We arrive in Arkansas to visit my Mom.She was having lunch and we joined her. and spent the day with her.Then off to the farm to see sister Mary and her husband Eddy.Eddy suggest we fund raise at the fraternity he is chef at on Tuesday.It’s all set and we meet him at 12 in Fayetteville . The car is greeted with collegiate smiles and cell phones.While the car poses for pictures, we enjoy lasagna in the chef's kitchen.Yummy!
The fraternity's house mother, who is also a photographer, introduces herself and suggests we drive the car to a nearby cemetery for a photo shoot. Sounds like a lot of fun! We finish our gourmet meal and provide compliments to the chef and his assistant, Sally, and then drive off to the Creepy location. We leave her our card with hopes she'll share the results with us. (She still shoots with film.) Can’t wait to see the pics.
Another quick visit with Mom and then we meet up with the gang for a viewing of Alice in Wonderland.I liked it! Oliver not so much.
Wednesday finds us packing our bags, bidding good bye to family and barn.Everyone should be so lucky to have a red barn to call their own. To home we go. This has been a long stretch of time traveling!
Saturday morning and we are up and ready to do more film festival events.We pick up our new pal Cian who is from Ireland, for a 3-in-a-2-seater car ride!We decided we're going to call this a 'Jeffrey Sqweezman', in honor of our friend who first helped us prove that three people COULD fit in a DeLorean. It was Cian’s birthday, and he kept repeating ‘Best Birthday Ever!’Nice crowd waiting to see Claudia and James.We sent several more fans away with the Anniversary poster, then we were off for our appearance at the Zodiac.More nice people; a young blind man who was fascinated by the car.Oli directed his hands to the buttons inside the time machine that cause sound effects to activate.Lunch at Rosie’s was a welcome pause for calm and peace.A Margarita assisted in this state.
A nap and then off to the awards ceremony.Another car photo opportunity with the Flogo guys doing their magic soap bubbles.The awards ceremony was very nice, we have been so lucky to be part of such a wonderful celebration of film.The after party at Cypress Moon studios was jamming, with live music in the sound studio portion.It was also very crowded, and quite the ‘place to be’ that night!and then back to the hotel where our little D has her own photo shoot with Tom.Some really amazing images came from that, and Tom made the car look prettier than ever!
Friday morning, getting ready for films and talks.Our next appearance is at the Shoals Theater tonight.
We met Stephen at the Shoals to help set up his BTTF merchandise store for the evenings event.We had the car parked on the street about a ½ block away.There was a lot of setting up going on because ‘First Fridays’, a downtown street festival was happening.Crafts, music, and street fun happening that night.The Shoal’s theater is a classic 1950’s movie house.It played all the big hits in the day, closed for a period of time when the movie multiplex opened across town and now it’s a very active playhouse.Wonderfully restored with a mauve and teal color scheme.The staff there was very helpful with tables and extension cords, etc.Oli got to climb on top of the marquee to drop down power for the DeLorean’s display charging system!
There was a separate box office at the base of a back staircase leading to the balcony. This is a now rarely seen architectural feature that existed as an old reminder of segregation.Ironically, a few of the locals noted that the balcony had some of the best seats in the house!
At 10 am we were off for Bernd Kruyt’s documentary on the flying taxi from BTTF part 2 and Michael Sheffee’s talk about that build and his career as an artist in film.Both were fascinating.Oli and I were lucky enough to see the Taxi up close and in person at the 2002 FX toy show.We had an immediate appreciation for the Citron DS that the taxi is built on.
And now to be able to say we know the man who made it happen is great.
After that talk we went to lunch, the gang is growing.George Lindsey, the namesake of the festival, (as well as ‘Goober’ from the Andy Griffith Show!) joined us for the meal and we all had a great time.Tonya Holly and daughter Lily of the Cypress Moon Studios (a local film and recording studio) also joined us.Oliver and I became bookends of the long table, and took turns making faces at each other from across the room.Then it was off to Bob Gale’s talk on writing. We were driven over by campus security and escorted up the back way to be able to sneak in a side entrance.Bob was very good with his analysis of how he works, how he works with others, such as Bob Z and how it’s important to study.-We are at a University, you know.
