Reflections (Beauty and the Beast convention)

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Convention
Name:	Reflections, Reflections 10
Dates:	July 11-13, 1997
Frequency:
Location:	Sheraton Park Place Hotel, Minneapolis, MN
Type:
Focus:	Beauty and the Beast
Organization:	Barb Breuer (one of the coordinators) and Kelly Rosenthal
Founder:
Founding Date:
URL:	Convention reports archived here with Con pictures here (archived) and here, here and here (archived links).
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Blue convention tote bag from "Of things that are not and should be - Reflections on the first 10 Years" (Minneapolis, MN, 1997), with rose, candle and open book with Oscar Wilde/"When the Bluebird Sings" episode quotation

Reflections was a Beauty and the Beast convention held in 1997 in Minneapolis, MN. It was subtitled Of Things That Are Not and That Should Be: Reflections. The convention also published charity zine under the same name: Reflections (Beauty and the Beast zine edited by Gloria Handley). It was the 10th anniversary of the show's airing date, which is why the convention is also known as Reflections 10. A photo of the convention logo can be found here.

The "celebrity doodles" that were auctioned off in the charity event were printed in the last issue of Sanctuary.

David Schwartz gave an interview to a fan at this con and a transcript of it is in Sanctuary #4.

From the Convention Flyer

"....we are still having Friday morning opening ceremonies with plenty of special entertainment in store. There will be discussion panels on all three days with a few topics returning from last year, as well as the costume contest and talent show on Friday night. We will also have a dealers' room, a video room and Saturday Q&A and autograph session with the

celebrities. The banquet will be on Saturday night, followed by the celebrity auction. The Sunday morning brunch was such a success last year that we've decided to do it again and we'll wrap up on Sunday with the traditional passing of the candle.

The art show this year is entitled "Reflections in Art" and all artists of all fan persuasions are encouraged to display their wares (Myhr, this means you). We will be accepting artwork from all seasons of Beauty and the Beast as well as artwork from other genre. So dust off your Star Trek, your HIGHLANDER, your X-Files, your Lois and Clark and your "Other Fantasy" art and bring it to the convention. We will display practically anything provided there's enough space. The art auction this year will be em-ceed by Clare Seifert, so prepare for a lively (and profitable) event on Sunday afternoon, after the brunch.

As for the things we are hoping to do differently this year, we are working on the Chamber of Memories which is a retrospective look at Beauty and the Beast and its fandom. This room will be a collection of items that you the fans donate to share with your fellow fans. We are also planning a pizza party Sunday night after the convention is over for those who are staying and want to keep the fun going.

We are presently working on inviting all our regular favorite celebrities, plus finding some new friends. So far we have spoken to Caitlin O'Heany, Linda Campanelli and Robert John Guttke, all of whom have said that, should their schedules permit, they will be happy to attend.

We're also looking into bringing in Edward Albert, David Schwartz, Jay Acovone and Frank Lutz and should have results within the next few weeks.

This year, as in the past, we have a charity that is in need of help and is of great service to the community. St. Joseph's Home for Children is a place where children who are innocent victims of crime or have been abandoned can go for shelter and safety. St. Joe's also provides an emergency shelter, residential and day treatment programs, diagnostic evaluation and family-based outreach programs. St. joe's has been an institution in Minneapolis since 1864."

The Ongoing Classic vs Season 3 Fan Wars

In Of Love and Hope #3, one classic fan expressed her desire for a "Season 3 Free" convention experience:

I registered for that con, called Reflections (of ten years). They had a

video tape ad for their con played at the banquet on Saturday evening. I fully support including film clips of all the actors, even though I didn't really enjoy seeing the two Diana clips, it was fair to have them in the tape. However, I was pretty turned off (that's mildly stated) by two clips: the Roy Dotrice clip where he recites a poem which refers to dead Catherine (a poem I've hated since I first heard it) and the difficult-to-mention- without-gagging clip showing dead Catherine looking over Vincent's shoulder. Those two graphic reminders that part of fandom believes Catherine died were nearly enough to make me reconsider attending the 1997 con. If I must be forced to see that kind of thing in the con's activities, I'm not likely to feel comfortable. (That, also, is mildly put.)

It is fair to have all seasons represented and celebrated because they are a part of fandom and the ten years of "Beauty and the Beast." But think of the example of restaurants and how they've changed their atmosphere to please everyone. I always ask for the "No Smoking room"--I need and want to breathe smoke-free air and if smoke enters my lungs and tears my eyes, I feel annoyed and ill.

