Nancy Drew Convention 2014

Parker and me (in seventies garb: a blonde wig and my mother’s old hostess gown)

Another Nancy Drew Con has come and gone, and this year’s trip did not disappoint. Not only was it held in a city I’ve never visited — San Diego — but I was given the opportunity to meet a teen idol from my youth — Parker Stevenson! I’ve only had two crushes in my lifetime (on people I’ve never met). One was Parker, the other was David Cassidy. My chances of meeting David are slim to none, which makes meeting Parker all the more exciting.

What was Parker Stevenson doing at a Nancy Drew Con? Because every other year our conferences include other series books, like The Hardy Boys. I’ve never read The Hardy Boys, but I certainly watched the television show in the 70’s, in large part because of Parker. Nancy Drew was an added bonus.

I’d have to say this was my favorite conference so far. Visiting the world reowned San Diego Zoo was a thrill, since I’ve heard about this zoo and never imagined I’d have a chance to see it. Everyone asks me what my favorite animal was. I can’t choose. I’ve narrowed it down to top ten (in no particular order): Pandas, koalas, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, elephants, chimps, polar bears, zebras, lions, and tigers. Okay, so that’s eleven, I can’t count. But there were so many things to love about this zoo, not only the animals, but the birds and the gardens. Wow. 

I also garnered a ton of ‘swag’, a.k.a. Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames books for my collection, and the Nancy Drew lunch box  I’ve been salivating over that I won in a raffle — signed by Pamela Sue Martin, who played Nancy Drew in the seventies television series, and whom I also met. Pretty cool. 

The combination of meeting celebrities, new Nancy Drew fanatics and catching up with old ones, sharing stories, listening to great speakers and solving a few mysteries along the way made for a very memorable week, and I look forward to next year!