December 25, 2010

And #1 - Lessons On Becoming An Expert

Merry Christmas from Ice Charades




And the fans' #1 post for 2010?




Lessons On Becoming An Expert
This is why I shouldn't teach skating ...



If I did teach skating, I would say something like ... "Okay, for an axel, get lots of speed, lift your free leg at this extension and this angle and pull in tight. Now go practice it for two years and get back to me."


The picture is by Alexia Tsotsis, and the explanation on why it is so hard to become an expert comes from Ben Casnocha's blog, and I discovered the whole thing via the Daily Dish.

December 24, 2010

#2 - What Should She Wear?



This post is long but it got the most hits of the year. Enjoy.


What Should She Wear?

I'm having fun with this, so please indulge me.

When I was googling Venus William's images I saw a shocking array of tennis outfits on display. Full disclosure: some of the crazy outfits belong to Serena, so it's a family affair. Below are some of the latest. This looks like an outfit I had back in 89 ...



I think she borrowed this from the Cancan production of HOI in 83 ...



But you probably only saw this dress from the back ...



Venus gets hammered a lot on these outfits of choice, especially when it looks like she's not wearing pants or underwear. You get a lot of these from google images:





But let's get back to her outfits ...



It seems as if the tennis world is coming closer to needing to look as good as you play. Or cynical me, says that Nikes and Addidas better leave room for Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, de la Renta and the rest. Now tennis is still objective - no judges judging costumes and style points, just whether the ball was on the line or out.

But when I saw this on Ana Ivanovic and it reminded me of Nancy Kerrigan's dress that was designed by Vera Wang.



Is this wave of outfits looking more like something from Ice Capades something that will stick? If so, she's in luck. Holiday On Ice has some already for sale ... how easy is that? She can afford the express mail, she could get one of these beauties in a week!

So, play along boys and girls - what would you have Venus wear?


Cue the legless wonder manequin on the Holiday On Ice costumes website: This one looks a lot like the black number she already has. But Ice Charades, this one has a crown.



Or this one? This could work on the court ... probably not with real leather boots. How about pleather with built-in sneakers?



Okay these next two, you probably want to lose the head gear, but the outfits? Fringe could be fun.





Or if she wants a more serious look:



Send in your vote!

December 23, 2010

#3 - The Sequel



#3 post talks about trends in books for 2010.

Any book requests on your Christmas list this year? pssst - how about the one of the right side of the screen? It's not too late to ask Santa, you know. Uh, yes it is Miss Ice Charades ... unless you want to pay a gazillion dollars in shipping. Good point, perhaps you can order it after Christmas to go with that new Kindle of yours. Stay tuned.

Anyway - here's the post ...


The Sequel

I got an email this weekend ...

"I just finished Ice Charades and loved it. Is there a sequel coming out?"


Hey, thanks.

Sequel? Well, I'm working on it. Still tinkering with it, I hope to get it out at the end of 2012. Books can take time, sorry.

I was wondering how to give the next one wider appeal. Should I market it to the Young Adult crowd? Take out all of the questionable adult behavior?

Psst, hey Charades ... what's an ice show without questionable adult behavior?

Okay, good point. Maybe I need to throw in a vampire. Worked for Twilight. But I could have a skating vampire.

the first skating vampire from Ice Follies circa 1975



Hey, most of the shows skaters were nocturnal anyway. And think if I had a vampire in the story, my book could be linked to Twilight on Amazon's: Readers Who Like Twilight Also Liked ...

But the young adults out there might be sick of vampires by the time Ice Charades Two comes along.

So based on reports from the BAE (Book Exports America) the latest genre publishers are excited about is ... wait for it ... Amish Romance. Yep, Amish Romance.

Think about it - the religion doesn't allow one to watch tvs or use the internet or IPods, they are the perfect audience for reading books. But how to weave an amish showgirl into my next book? As far as I know, none have ever gotten serious in skating.

Let's face it - skating is not green, not Amish-friendly. You may not need electronics to physically skate, but probably would not be allowed to use the energy for the compressors that keep ice cold, lights to light an ice show, or anything to do with false eyelashes or rhinestones.

Any other ideas?

December 22, 2010

#4 - Costumes For Sale



In continuing with the countdown, I'm going to the Holiday On Ice - Costumes For Sale website. I had fun with these folks this year. I'm still wondering how the sales are going. But here you have the first post at #4.

Costumes For Sale

Tired of the same ol' competition dress?



You can have this ...





Looking for something new to wear to the office?



You can wow them with this ...




Planning to out do Lady Gaga at the next Halloween party?



Hey what happened to the other leg of the mannequin? Is that the Heather Mills-edition for Dancing On Ice? ouuuuchhh - that was cruel, Miss Ice Charades.

No, these costumes and many more are for sale by Holiday On Ice. Really!

Go here and check them out. Tell me which ones are your favorite. And since they don't have any prices listed, tell me what it would cost you.

December 21, 2010

Ice Charades Top 5 Posts of 2010


Yes, folks, we're coming to the end of the year. Everyone loves a countdown, right? So I thought I would post my top 5 to get you to Christmas.