So, I hope that the Reflections con can arrange a "no third season atmosphere" for me at their con, I do not want to inhale what will make me ill I want them to arrange for a "third season atmosphere" for those who

enjoy that. The trick is to pull it off to please both, I believe it can be done."

The fan then proceeded to offer suggestions on how to warn Classic fans of the presence of Season 3 material. Artists would be asked to not mingle Classic images with Season 3 images (and if they did they would be marked on a map so Classic fans could avoid them). Dealers would be allowed to freely market Season 3 material, but the tables of contents of zine would need to warn for Season 3 content.

The majority of OLAH subscribers were not receptive to the Classic fan's ideas and one fan commented:

"I know we've discussed this on the mailing list, but I feel obliged to

repeat this here: Smoking kills people. Third season does not. No, not even Catherine, because she's fictional, and therefore can't be truly harmed (a fact that comes in handy for those of us who prefer a Classic resolution, doesn't it?). I dislike this analogy very much. I'm sorry, but I feel strongly that if something at the con offends you, it is your responsibility to avoid it; it is not the responsibility

of the concom to protect you from it. We're not children here."

In Of Love and Hope #4 the concom responded with an open letter:

"There have been a lot of rumors flying about the upcoming con in

Minneapolis, and as a member of that committee, after numerous discussions at two recent con meetings, I'd like to give a short update here.

First of all, Cons are not simply a conglomeration of 'fans'. People who attend fan conventions are consumers who pay good money and take time out from work and family to attend these events. The con committee has no intention of doing anything which will make anyone uncomfortable. The committee consists of people of all philosophies concerning this show, and we will indeed be sensitive to everyone whether they be Classic, All Season (of any combination, as mentioned in Becky's most recent post) or Third Season fans.

For the most part, conventions are as Classic or All Season not as the committee organizers make them, but as the fans themselves do. We on the committee are committed to ensuring that *everyone* has a good time and no one is made to feel uncomfortable.

From the individual fan's perspective, that means (as always):

Material in the dealer's room is completely the business of the dealer who purchases a table.

Material submitted to the art show and con zine is also purely a matter of the artists' preference.

Talent and costume show participants are free to perform and dress in any way they see fit.

In other words, there will be no restrictions on what fans can and can't do in their capacity as individual attendees. This is their con and they are the customers, first, last and foremost.

From the organizer's perspective: Care will be taken in all areas to ensure that every fan/customer is treated with sensitivity and respect. No one will be forced to encounter or endure anything which will make them uncomfortable. Some examples follow.

For the sensitivities of the consumers, the con zine will be clearly marked to distinguish between Adult and PG material, Classic and 3S material. We do not consider the clear identification of these sections as segregation, but rather a recognition that some fans are sensitive to these issues, and their sensitivities deserve respect. Would any of us ask a fan who considered Adult fanfic to be unacceptable to simply 'read a little and then decide if it's for you'? Each individual knows what is and isn't acceptable to them in this and other areas, and as the con organizers, though we will not make any decisions for anyone, we will provide information wherever feasible to help everyone have the best time they possibly can.

The art show has not been fully outlined, but most likely art will be grouped together and clearly identified by the artists' name in large print. All material by an artist will be together in one space (panel, etc.), regardless of what seasonal preference the mix might contain.

All events (for example; episodes to be played, panel discussions, etc.) will be clearly scheduled and identified so that each fan can choose to attend what interests them and avoid what doesn't.

These are just an example of how we intend to proceed with the business of putting on this event, but they will hopefully begin to reassure everyone that nothing will be done to make anyone uncomfortable at this con. We are going to great lengths to get feedback from all sections of fandom during our discussions to ensure that no one feels unwelcome or need be worried about an unpleasant time in Minneapolis."

Convention Reports

A bad storm delayed the opening ceremonies....Novtek had a "video scrapbook" at the opening ceremonies that had everyone in tears. There were scenes shown from the first two seasons while the main B&B theme played. There were a few panels/games today like B&B Bingo. Tonight is the Talent Show and Costume contest. There are approximately 160 people in attendance.

Last night was the talent show and costume contest. There was a puppet show of the Disney version of B&B. This received a standing ovation. A young girl played the theme from B&B. There was also singing and poem reading. There was a tribute to Sara Conklin. There was an ATN breakfast this morning attended by Mhyr. Everyone had their picture taken together. The banquet is tonight.

The Celebrity Auction took place last night. There's no total at this time, but some examples of bids: an Olivia poster to be signed by Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton $400; a numbered, boxed silver B&B coin also to be signed $300; pewter Vincent necklace with crystal $65. Looks like people saved up their money for the auction again! Great news for the charity and great work by the celebrities!

