The Nostalgia Convention also features seminars on comic and pulp characters such as Popeye, Doc Savage, Captain Midnight, and Tarzan of the Apes. He looks so young it is hard to believe he is 75 years old!” You may have recently seen Jimmie Walker on TV commercials for Medicare. He modestly turned his head, smiled, and said, ‘Oh, stop! Thank you!’ It felt good to put a smile on his face after he had put a smile on my face and made me laugh for so many years. I told him that I loved the lively and memorable role he created. (‘J.J.’) from TV’s ‘Good Times.’ He was just as energetic and full of ‘Dyn-O-Mite’ (his TV catchphrase) as when the TV series first aired on CBS from 1974 to 1979. ![]() “I had the opportunity to meet Jimmie Walker who starred as James Evans Jr. Beachy also tells us of meeting an actor from a popular 1970s sitcom: Interestingly, 26 years after the TV show ended, Melissa Gilbert played Caroline “Ma” Ingalls in the musical adaptation of ‘Little House on the Prairie’ in 2008 through 2009.” She said, ‘Oh, yes! I had crab cakes the first night I was here in Baltimore!’ I then had the chance to pose for a photo with this iconic celebrity! For those too young to remember, ‘Little House on the Prairie’ was an American Western historical drama which premiered in 1974 on NBC and lasted for nine seasons, ending in 1983. “This year, I met Melissa Gilbert who starred as Laura Ingalls from TV’s ‘Little House on the Prairie.’ I welcomed her to Baltimore and asked if she had the chance to eat a crab cake. Beachy which famous stars of yesteryear he met, he told me of meeting two: Last year I met Kathy Garver, who played Cissy on TV’s ‘Family Affair.’ In one skit at last year’s convention, she did a wonderful impression of an earlier TV star, Gracie Allen, in a classic ‘Burns and Allen’ routine. One of the fun things I hold dear about the Nostalgia Convention is meeting celebrities on hand from famous television shows of the past. Because the artistry of the ornaments is so colorful, detailed, and original, ‘The Ornament Guy’ is my choice as the number one artist/vendor to visit at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention.” Friends called it ‘spooktacular!’ For over 25 years, Mike Riehl from Allentown, PA, has been hand-painting ornaments with a steady hand and a wildly creative imagination. The tree featured hand-painted ornaments of Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, The Mummy, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. One year, I bought several movie monster-themed ornaments and created a Halloween-themed, Christmas tree. What makes these ornaments unique is that they feature your favorite characters from cartoons, TV, movies, horror, and sci-fi. This annual event intrigued Mark Beachy, founder and publisher emeritus of MD Theater Guide, who visited the convention: “The artist/vendor that is my number one recommendation is ‘The Ornament Guy.’ Mike Riehl is the amazing artist behind original, hand-painted, Christmas bulb-style ornaments. ![]() “…the annual Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention…a must for fans of American, mid-twentieth-century popular culture.” Who doesn’t want to have their photo taken with Hollywood celebrities to brag to their friends on social media, or their annual Christmas card?” People looking for something to do to get out of the house this year may want to consider something different from the usual trips to theme parks, reptile shows, and campgrounds. ![]() As you know, no one was able to host a convention or film festival in 2020, and few were able to pull it off in the latter half of 2021. When Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention organizer and cultural historian, Martin Grams, invited me to this year’s convention that was held September 15-17, 2022 in Hunt Valley, MD, he told me: “I guess the highlight of this year’s event is the fact that we will be back to a sense of normalcy. MD Theater Guide founder and publisher emeritus Mark Beachy with television stars Melissa Gilbert (“Little House on the Prairie”) and Jimmie Walker (“Good Times”) at the 2022 Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention.
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