Then back to the Shoal’s where Oli and I prep a poster station and then take the car to the President’s reception.Now this is a big deal, because there are a lot of State House politicians present.We make a fine impression and hope the University receives the much deserved funding it is seeking.They arrived in a special transport vehicle and took turns posing with the car.I kept the engine running to provide power for all the lights, as there was no electrical outlet on the front lawn of the beautiful grand multi-columned building.Suddenly, there was a pop and smoky coolant came shooting out of the overflow tube, to the delight of onlookers.'How does it do that?' they clapped excitedly. 'Movie magic!,' Oli lied, with a nervous smile. He turned on the heater and cooled off the engine.No damage, but the car did not like idling for such a long time. Oliver would like to take this moment to apologize to the lawns keeper of the university, for the little dead spot of former grass he unintentionally killed with boiling coolant.
Campus police saw the situation and radioed for some antifreeze.Just a minute passed, and I was filling up the tank again, and everything was perfect!Just in time!
George Lindsey arrived as we were parking and Oli took him for a spin, which turned out to be a personal tour of George’s school.Mr. Lindsey is a great patron to his school.
He has given the school his script library, from his episodes on the Andy Griffith show to Twilight Zone, and helped develop and loan his name to the film festival.
Now dashing back to the Shoal’s for the Q&A with the BTTF cast.Hosted by alum Danny Wilson who has a fine body of work and was recently seen in the movie ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.’It was a fine session with Bob Gale, Claudia Wells, James Tolkan and Michael Sheffe.Lea Thompson wasn’t able to attend but taped a greeting and some answers to the panel questions.It was entertaining and we learned some new facts!
I’ve waited to the end of this portion of the blog to write for our little D.She was quite the star.Sparkled and shined.She enjoyed the cobble stone runway up to the theater, and the photos taken have brought countless smiles.Being outside of the Shoal’s under the marquee was a wonderful position to bring attention to the event.Folks that saw her in the daytime were quite impressed when the sun set and she lit up like the star car she is.All through the night I was helping kind and generous donation makers in and out of the car.It was a funny frenzy!No line, just ‘who’s next?’ from me, and the crowd jumping for their turn.That was fun, but what was amazing was watching Oli sign his posters.Michael Scheffe gave Oli a kind compliment when he equated the poster to Drew Struzan’s style.Oli was floating on air after that.Me too!The evening ended with a good night from Mr. Lindsey and dinner with the gang at the local Italian restaurant. And then a late night screening of “Lightning Salad Moving Picture” at the Zodiac.The movie included Bob Zemeckis requesting two unlikely candidate film students to start working on Back to the Future Part IV”.Funny, interesting, and glad we got to see it.
Our old friend Stephen greeted us with hugs the next morning, and we all sat and enjoyed breakfast with a new friend, Michael Scheffe, who was the construction coordinator of the DeLorean Time Machine in the movie ‘Back to the Future.’His reputation for being a really nice guy is an understatement, and his smile is contagious.Later, we’re joined by Bernd Kruyt, a Dutch television director, producer and filmmaker whose work we’ll see tomorrow; showcasing the flying taxicab from BTTF, part 2.(I know –a lot of Back to the Future talk here, but after all. . . ‘that’s how we roll hover.’)
Our first appearance was at the Kilby School, where the car actually enjoyed receiving hundreds of tiny fingerprints!It was fun to watch class after class file out of the school and circle around the car.They had been prepared by their teachers for our arrival, and many had little clear sandwich bags filled with coins to place into Mr. Compassion.I quickly saw a height issue, and grabbed a wooden step stool from inside.One by one they would climb up and drop their pennies into the slot, and react to the resulting recording.A row of teachers, coaches, principals, and staff formed, all taking pictures and enjoying the sight.A science instructor from a nearby technical came to be a part of it, in his own unique version of ‘Doc Brown’ character.He riddled the kids, and posed for photos.Further adding to the circus was an ingenious device presented by a local special effects company.The device, called ‘Flogos’ creates dense soap bubble foam, filled with helium rather than oxygen.The foam is extruded through a large template to form shapes, then released into the air to float away!