First, thanks to all those who stopped by the table I had in the dealers room and so generously gave to the American Cancer Society in memory of Sara Conklin who died in March. Although the final count is not in, we've raised over $1000 for that charity. Thank you again.

The generosity of our family goes beyond one charity, though. The main con charity raised $8000-9000, if memory serves me right. CABB raised $3000 for Pediatric Aids. And that's with an attendance of maybe 200 people.

"There was high drama at the celebrity auction when a very unique item went up for bid. Remember the outfit of tunnelwear that Catherine wore in "Orphans" when she was telling Vincent that she wanted to stay below and become part of the tunnel world? Well, Eric Wise told us that there were only two tunnel costumes created for Linda to wear in the show, and the one from "Orphans" was the only costume of any kind that Linda asked to keep for herself when she left the show. He went on to say that they had spoken to Linda on the phone earlier that day, and that she had agreed to donate that very costume to the auction!! For such an unexpected item, the bidding went sky-high, ending at a very dramatic $3000. The

winner? Jackie Skalski, who you may remember as the person who won the high bid on Linda's red dress from "Dark Spirit" two years ago in LA......

....There were so many other moments worth mentioning, from the "family photos" that Dave and Eric were showing off at the Q&A, to the wonderful videotaped greeting from Roy Dotrice that was shown at the banquet, to Myhr getting choked up as he read from Sara Conklin's letter at the talent show/costume contest."

Fans of the entire series were a little disappointed that third season was not represented in the beautiful NovTek video at Opening Ceremony. Diana made a couple of appearances on 210 shirts - I wore mine, Lisa wore hers (on different days - not sure if Eric wore his) Jackie entered the fancy dress as "Not Catherine" <g> I had taken my Diana wig and baseball cap just in case Jackie needed them and on the spur of the moment Diana came to the charity auction (wearing a Cyberspace tee shirt so that she represented all three seasons)....

...The tribute to Sara was breath-bereaving - but the costume [she hand made] - you gotta see it up close. The buttons are hand made from wood and... and... I can't tell you... you GOTTA see it. Linda Moore told me Sara added a little something to it every year. My tee hee this year was that I wore one item LESS each time I did 'Trick or Treat' (aka 'the towels') I've done that costume three times now and it will NEVER be done again because... I could not wear LESS and still be in

costume... unless I omitted the crystal. I also managed to use some actual dialogue from Masques on stage. I wished I had a camera to get a shot of Myhr's face when I said "Don't you look wonderful! Did your mother make that?" (I couldn't have taken a shot anyway because I had to hold on to the towel!!!) Then, after giving him "Kit-Kats" and "Murray Mints" I said "I'll be ready in fifteen minutes" Last year I just wanted to get off the stage as soon as possible - this year I was rehearsed!!

Once again it was a wonderful gathering of friends and 'family', this time in Minneapolis at "Reflections", a celebration of the first ten years of "Beauty and the Beast". I love the sound of that -- the "first" ten years -- so full of promise that there will be many, many more.

For me, that sentiment sums up this con; it was a feeling that could be sensed everywhere throughout the weekend, an affirmation that despite the upheavals, disagreements, and disappointments that have occurred within our fandom, we've stayed together and we've come through it all. We have endured and emerged on the other side with a wonderful sense of unity and peacefulness. This was a con where differences were put aside and we relaxed and enjoyed each other's company without worrying about labels or rumors or reputations. I'm not sure why this happened at "Reflections", and I'm not

sure the "why" of it is all that important; what is important is that it happened, and I hope with all my heart that this atmosphere continues throughout the next ten years of B&B fandom...and the next...and the next...

"Reflections" provided a selection of traditional con events such as an art show and auction, dealers' room, celebrity charity auction to benefit the St. Joseph's Home for Children, panel discussions, Q&A session, video room, costume contest, talent show, souvenir conzine (with spectacular cover art by Kevin Barnes), autograph session, Saturday evening banquet, Sunday brunch, the closing ceremonies with a musical performance by Ren Woods and a lovely traditional passing of the candle to the hosts of the next three cons -- Amber James (Aug. '97, England), Laurie Wittenberg (March, '98, Virginia), and Dorothy Seltzer (June '98, Las Vegas). The "Reflections" committee also hosted the now traditional Monday "field trip" -- this time to the massive Mall of America. Another special feature of this con was a "Chamber of Memories" which displayed collections made by various groups or individuals of B&B costumes, photos, letters, club activities, and other intriguing memorabilia. The entire weekend was extremely enjoyable, but, unfortunately, there simply isn't room in CABB Fare to describe everything, so I'll concentrate on some of the most memorable and special events.

