared in the Pilot Episode.
Professional photography was offered by Wolf Studios Photography based in Texas.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Kimmy Robertson (Lucy Moran) and Ray Wise (Leland Palmer) were unable to attend the show.
The remaining stars included Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer), Dana Ashbrook (Bobby Briggs), Charlotte Stewart (Betty Briggs), James Marshall (James Hurley), Gary Hershberger (Mike Nelson), Harry Goaz (Andy Brennan), Rebekah Del Rio (Singer in Part 10), Eric Da Re (Leo Johnson) and Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne).
Here is the professional photography schedule on Saturday and Sunday.
I selected a group photo with all of the stars. Talk about a surreal experience being ushered into a room filled with folks whom I’ve watched on television for 27 years. As you can tell, I was happier than when Agent Cooper eats his first slice of pie at the Double R Diner.
I also stopped by the individual booths to get photos and autographs of several stars. James Marshall is an incredibly genuine, funny and all-around cool guy (I mean, he’s always been cool).
Leo Johnson! It was wonderful to see Eric Da Re, who is also the son of long-time casting director Johanna Ray. His portrayal of Leo was critical to the success of the entire series and he gave it his all.
Nice catching up with Dana Ashbrook who played Bobby Briggs. He even hung out with us at the Graduate hotel bar. I was impressed he remembered my name during the group photo.
Charlotte Stewart is a gem! She’s worked with David Lynch for years beginning with Mary X in Eraserhead. I had her (and other stars) autograph the DVD cover of Twin Peaks – Fire Walk With Me. She was also at the show to speak about her time with Little House on the Prairie.
Harry Goaz not only portrayed Deputy Andy Brennan in Twin Peaks but he is an accomplished photographer. He has a new photography book being released in April 2020 titled “Ballroom Harry – Volume II.” Being an avid photographer since his teens, this collection “pulls from his more recent travels as he returns to Los Angeles, visiting with a keen eye, like seeing long lost old friend.”
MOVIE NIGHT
A screening of Twin Peaks – Fire Walk With Me was held on Saturday night at TheatreSquared in downtown Fayetteville.
Considering this is my favorite David Lynch film, I couldn’t wait to see it again on the big screen.
The bar at TheatreSquared offered several drink specials. I had the damn fine coffee which was a perfect way to end the day.
The Laura Palmer drink was “wrapped in plastic.” Nice touch!
A mostly full theatre waited for the show to begin. Seeing this many folks gathered for a film that was originally panned by critics makes my heart so happy.
Event organizer Donna welcomed folks to the show and explained there would be an autograph session prior to the film.
A crew set up tables for the stars to meet guests and sign autographs. A handful of people who only attended the film screening participated.
The autograph session lasted about 20 minutes before the show began.
TheatreSquared does not typically show movies so the film was projected on a temporary screen. It appeared to be a digital Blu-ray copy of the film versus 35mm print. Either way, I still can’t get enough of this masterpiece.
COSPLAY KARAOKE
The day ended back at the Graduate Fayetteville with Cosplay Karaoke, hosted by MCubed Cosplay.
The $10 event was totally worth it as you’ll see below.
Ashleigh traded her Teresa Banks outfit for one of the most creative Twin Peaks costumes I’ve ever seen. And it unknowingly complemented my Deputy Dale outfit. Any guesses?
“Now, when those steelhead are running upstream, they’re only thinking about one thing. Sex. A Green Butt Skunk breaks their concentration.”
A GREEN BUTT SKUNK!! Bravo, Ashleigh. Bravo!
We then took turns performing some of our classic hits.
I chose “Groovy Situation” by Gene Chandler. Stay classy, Fayetteville.
Nina Himes dressed as the blue lady, Dorothy Valens from David Lynch’s Blue Velvet.
Even Dorothy Valens couldn’t believe that Laura Palmer (Faye Murman) and Donna Hayward (Mallie Majarais) had their picnic at karaoke.