After Kilby school we had a nice lunch at a ‘Crocodile’ restaurant with our breakfast bunch plus Cynthia Burkhead with the film festival and a fellah who makes parts for Knight Rider cars.(He was a fan of Scheffe, and wanted to spend some time with him!)Stories were shared about building cars and travels along the highways.Since Oli has a fear of gators, he ordered gator bites, which were good.
Tom Silknitter, from PA is here to enjoy the 25th Anniversary and to take photos.In fact, many of the photos illustrating this portion of the blog are credited to Tom and his professional, skillful talents! (Thank you, Tom!)
Tom is also a BTTF encyclopedia.We spent hours pouring over his photo album and then visited the Library to see the BTTF display Stephen set up, very cool, but what was more fun was watching Oli, Stephen and Tom discuss which movie moment each piece was from.A call sheet with Eric Stoltz’s name listed was a subtle treasure. We are such geeks!A tour of the lion habitat (the schools mascots) and then off to the Zodiac Theatre for another appearance.
We were greeted by a crowd waiting to see our car.Peyton, a young man with autism made his donation and sat, or as I kept saying, ‘set’ in the car.My southern good ol’ gal was in high gear.Peyton was fascinated with the car, all the buttons and lights.Peyton’s father was just as fascinated watching his son enjoy the DeLorean Time Machine.The night was filled with great fun.We were at the Zodiac for two hours, took lots of pictures and enjoyed wonderful conversation with students, film buffs and folks who just stopped to see the DeLorean.As the sun set, the car really started to sparkle and our time finished with a flurry of, ‘Oh wait please one more picture!!!’
Then we blasted off for dinner with Bob Gale, James Tolken and his engaging wife Parmelee, and the whole gang from breakfast and lunch.Claudia Wells and her sister Jennifer joined us later.
Great food and even better company!Thank you UNA and Florence Chamber of Commerce.
Our last day at the convention and we have had a great time.The long hours can be a bit tedious, and eventually some silliness will occur. . .
Couldn’t ask for a nicer group to work with than RelWare.The photo opp was a great success.Folks from over a mile away in hall C walked hall B to find the DeLorean.We took almost 500 pictures.More stories from attendees about family members with PD.It seemed to make them feel better to hear us say Thank you for helping find a cure.Some people apologized for only giving a dollar.Every dollar counts.Every dollar means a lot!!At the end of the show, our Grand total came to. . .
$353.00!
And that is just from providing great folks a way to donate!
The 5:30 ending bell rang, and we were unplugged, packed up and ready to roll! We said our goodbyes to the crew, and a convention center professional was there to lead us out to the loading dock before the cases and forklifts swamped the aisles. It was a swift, smooth exit, and we programmed the time circuits to our next stop:
Off to Florence, Alabama for the GLUNA Film Festival.We are looking forward to seeing our old friends and meeting new ones.(Especially at the grade school appearance, where the organizers have developed at great way for kids to donate, Pocket Change! We’ll need a step stool for the little ones to reach Mr. Compassion but they want to help and we will make it work!
There’s one more day here in Atlanta at the Healthcare Information & Management Systems Society. The RelWare crew has been pleased with the response from the time machine. The Georgia World Congress Center is HUGE! It is one of the largest multi-purpose sports and entertainment complexes in the United States and this conference uses all three halls. The nicest compliments have come from attendees who heard about the vehicle two buildings over, and came looking for our booth! Hopefully this will be the most successful show for our hosting company, since they've been so nice and as equally supportive of our goals as their own! I couldn't count how many times Dan encouraged people to donate something!
