MagicMeets™ 2009
Friday through Sunday,
August 7 – 9, 2009
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News MagicMeets
2007 Friday VIP Party August 9, 2007 CAMP HILL, PA: Jill Linton and Carolyn Musselman know how to make an entrance. The moment they stepped foot into the VIP reception that officially kicked off the MagicMeets festivities on Friday night, they made their presence known. Loudly. The two longtime friends clapped eyes on co-host Deb Wills of AllEarsNet.com, and immediately began screaming hello. As others in the room watched with growing amusement, Linton and Musselman ran to Wills and enveloped her in a double-sided bear hug. Welcome to MagicMeets, indeed. Wills’ many fans needn’t have worried for her safety, though. The greeting, Linton and Musselman later explained, has become the norm for the three. Several Christmas seasons ago, the two were in Orlando with their families waiting for the start of a parade. They looked up, recognized Wills and had a similar response. Since that initial meeting, every time the three ladies stumble across each other, they default to the same boisterous howdy.
And although the 40 attendees of the weekend’s first official event – randomly drawn from a pool of those staying two nights at the Radisson Penn Harris -- didn’t all know each other quite as well, the gathering still had an incredible aura of warmth encompassing it. It became a perfect precursor for a truly magical weekend. Folks from Pennsylvania and New Jersey got to mix it up with guests from farther-flung spots like New Hampshire and even Canada. As founder Fred Block kicked things off with a few remarks, he noted that his very first meet, just four years prior, held fewer people than were in the room at that moment. And with over 500 folks scheduled to be in the main room the next day, the growth, to him, was truly humbling. “I’m a long way from where I was then,” Block said. “But for now, there’s no formality. Enjoy. Relax. Have some dessert. Who knows – maybe later we’ll give some stuff away.”
After some time mixing, mingling and nibbling from trays of assorted goodies, Block was true to his word. He began by drawing for winners of AllEarsNet ballcaps, and inadvertently helped cause a ruckus. As soon as Ann Freeman picked up hers, she immediately called for a Sharpie. When one was produced, she appeared at Wills’ side, asking for an autograph. She was followed by the previous winner, Linton . . . and everyone else who picked up something from AllEars. In addition to the caps, Block also gave away a pair of gift baskets, one from AllEars – yes, the red-faced Wills graciously signed that, too – and one from the event’s other sponsor, Mouse Fan Travel. Not to be outdone, Mouse Fan boss Beci Mahnken lent her John Hancock to the gift. To finish the evening, Block channeled Willy Wonka, and presented some special golden tickets – passes that guarantee admission for two to the 2008 MagicMeets. Among the winners? Carolyn Mussleman. And that venerable respository of Disney knowledge, Mike Scopa. “Guess that means I’m speaking again next year,” Scopa quipped to the crowd.
In the end, the weekend’s first taste of Disney magic proved an enjoyable one. “Were I to go home now, and that’s driving three hours, I’d be happy,” said guest Cathy Mawhinny of North Haledon, N.J. “And now, as it is, I ’m thinking the best is yet to come.”
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