The Opening Ceremonies on Friday morning got us started with David Schwartz's always enthusiastic welcoming comments, good-natured antics by the very talented Jamie Murray's alter ego "Myhr", an energetic appearance by Ren Woods ("Edie"), and the introduction of the newest con favorite, Eric Weiss, who worked in costuming on B&B and was Ron Perlman's dresser. (You can imagine the stories we heard! I'll include some details later in this article.) Jay Acovone made his very welcome appearance later in the weekend and, as always, his presence added a great deal of fun to the activities.

Some of the celebrity guests originally mentioned for this con were not in attendance after all. Edward Albert's movie schedule did not permit him to attend, and a conflict with arrangements made Caitlin O'Heaney's participation impossible as well. Since CABB was to sponsor Linda Campanelli's attendance at "Reflections", we felt an explanation as to why she did not attend would be of particular interest to our members. As part of the reason is personal in nature, it's not our place to go into a lot of details, but we do want to reassure CABB members that Linda very much wanted to attend the con and has expressed a great deal of interest and enthusiasm about attending them in the future. It was a real disappointment to her, as well as to all of us, that things did not work out and she was unable to join us in Minneapolis.

We'll definitely look forward to sponsoring her participation at a future con, ideally in Orlando in 1999.

Friday night's costume contest and talent show offered a wide range of presentations, some very touching (including a tribute to Sarah Conklin, led by Myhr) and some very humorous, but all reflective of the talented people in our fandom. The costumes were wonderful this year, and CABB's own Teri Peppe won an award for her unique and creative appearance as "Catherine's Tree". During Saturday night's banquet, we enjoyed a video-taped greeting from Roy Dotrice, as filmed by his son-in-law Edward Woodward, and learned that a special family gathering in celebration of the Dotrices' anniversary kept Roy from joining us this year. I'm sure he must be aware of all the good wishes that were sent to him and that he was very much missed at the con.

After the banquet, the celebrity charity auction began, and we greatly enjoyed the humor and energy David, Jay, Eric, and Myhr put into their efforts to raise money for a very deserving facility for children. At one point Jay did impromptu performances from various B&B scripts, reading both Joe's lines and Catherine's! Among the items auctioned were two costumes, one of which -- Charles's clothing from "Brothers" -- was modeled with great 'style' by Myhr. The other costume, a fantastic surprise entry in the auction, was not present on stage that night; and although we did see it in a video clip from the episode "Orphans", that reminder wasn't really needed, for who could forget the tunnel clothing Catherine wore as she healed within the warmth and love of Vincent's home Below. The reason this costume was not at the con in time for the auction was told to us by David, and I know you'll enjoy hearing it as much as we did.

David explained that he had spoken to Linda Hamilton earlier in the day and, although he did not specifically say so, it seems safe to guess that he mentioned to her the need for additional items for this year's auction. When Linda left B&B, she had asked to have only the costumes that made up her tunnel clothing, and it was this costume, which she has kept with her all these years, that she donated in support of the children's shelter. I'm sure there could not have been a single person in the crowd whose heart was not touched by Linda's very generous gift. The bidding was heated, and because of Linda's kindness $3000 was raised on just this item alone, an amount which was fully one-third of the total generated by the entire auction.