Arrived in Florence earlier than expected, after traveling backwards in time one hour.So we have an extra hour to sleep tonight which will come in handy if we can prevent our internal alarm clocks from waking us prematurely in the morning!
Departed for Atlanta at 5:30 with one fly back.The drive to Atlanta began in the wee hours of the morning with full moon lighting the sky!The drive was uneventful, nice and easy 6 and ½ hours and we were loading into the convention center.Well, first Oli went to the hotel to pick up our client to give him a ride in the time machine.
We are representing RelWare, a medical software firm whose slogan for this show is Road Map to the Future. The show opens March 1st and runs through March 3rd.
The RelWare booth is a popular stop. (If you're a fan of Back to the Future, you'll notice the number of the aisle we're on, and it's significance!) This number keeps popping up, almost everywhere we go, from hotel room numbers, fast food receipts, etc. We have taken a lot of photos of attendees and exhibitors with the car.Being a medical show we have met some very interesting people, one gentleman from London stopped to tell us about his company’s experimental work with strobeing eyeglasses, that help PD patience walk easier.
RelWare has been kind enough to let us fund raise at the show.Dan asked if we had a LARGER sign to place on the car during the show, and we said 'Why yes we do!' It is touching when someone sees the car from across the isle and then reads the signs and then donates. One fellow shared with us that his father is suffering from PD and that he really appreciated what tothefuture.org was doing.I told him that he just helped to find a cure!
He’ll help even more: for his 40th birthday he plans to run the NY Marathon.He’s nota runner, but he’ll train and run with MJFF to show his support.Happy Birthday!!
Terry and I strive to reinvent ourselves, particularly in finding creative ways to continue our fund raising mission. Harsh winter weather, fuel prices and the general economy can make time traveling a challenge, but there's always something to be done. For those who wish to assist TeamFox in your own way, I offer the following personal example of 'Use what you got!' I was an art major in college and decided to 'use what I got' in the form of painting a new poster marking the year 2010: The 25th Anniversary of 'Back to the Future.' Our friend and generous 'patron of the arts', Stephen Clark of BTTF.com helped make the limited edition possible and we'll have them at all of our public appearances, while supplies last. You can get a signed, numbered poster for yourself or a friend for a donation of $10. Proceeds will go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. CLICK HERE!
A few weeks ago, a young man in Russia found us on the internet and sent an email saying he and a friend would be driving through the east and wanted to stop in South Carolina to see the time machine. As with most things in life, 'timing is everything' and we were able to grant their request. Denis Efremov and Daria are from Moscow and are Back to the Future fans. (Note his 'life preserver' vest!) They described many of the differences between Russia and the U.S., including the excitement of seeing fire escapes for the first time (other than from American films), the weather and driving in traffic over here. We had a most enjoyable visit and shared some knowledge about the movie and DeLoreans. They both are students and speak fluent English. (The Russian alphabet boggles my mind, much less the application of it. . .) Before departing, Denis asked to make a donation to our TeamFox effort, and was quite generous to say the least. (THANK YOU, DENIS!) It was an 'exotic' international connection and quite unusual in that we didn't have to time travel very far for this encounter!
The Elite List at Worth.com has announced the 10 most fiscally responsible charities. I'm so proud of the MJFF and happy to be a part of their fundraising. It's great to show they are so responsible with donations! Read the details HERE.
This past Saturday, on November 21st, the Michael J. Fox Foundation held their last round table discussion of the year in New York. Though we couldn't make it to this one in person, I was able to catch the live webstream online and enjoyed seeing some familiar faces and some new ones. Michael spoke near the beginning and set the tone for an enlightening discussion. And now, through the magic of technology, you can be there too! Hop inside our DeLorean and time travel with us now, back to that date just by clicking this LINK. I encourage everyone to take a break and join some of the brilliant minds speaking about the research that is going on, and also hear and see some of the equally brilliant people steering the foundation today. Progress is happening.
Terry and I were driving the other day, when I suddenly did a U-turn. I just had to go back and get a photo of this to share with everyone. Here's a link to the Values.com page featuring Michael J. Fox.