I've heard from the legions of Ice Charades fans (my mom and Jane) and the votes are in ... today's post comes from April, 2010.



Title Contest!

As you've seen reported on other blogs like Required Elements and Axels, Loops, and Spins, Johnny Weir will release on book in Jan 2011.

Aaron wrote:
Well, the speculation can end. It was announced today that he has entered into a deal with Simon & Schuster imprint Gallery Books to publish a yet to be named book.


As someone who's been there, I can tell you it takes a lot of time to write a book. No, kidding, Ice Charades - 5 years? Seriously? And you had a lot of time on your hands.

Yes. Yes I did. And I know Johnny Weir is a busy busy boy, so I thought we could help him out. At least with the "yet to be named" part of the book.

Any ideas?

I've got three,

Weir Not Going To Take It


Weir So Beyond This
or

Bravo Johnny Bravo




Okay, that last one is for the "15 and under Cartoon Network" crowd. But hey, I bet you can do better - come on, tell me what you would name his book. There could be prizes!

December 18, 2010

Happy Birthday Brian!



I am and always will be a HUGE fan and WOW, what a year you've had.

Happy Birthday, hope it's a great one.

December 15, 2010

The Nutcracker and the Plump Sugar Fairy*


*Plump Sugar Fairy brought to you by my good friend, John Niles Merrill


I caught a segment on the Today show the other day, which featured Jenifer Ringer, the NYC Ballet's Sugar Plum Fairy in this season's Nutcracker. You've probably heard the hububaloo about how "fat" she is, but if you haven't, click here.

On the Today show, they showed video of her dancing and I must say her frame was bigger than what we're used to when watching prima ballerinas, but you know what I also noticed was that she was an outstanding dancer in the role, so I wasn't bothered by her size. As you can see from the photo below, her "form" ain't bad.



I'm glad that she didn't want an apology from the New York Times critic who called her fat, because this is what comes with the territory.

But my gut feeling, which is a lot bigger than hers, btw, is that she'll be scrutinzing the bathroom scale once again. Even though she has battled and triumphed over eating disorders, all of this attention will set up a new battle for her.  There was national and international attention over this.

Do you think she feels free to order the "Death By Chocolate" dessert at any restaurant after the show now?

December 10, 2010

What's So Great About Figure Skating?

Right now Ryan at MySkatingMall.com is having a contest. And there is a prize!!!

Click here to go to You Tube to and here from the man himself.

It is hard for me to articulate why skating's great(and sometimes I would argue otherwise) but last night I saw a car commercial where they think it's great.

You know how Miss Ice Charades is always ranting that they never show skaters in the cruise ship or amusement park commercials for cruise ships or amusement parks that have ice shows? No, oh, welcome to my blog, then.



Anywhooo, finally a commercial with skating in it!

It starts with the typical stock footage of car driving near the ocean or car frolicking in the snow with happy people inside looking like they just finished a photo shoot for the Gap. Then spliced in for only a second at a time were the following clips in this order:
woman riding a horse
girl swinging on a swing
guy doing a trick on a snowboard
businessman loosening his tie
figure skater landing a jump

and

person standing on the top of a mountain


The ad is saying all of these things are great feelings.



Of course, driving a Suzuki will get you there too.

My hunch is that someone writing the commercial had to be a skater. Why? They didn't show a figure skater doing a pretty spiral or fast spin or split jump or some other move that plays well for the camera. They showed someone landing a jump in slow motion, which isn't the prettiest move when viewed in that clip.

But it's one of the sweet spots in skating.

The point where you haven't landed the jump, but you know you will. You've cleared enough rotation with some air left to go and all things are good now. And that moment in the air is an amazing feeling.

I imagine for your A-list skaters when they hit that spot in competition, they have already started to think about the next jump or difficult maneuver coming up in the program. If it's an ice show skater, when they hit that moment, they move on to thinking of where they'd like to go for dinner that night.

So, while this isn't an official entry for Ryan's contest, take a look at the commerical itself. Here's the link if you want to see the commercial.

Pssst. I think skating's getting a little respect again!

December 6, 2010

Crawlability


... and this blog!

No, crawlability isn't the latest hydroplaning move by one of the ice dance teams, it's what this blog needs when I looked into freelancing opportunities.

I was thinking the other day, kinda hoping actually, to bring my blog up a notch, get a little more notoriety, go big time, or at least find a way to bring timely showgirl make-up tricks to the masses. But then I read the qualifications to get Ice Charades into one of the prestigious Blog Distribution Networks.




Hmmmm, let's break it down, shall we, and discuss why my blog won't be going anywhere ...

On their website they state:


All blogs will be reviewed by a member of our editorial team. Some of the main things they look for are:

•One or more postings per week minimum

...Ooops, I meant to get this out a few days ago, but that didn't happen and it's been a week now. If I didn't have a gazillion Ice Capades Reunion notices to post, I don't know what I'd write about.

•Family-friendly language and content

... Oh, shit. My last post had the caption, "Draw the rest of the fucking owl."

•Distinct, intelligent writing style

Well, I've got a distinct style at least.

