If you are a Disneyana Collector, theme park enthusiast, hobbyist, or just like following the news and trends of the Walt Disney Company, then you should be a member of the National Fantasy Fan Club. The most recent NFFC events were the first ever Disneyana Show and Sale in Florida, which was preceded by an NFFC cruise aboard Disney Cruise Lines.  Great stuff, huh?  Those two landmarks were followed by our regular January Show and Sale, featuring literally tens of thousands of Disneyana items, which was held January 23, 2005 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Garden Grove, just about a mile south of Disneyland on Harbor Boulevard.  Great event for all who attended.  If you had been there, you could have stopped by and said hello to me and many other NFFC members.  So now is the time to look ahead!  The Annual Convention will be held at the Crowne with a special reception event July 9, 2005.  It's planned as a salute to the original Mickey Mouse Club and its members.  The World's Largest Disneyana Show and Sale will be Sunday, July 10, with the convention starting fully on Monday, July 11.  We'll have our Collector's Brunch, featuring your favorite Disneyland Anniversary collectibles, our Lunch with a Disney Legend on Tuesday the 12th, and our Celebration Banquet on July 13, honoring Disneyland's 50th Anniversary.  Can't tell you details yet, but expect many great guests, topics, surprises and a few very, very special appearances.  But you have to be a member to attend!  So join today!  You can even do it on-line!

Please check out the many membership benefits of the NFFC! As Director at Large of this national organizationl I invite you to join. If you're visiting this web page because you love Disneyland, you really should be a member. Memberships are inexpensive, and you'll receive a great monthly newsletter, The Fantasyline Express (which will soon be available on-line as well as in print) detailing animation projects, collectibles, trivia, travel, and loads of "inside" tidbits. For more information, Click Here to check out the Web page for the NFFC!

Here's some photos of the Annual Convention from July 2004 at the Crowne Plaza:

The first day of arrival for the annual convention involves what we call "load-in."  That's moving all NFFC Convention materials from storage (yes, we actually rent two large storage units to house all of our junk) to the Convention site at the Hotel.  Brian Hugo, our convention coordinator (behind the wheel in the first photo) is our leader.  Lots of folks volunteer to help, and it's dirty, sweaty, back-breaking work, but we all love it!  Once the truck is loaded (with Junior supervising in the rear of the truck) we go to the hotel, where of course, everything that went in must now come out.  Other volunteers work on gift boxes, goodie bags for the convenioneers, and centerpieces for the banquet tables.  Daron Sorg designs the centerpieces and the overall look of the convention ballrooms.  That's him adjusting a red, white and blue curtain.  The next picture shows NFFC President Jay Aldrich helping Nancy Rhoades assemble stanchions for signs and draping.  Finally, I'm about 13 feet in the air hanging backdrop drapes.  Everyone helps, and to please the conventioneers, it's always worth it.

Okay, that the load-in from storage to the hotel convention site.  Here's what went on there!

Opening night was the Welcome Reception, themed (because it was the 20th Anniversary of the National Fantasy Fan Club (NFFC) as a Very Merry Un-Anniversary Party, with Alice in Wonderland in mind.  People were encouraged to come in costume, and a great many did.  We had a variety of cards, Alices, Tweedledums and Tweedledees, Mad Hatters, and a couple of White Rabbits, include the odd looking one with the ears and beard.  He may look familiar to you.  The fellow in the two of hearts getup is Doug Marsh, the NFFC's Vice-President of Chapters.

Friday night was the Celebration Banquet, and our special guests were Kermit the Frog and Sweetums as shown in the first four photos.  Rizzo Rat was there, but too shy for the camera.

Below left is Marty Sklar from Walt Disney Imagineering was a special speaker on Friday.  Next to him is well-known sculptor Ron Lee, who offered a presentation last January, and was present at the Disneyana Show and Sale in July to sign his pieces and personalize them for the crowd.  The next photo shows Dave Smith, the king of the Disney Archives.  He's the author of "Disney A to Z" and has a regular column in the Disney Magazine called, appropriately enough, "Ask Dave."  Dave is member of the NFFC.  Got a Disney question for him?  Click his picture to send your e-mail to Davd.  You should recognize Roy E. Disney, former board member of the Disney Company, former head of the animation division of the studio, and of course, son of Roy O. Disney and nephew of Walt.  He spoke to us in January '04.  Interested in what he's doing now?  Click his picture to go to SaveDisney.Com.  The last two pictures feature Brian again, with Daron, and Nancy and Kim.  Kim is our top-notch publicity person, reported, photographer and all-around good soul.

In the meantime, join the NFFC and see us all next July to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland!

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