lcfc party reports

1997: East Coast Fan Club Extravaganza
Anne Nilan

It was a bright, sunny day in NYC on Saturday, June 28, 1997, when Leslie Charleson hosted her East Coast Fan Extravaganza at the St. Moritz Hotel overlooking Central Park. About 70 fans gathered to spend an afternoon of fun and laughter with Leslie and her fan club presidents, Krista Dragna and Kay Marrs.

We began our day with cocktails, browsing several tables bearing Quartemainabilia. One had Q merchandise for sale, with great photos of Leslie, Stuart, and the other Q's; "I'm a Quartermainiac" notepads; and the ever-popular, "It's my house -- but I gave it to you!" t-shirts.

A second table held items to be offered in the raffle. These included autographed scripts from the Dorman storyline; a script from a yet-to-be aired show; the bloody scalpel used to kill Dorman; and various items of jewelry and clothing belonging to the Q family.

We moved into the main luncheon room and settled in with a wall of windows looking out on the park. The view was magnificent from the top of the hotel, and we were soon treated to the sight of the even more magnificent Ms. Charleson.

After greeting us and thanking us all for attending, we all settled in and chatted as we ate lunch. Leslie circulated around the room after she ate, stopping to talk to everyone at each table. She was very charming and quite beautiful. A surprise was in store for her when the dessert was brought out -- a cake to celebrate her 20 years on GH.

Soon it was time for a Q & A session. Everyone had submitted questions, and Leslie went through them all. Some were serious storyline questions, some were hilarious. Leslie seemed to enjoy being able to talk to us and answer our questions. One fan had written a poem for Leslie about her sister and used this opportunity to give a framed copy of it to her.

Next up was the raffle and there were many happy winners. Leslie seemed to enjoy running the raffle, pointing out which items she "stole" from wardrobe. Certain items she seemed a bit hesitant to part with, but of course, gave them up to the lucky winners. Following the raffle, everyone had the opportunity to get an autograph and a picture taken with Leslie. It was a perfect end to the perfect afternoon. A special thank you to Ang, Phyllis, Kay, and Krista -- all charming hostesses of Leslie's fan club.