The 1997 American convention was held at the Sheraton Park Place Hotel in Minneapolis on 11,12 and 13 July, and despite feeling that Basil Fawlty should be lurking behind the scenes in the restaurant and bar areas, a wonderful time was enjoyed by the 180 or so attendees. Celebrity guests were Jay Acovone, David Schwartz, Eric Weiss ( from wardrobe on the show), Jamie Murray ( who was accompanied by the delightfully irascible MYHR in his now customary role as M.C.) and Ren Woods, who popped in on the Friday evening to say 'hello' and joined us at the banquet. She also treated us to a couple of powerfuly delivered songs at the closing ceremony. David joined us at the opening ceremony^and introduced his friend Eric as a 'virgin' who'd never attended a convention before, and later, during the Talent Show, we sat spelbound as a group of fans from Atlanta, put on a puppet show, where the audience had the choice of watching the antics of cute little creatures singing and dancing, either on a screen, or live. Other acts included poetry recitals, a wonderful rendition of The Village People song,' YMCA' (picture Vincent among them if you can...it was priceless!) and our very own Sue Haley continuing her tradition of signing to two beautiful songs. Following the Q and A session. Jay, David and Eric delighted the audience with a slide collection of their own private photos taken behind the scenes while the show was in production. Each photo was accompanied by a story by one of more of the guys, as memories were jogged and humorous anecdotes flowed freely. As has become synonymous with Beauty and the Beast conventions world-wide, there were workshops, panel games, Q and A sessions with the guests and of course the Charity Auction. In fact this year there were three of these; the main one being on behalf of St Joseph's Children's Home in Minneapolis. The second, run by the Classic Alliance of Beauty and the Beast (CABB), a fast - growing organisation run by 4 energetic and enthusiastic ladies in the US - to help Paeddiatric Aids. This auction was a particularly interesting and fum event, as it was composed solely of 'doodles' by as many of the cast and crew of the show as Peg McNabb was able to acquire. Incredibly, $800 was paid for Vincent make-up artist Margaret Bessara's effort and $175 for production designer John Mansbridge's. It was an 'open bid' situation and people were allowed to inspect the bidding sheets at any time up until closure at 3.30pm on Sunday, when an excited crowd flocked the CABB table to find out if they'd managed to secure their precious piece of B&B memorabilia. Someone remarked at this stage, that those with the foresight to actually bring a pen along at 3.25pm, had a distinct advantage over their fellow competitors; you could either use it to increase your bid, or failing that, stab your opponent in the ear with it...all in the best tunnel spirit of course.

The third auction was tinged with bittersweet poignancy since it comprised Sara Conklin's B&B collection. There can be few fans who don't know that Sara succumbed to cancer on 17 March 1997 after a long and courageous struggle, and she particularly requested that Linda Moore, who runs Edward Albert's Band of Angels, endeavor to raise money for the American Cancer Society by selling her precious items of memorabilia. Even those who never knew Sara personally, will for ever associate her with the ' Tunnel Rat Catcher' character she portrayed many times in the costume contest at conventions, both in the US and here in England, providing hilarious entertainment for the audience. Now sadly she has gone, but her generous spirit lives on to help others who will benefit from the $1,000 her collection raised. The conventional auction had a wide ranging collection of items and eventually raised $9,000 which, when added to the total proceeds of $3,000 from the CABB event and $1,000 from Sara's collection, meant that three lucky charities received a share of an amazing $13,000. Beauty and the Beast generosity at its best. There were two original costumes from the show; one worn by Kevin Scannell as 'Charles' in Brothers raised over $200 from a lady who bought it simply to give to a friend she knew would enjoy wearing it in future costume contests, since she's already won several awards with her own 'Charles' make-up. This same benefactor, incidentally, decided she hadn't donated sufficient money to the charities and later paid $300 for a t-shirt supplied by Ren Woods. Such generosity really does have to be seen to be believed. I have a feeling this lovely lady would not want to be identified, since when I mentioned it to her, she said 'it was no big deal.' Well I think it's a very big deal and, with many others, I feel very privileged and proud to call her a friend.

The other was an outfit worn by Linda Hamilton in Orphans, and personally donated by her, despite it being the one costume she had specifically asked if she might keep when the show ended. Her gesture was obviously appreciated, since it raised $3,000 and there were two ladies bidding for the privilege of owning the costume. David, Jay and Eric presided over the auction and Eric proved a match for the fast and furious humour and quips delivered by his companions. Jamie pulled the short straw by having to rush around the room showing the various items to bidding competitors. It even fell to him to model the 'Charles' costume and he made everyone laugh with his antics. A new event was the Celebrity Brunch which was held on Sunday morning in the main function room. Food was plentiful and everyone was able to help themselves to as much as they wanted. The guests took the stage when pressed, but had no pre-prepared speeches since it was a purely informal occasion. Possibly the most entertaining moment was when Diane and Sylvia, two talented ladies we'd met at the opening ceremony, performed some more of their parody songs. They had written one for each of the guests who seemed touched and delighted by the personal and hilarious tributes.

All too soon it was Sunday afternoon and time for the closing ceremony, although the inevitable sadness associated with this, was diluted by another equally tremendous puppet show which raised everyone's spirits sufficiently to enjoy the handing over of the candle by this year's convention organisers in Minneapolis, to next year's sacrificial lambs' who, in turn, told us about their conventions. One wil be held in March in Norfolk. Virginia, USA and the other in June in Las Vegas (a multi-fandom convention). A nice touch at this point was calling our own Amber James on stage as the organiser of the very next (at the time) B&B convention, ' A Moment In Time' at Manchester in August. As usual, Nov-Tek were on hand to film al the major events, and videos will be on sale shortly.