The hardest working time machine on the planet recently got some much needed TLC from Rob Grady, at PJ Grady's in West Sayville, NY. New rack, rear brake rotors, full tune up, and several other thingamabobs. One of the spark plug wells was full of water. :( Now we're time traveling much smoother! Thanks, Rob and Jerome!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Had an amazing time in Salem, Massachusetts Halloween 2009 Record crowds & wonderful weather! We raised awareness and funds and the spirits!!
11 AM, we are in Salem and ready to experience the magic of Halloween Town! The streets are quiet, but there is a buzz in the air. Breakfast at Red’s, is a clue to the potential of the day. The line is out the door and we wait with witches and lions and all manner of hungry creatures. ‘Highest quality, lowest prices around!’ The line moves fast and the famous pancakes are slightly bigger than the plates they are served on. Don’t order more than one. You’ll be sorry. We find our Salem contact Ellen and she provides us with our credentials and sets us up at the corner of Washington and Front Street. We are out of the street and on the walkway and immediately the fun starts, taking pictures, explaining our mission -and we are fundraising. The crowds build fast. The time machine is seldom without a crowd. The day flies as we talk and take pictures through the afternoon and into the night. Martys and Docs, fairies and devils. Michael Myers and Freddys. Bananas, and even a Franken-Potter. Everyone out in their finest costumes. Occasional entertainment passes down the street, impromtu percussion bands, unicyclists and the screaming waves. Like “the wave” arm-waving but joyful-wailing screams. The spirits are out indeed. The fund raising was awesome. Dollar after dollar dropped into Mr. Compassion. Every little bit helps. Both Oli and I met amazing people; a 50-year-old man who cares for his 80-year-old father with Parkinson’s, his words, “it’s a mean disease”. A young man tells us about his brother being diagnosed with young onset PD. Ellen stops by again to make sure we’re o.k. and nearby shop owners offer their encouragement and support (and washrooms!). Each event we do is different, and this one was no exception. People were seeking us out to donate. They’d heard from someone that we were there, and they wanted to take part. Word of mouth! The time machine had it’s appeal, however the crowds seemed to really be into the mission! Wonderful people. Around 10:30pm the weather starts to turn colder and rain clears the streets. As we pack up we discover the car battery is dead! Time travel is not always smooth. Finding an outlet, we take a break and charge up while charting a course for the night’s lodging. It was an incredible Halloween, and we share stories with each other about the characters we met. The DeLorean decides it’s time to go, so the engine cranks, and we say goodbye to Salem!
Just got the final word today from Ellen Talkowski, who works with the city of Salem, that we have been given clearance to display the time machine on Halloween! This was such a relief to hear, as we've been working toward this for some time, through various channels. We are looking forward to experiencing the holiday in America's 'Halloween Town', but more importantly, applying our strategic combination of location and timing to 'raise funds and awareness' in this densely populated event. We did some reconnaissance and found our designated location to be just one block from the iconic Bewitched statue near Essex Street! Reports from All Hallows Eve will follow!
We arrive in Boston and leap into action, serving a company with our DeLorean as part of their convention center booth display. It is a pure coincidence that Halloween is just around the corner, and the event is a Funeral Directors annual trade show! Not only will a portion of the proceeds from our appearance go to Team Fox as part of our ongoing mission, but several attendees made contributions of their own. After the hard work was done, we explored Boston, visiting the Museum of Fine Art, and historic Faneuil Hall, also known as the 'cradle of liberty.' Tuesday night we attended the American Repertory Theatre's 'Sleep No More', an extremely entertaining, challenging and mysterious 'immersion theatre' experience. Centered around Shakespere's Macbeth, blended with Hitchcock, patrons wear masks and explore highly detailed and eerie movie-style environs while performers move throughout the four story building unveiling their silent, dream-like tale. It was creative, unique, unusual, thrilling and unsettling. A rare, unexpected pleasure on this journey.
