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And Later that Same Day
October 28, 2007

Friday evening at the K-Con (Sherrilyn Kenyon's fan convention in New Orleans) kicked off with a pre-Vampire Ball mixer and Dark Hunter costume party.  The youngest contestant was 3 years old and I wasn't brave enough  to ask how old the oldest was (they did have weapons after all).  They came dressed as the characters and creatures from her books. (Pictured left:  Arwen as Simi, holding her bottle of barbeque sauce;  (right) Sheila Rivera and Sandra Rivera.






 

Revelers really got into spirit of the event with both homemade and store bought costumes.  Some were quite elaborate and included the most stunning masks.  Left is:  Kim, Christy, Missy and Pam.

Money for the pictures taken with the Dark-Hunters went to charity.  After snacks and drinks we were off to the premiere event of the evening.








Buses were used to transport the fans to the Howling Wolf, home of the Anne Rice Lestat Vampire Ball.  The line stretched down the block as vampire and blood donor alike waited patiently for admitance.  While waiting in line I met Noel Cameron and Calvin Etheredge from Oregon (pictured left) and the family Phillips, Scott Heather and Miles (pictured right)  




Sherrilyn is whisked away by Fox News for an interview and manages to sound competent and charming while balancing an 8 pound swan hat on her head (her signature piece that has the crowd cheering for more)  Then she moved inside where she sat on a throne (actually a barstool to accommodate the dress bustle) and held court. 





Inside the building you really needed to be a vampire to be able to see.  It was unfortunate that it was so dark, because you couldn't see the terrific costumes, makeup and hairdos (very 18th century).  Personally, I found the music kind of bizarre.  It was just like a scratchy violin to my ears because there really didn't seem to be a song in there, just random noises that went on forever.  It would have been alright if they would have played some Beatle song or anything I could recognize  once in a while.  I overheard one patron ask if they were playing several different songs or one really long one.  But there were obviously some fans in the house because they were buying the cds.  


The woman in charge of the event is Suzie Quiroz (pictured above).  She's a lovely woman who has been the president of the Anne Rice fan club for many years and put the ball on with her own money.  After Katrina, Anne Rice donated money to keep the ball alive.




I called it an early night so I could get a jump on the blog.   When I went outside I wasn't sure where to wait for the shuttle bus and being alone was kind of creepy, so the security guys watched out for me until the bus came.  Great guys at the Howling Wolf.  Thanks for being such sweeties!

The ball was an experience, like Woodstock, once was enough for me, but I can always say I was there.


Bottom line:  I know the old saying goes "Watch your back, but Friday night was more like "Watch your neck."
Bottom line again:  I still have my hopes up that naked, unconscious guy is right around the corner.  I still have today and tomorrow...and Skippy waiting in the wings.


 



 

Posted by Barbara Vey on October 28, 2007 | Comments (4)