Dante’s Info #1
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011
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I had created four issues of the newsletter titled Told in the Whole, the publication for the Springfield Towed in a Hole tent of the Sons of the Desert, between 1986 and 1987. My momentum only stopped because the tent stopped actually having any meetings. Of course, many things in my life happened that would have precluded me from putting too much emphasis on this aspect of my life anyway – namely spending lots of time with my first girlfriend Christi and the birth of my daughter Ashleigh. Nevertheless, by Fall of 1990, I was hoping to resume publication of this fine newsletter. In fact, I even wrote a tribute to my friend, actress Virginia Karns who had starred with Laurel and Hardy in Babes in Toyland. Read the rest of this entry »
I was on the fence about getting an autograph from and photo with Peter Fonda. On one hand, he was the star of the legendary 1969 picture Easy Rider and had secured his spot as an icon of the counterculture of the late 1960’s. He was a prominent member of the Fonda family, son of Henry, brother of Jane, and father of Bridget. And he continues to act in films today, most notable in the recent 3:10 to Yuma. But then on the other hand, most of his performances hadn’t meant all that much to me. Even Easy Rider, I found to be rather a bore. And what’s worse, he was charging $30 for the autograph and an additional $30 to get a picture with him. 
I am from the Saturday morning cartoon ilk. I literally spent many of my childhood Saturday mornings in front of the TV watching The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show, Fat Albert, The Pink Panther, The Monster Squad, In the News, and my personal favorite, the live-action Land of the Lost. As any man who was once a boy watching this show will tell you, the girl playing Holly was a hottie: a rugged tomboy capable of getting her hands dirty, but with glowing blonde pigtails that made our hearts flutter. At the time, I had no idea that her real name was Kathy Coleman… or that nearly 35 years later I’d be getting to meet her. 
The city of Escalante, Utah may have a population under 1000, but it just so happens that one of my favorite people lives there. Former Our Gang member Mildred Kornman has been residing there with her son Steve for about five years now. Obviously the region is tiny, but it has a very quaint charm. Upon entering the area, Bob and I gave Mildred a call and asked her where she’d like us to meet her. Bob had made arrangements before our trip and she was excited that we were coming for a visit on Sunday, March 27, as we made our way northwest traveling through Utah.