Terry and I enjoyed a soggy, but fun time with fellow DeLorean owners over the weekend. A tour of the 'Julius Sturgis Pretzel Factory' (The world's first commercial pretzel factory) in Lititz, PA. had us rolling dough into a snake, then manipulating it into the familiar twisted shape. Terry's turned out much better. At the end of the tour, we even got a free bag of pretzels.
We slept in a caboose, listening to the soft 'clip-clop' sounds of the Amish buggies passing. (Photos by Kevin Abato.)
The leaves are changing colors and there's no better view than through the windows of a time machine! We're heading to Lancaster for a gathering of the DeLorean Mid Atlantic group. Note: People in Baltimore like to honk when they see a time machine, more than any other city we've been through! Friendly people who really want to have an extended conversation at 70mph. :)
Another adventure on our drive to cure Parkinsons. Savannah, Georgia! The beautiful and historic Savannah Theatre were warm hosts to the DeLorean Time Machine this evening, in a special appearance that just happened to be an appropriate compliment their current show, 'Hooray for Hollywood.' News crews representing Fox, ABC, and CBS showed up to do a great job in helping spread the word about Team Fox, the MJFF, and our unique approach in supporting this cause. The DeLorean attracted attention outside the theatre, while inside, the cast and crew presented an impressive show by even the highest of standards. During intermission, Matt Meece, company owner, made an unexpected announcement to introduce the audience to our mission and invited the audience to make donations. To further entice the crowd, Mike Zaller, also an owner of the company, appeared in front of the stage in a beehive wig and glittering dress from a hilarious 'Hairspray' number and offered to have his photo taken with the fans for their generosity. A big thank you to the Savannah Theatre, to cast members Mario and Lucinda Morin for making all of the arrangements and WTOC and WJCL for the feature!!! !
There are parts of a car you seldom see. Recently, I had my rear tires off the time machine and a friend suggested it was a great chance to scrub them puppies. What a golden opportunity! So, with several choice weapons, including a screwdriver for scraping clumps of tar-goo, and brillo pads and rags, etc. I set to a-scrubbin. I wondered, as I toiled, if perhaps I was the very first person to ever take the time to do such a thing to these nasty bits. It was like an archeological site. A time machine has a way of collecting bits from all our previous journeys, and from the looks of it, several layers more from the future! I also wondered if professionals have a special tire-rim bathing tub, similar to what pet groomers use, where you don't have to bend down so far. But discomfort was displaced by satisfaction as each pass of the hose revealed a rather pretty inner tire! The photo is a kind of 'before and after', as I complete the right wheel, but not having started on the other. Note to self: Move face away from objects before spraying with hose. You can see how good it looks *after* the hose is turned off, thus avoiding a face-full of splashback.
Had some visitors from Chicago. One of the two girls said they had found a $10 bill on the beach that morning. The father told the 6 year old she could spend it in any way she wanted, since she found it. When they discovered our DeLorean Time Machine in the parking lot, she went to put it all into 'Mr. Compassion', (the donation container mounted to the rear.) We've rigged it to 'reward' donors, so I gave her change, so she could have fun playing with the effects. She was so sweet and wanted to donate the entire amount! I thanked her for her generosity and suggested that she may want to save a little bit for her vacation here in Myrtle Beach. Sometimes small kids have the biggest hearts.
My wife Terry and I are traveling to the year 2015 and beyond in our DeLorean Time Machine through all 50 states to raise awareness and funding for Parkinson's Research. Our website is:
http://www.ToTheFuture.org
We arrive in Arkansas to visit my Mom. She was having lunch and we joined her. and spent the day with her. Then off to the farm to see sister Mary and her husband Eddy. Eddy suggest we fund raise at the fraternity he is chef at on Tuesday. It’s all set and we meet him at 12 in Fayetteville . The car is greeted with collegiate smiles and cell phones. While the car poses for pictures, we enjoy lasagna in the chef's kitchen. Yummy!
(She still shoots with film.) Can’t wait to see the pics.
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