As I begin my 45th round, I figured now is a good time to 'officially' announce my present...
...I will be in Independence, Missouri on July 16, 2011!
This should be a pretty interesting trip...I have mentioned here in the past that my wife has a couple of cousins that live in Kansas City, so we are going to stay with them... hope to also catch a Royals game (BTW, they have a home series with the White Sox beginning on the 18th, OGRE!) , and of course check out all the eateries and other stuff...
As for 'THE' visit to 'where it all began', I guess I'm wondering exactly WHAT will take place...I'm pretty sure someone bought the house, but not sure if it is being rented or the owner lives there...and how to approach the current resident? Will there be other Gingerologists there? I mean, I REALLY want to walk inside the place, y'know? Even if is totally 'modernized', the overall 'feel' of the place should harken back to 1911... but, at the very least, just to drive to it and get a few pictures would be nice.
I 'GoogleMapped' Ginger's grandparent's house on 3306 Bellefountain Avenue in KC, and it honestly pulled up what looked to be a vacant lot! Is that house gone? I will most likely go by there anyway, just to see the street she 'grew up' on...
OK, well, any suggestions from y'all will be MOST appreciated... I want to 'get' as much info and details there as possible - I've thought of stuff like, being able to go up into the attic and looking around for stuff...wouldn't it be insane if there was some stuff linked to Ginger and Lela there? I will definitely get some pics, anyway...and, if the owner is OK, maybe grab some dirt, a plant or something, to plant in my yard...I know, sounds pretty goofy...but...it would just be pretty cool, y'all... BTW, did y'all know I was a Ginger Rogers fan??? :-]
OK - well, next on the review list is...42nd Street... it's definitely the best film Ginger has been in up to now (review-time)... but, she is quite sparsely used in it...but a bit more than I remember... so, look for that by the weekend (I am scrambling to get 'caught-up' at work, and ready for another 3-day weekend - COOL!!!) ...and speaking of cool, HOW cool is the pic below? Y'all probably have seen it, but...it's geting tougher to find ones y'all HAVEN'T seen... the mark of a great Gingerologist!
With that, I shall bid y'all farewell until we meet again...
KIG!
VKMfanHuey
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Best wishes with the centenary trip. One of my closest friends went to Fort Wayne, Ind. on Oct. 6, 2008 and was in Carole Lombard's birthplace house (it's now a bed and breakfast) to celebrate that day with a few other Lombard fans. The psychic energy must have been something to behold, and I hope you get much the same feeling.
ReplyDeleteYou enjoy this trip and please share everything with us as soon as possible. Photos and videos, please! :) This will be unforgettable....
ReplyDeleteHave fun on your trip!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Huey!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Huey! Make sure we get a full report on your adventures to Independence!
ReplyDeleteYou said Wh...White Su---I mean Sox. Ugh doesnt that leave a nasty taste in your mouth? :P
ReplyDeleteOh yeah and Happy Birthday Palsy!
You must see this post before you see 42nd st.... http://selfstyledsiren.blogspot.com/2007/07/anytime-annie-role-model.html
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday!!! :D
ReplyDeleteYou're so lucky you can go to Independence, Missouri on the 16th. Maybe I can ask my mom and we can go to Fort Worth, but it wouldn't be the same.
So instead I'm having a HUGE film festival going on. It's gonna be a Ginger Rogers party over here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Huey, glad to hear me and my daughter won't be the only one's in Independence on July 16th!! Hope you had a good birthday also, greetings from Washington Dc :)
ReplyDeleteVP: It will be a pretty neat experience, no doubt... it's cool to go to ANY old, historical location and think of all the great folks that were there before you... but yeah, just to be on that plot of land (hopefully w/o getting in trouble) on that day will be one of those 'one shot' deals I really don't want to miss...
ReplyDeleteCatarinah: Thanks! I will MOST definitely 'document' the proceedings...my 'best case scenario' is that whoever occupies the place will allow entry...ya know, hopefully they know they live in a special place, and 'embrace' that fact!
Audrey: Thanks! It should be great...of course, we have a 'just about' two-year old son that generally seems to travel OK, but this is about a 10-12 hour trip, so...if we can clear that w/o incident, should be smooth sailing from then on!
AC: Thanks! I am hanging in ok...once you hit 40, birthdays lose some of their 'luster'...but hey, it beats the alternative, as they say!
Lady F: Hi! Thanks - well, ditto on all the above regarding birthdays and trip documentations...BUT, ya know, I need to 'get going' on Sitting Pretty'...is that a 'permanent' deal, or do I have to get it ASAP? I would LOVE to have it when reviewing...its still a few more away, but... if it has a 'clean' copy of '...dream walking' that would ROCK!!!
SG: heh heh... well, I AM a BIT torn, since our B'ham Barons are in the WS farm system...so at least half of the team is made up of former Barons... BUT, KC has always been a fave team, too...so - will probably be rooting for KC - hey, Ginger would have, right? Of course, she would have been a Cubs fan all the way, too... ;-]
Ron: thanks for the awesome link! that is a great synopsis of Anytime Annie...dang, I've got my work cut out for me on this one... I already have some cool screen caps...this one may fare better, 'Gingery-wise' than I thought...
GF11: Thanks! Should be pretty cool - hope to have a bunch of pics...I also plan on checking out 'City Hall' or whatever, and maybe even the newspapers, to see if any 'GingerInfo' is readily available...I know birth certificates are 'archived' at the state capitol, but there may be other info. But, I REALLY want to see a few GingerFilms that day, preferably in an Independence theater...how about the one that Ginger went to on GingerDay?
F&GM: Great to hear you will be there! I'm not sure of our 'agenda', but maybe we will cross paths, who knows? I am fully expecting to meet up with other Ginger fans, and hopefully Gingerologists... hope to see y'all there!!!
thanks again all - I am starting up with '42nd Street, and hope to get it out tonight... until then, hope everyone has a great Independence Day weekend (even those outside the U.S....hey, a celebration is a celebration, right? :-} )
And...KIG!
VKMfanHuey
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We're in Independence July 15th & 16th :) I got t-shirts made up with Ginger on them for myself and my 4 year old so we'll be easily identifyable as Ginger fans :)
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately i can confirm that 3306 Fontaine Avenue no longer exists :( We went and visited today and found a grass lot :/ Nice place to live though!
ReplyDeleteF&GM - Great to hear ya made it! I'm not exactly sure of our 'schedule', since we are staying in KC, but hopefully we'll bump into y'all! Wonder if there will be any other G-ologists there, 'official' or otherwise?
ReplyDeleteSad to get 'verification' that the Bellfountaine house is gone...oh well, will still cruise by just to see the 'street'... My big 'concern' is what will happen at Moore St....I am prepared to 'pony up some money' to the homeowner or renter in order to get inside... I have a sneaking suspicion there will be quite a few folks drop by next Saturday...hopefully the inhabitant will be cool about it and open up the place...
KIG in Gingerville, F&GM!
VKMfanHuey
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