November 30, 2010

Lessons In Becoming An Expert

This is why I shouldn't teach skating ...



If I did teach skating, I would say something like ... "Okay, for an axel, get lots of speed, lift your free leg at this extension and this angle and pull in tight. Now go practice it for two years and get back to me."


The picture is by Alexia Tsotsis, and the explanation on why it is so hard to become an expert comes from Ben Casnocha's blog, and I discovered the whole thing via the Daily Dish.

November 23, 2010

Some Skating Phrases


So continuing with the Ice Show emergency here in Panama, I have now been asked to teach skating and help with the public sessions.

Sure - but I've got to do it in Spanish. As Bart Simpson would say - ¡Ay Carumba!

Nothing more humiliating than needing my 7-year old to stand by the boards and tell me how to say skating phrases that pop into my head in Spanish. Thanks, honey.

So I'll save you the trouble of looking for your own translator and write down some of the phrases I've been using in the past few days. (Okay, I know I'm missing some squiggly lines over the "o" and the "a" here and there, but I don't know how to type them.)

Here we go:

Bend you knees - Doble tus rodillas

Don't lean back - No se echo hacia atras

Feet together - pies juntos

Man, am I ... old - ¡Cielos! Soy vieja
... rusty - fuera de practica
... not thin anymore - gorda

Where is the Zamboni? - ¿Donde es el zamboni?

What do you mean there's no zamboni? - ¿La verdad? ¿No es un zamboni?

I am an old showgirl not an engineer. - Soy corista vieja no un ingeniero.

I haven't done a double flip - No he hecho un tiron de doble flip
... a nice flying camel un camello del vuelo buena
... any kind of routine since the first Bush administration. - una programa desde la primera administracion de Bush.

And finally, the last phrase you might need ...

Do I get a discount at the mall for this? - ¿Consigo un descuento en la mall para esto?

November 17, 2010

Ice Show Emergency


Two nights ago while you were sleeping, somewhere in a quiet, tiny Central American country, an ice show emergency email went out.

A real ice show emergency!


Luckily, Miss Ice Charades was there to see it and hadn't had too much to drink yet, so she could hit the "reply" instead of "delete" button.

After replying to the email late Monday night, I was asked early Tuesday morning to head to the shopping mall to check out the new ice rink going up for the Xmas season.

An ice rink! In Panama! The only one in the country ... perhaps all of Central America! Good thing this ex-show girl lives 3 blocks away. Because Miss Ice Charades doesn't drive here. If you saw how the Panamanians drive, you'd walk too. Even in the hot, humid weather, you'd walk.

So after "testing" out the ice, they asked if I knew anyone that could perform two times a day during the Xmas season until January 10. Oh, and could they start this Sunday.

This Sunday? Are you kidding me?

No, no they aren't. So I'm sending a shout-out for two skaters, preferably a pair team to skate 2x/day, 5-6x/week, Nov 21 - Jan 10. Airfare, housing, food and salary provided. They prefer someone who knows some Spanish.

That's not a bad deal, considering some of the ice show offers that have gone out in the past.

If you can get to Switzerland by Saturday, the job is yours.

So, if you like warm weather, well hot and humid really, you will also like this getaway for a couple days! Panama's a beautiful place!



Email me, if you or someone you know is interested. Ice Charades will throw in a complimentary tour of the Canal! Muchas gracias.

November 16, 2010

Ice Capades Alumni News


NOVEMBER 2010

It is with great sadness that after a lengthy illness, we announce the passing of our own Dick Palmer, November 14, 2010 in Palm Desert. There will be no service but if you would like to send a note to Rita, Diane & Patti at 73-433 Mariposa, Palm Desert, CA 92260 - Jamsrita1@aol.com.


Richard H. Palmer, Executive Vice-President – Joined Ice Capades in 1942 and served in an array of staff positions during his tenure with the company – touring Company Manager, Studio Manager, Technical Director, etc. He had a vast knowledge of the complicated technical and operational aspects of an ice show. In addition, familiarity with the hundreds of arenas throughout North America had contributed immensely to the successful tour arrangements for the three companies of Ice Capades.) He will be missed.

November 9, 2010

Six Questions for a Skater - Craig Heath

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm back from vacation and introducing a new segment I'd like to call "Six Questions for a Skater" - which I hope to make a regular feature.

I'm so excited to present my first skater, Craig Heath.



To me, he is one of the best examples of what it means to be a show skater. 17 years in the business and counting. Over two dozen titles, three dozen awards and show engagements, and much, much more. For his impressive (and exhaustive) resume, you've got to check out his website craigheath.com. But I'm going to wimp out right here and let Scott Williams do the talking.

"Craig is one of the top Professional Skaters in the world today. He has attained what very few in any field ever do...mastery of his profession. His fantastic skating talents, combined with a unique and entertaining style make him a joy to watch and an inspiration to all. He is a pleasure to work with and he has one of the best work ethics I've ever seen. To me, Craig defines what it means to be a top-level professional ice skater." Scott Williams, Professional Ice Skater, Producer and Past President of the Professional Figure Skaters Cooperative


The only time I ever saw Craig skate live was during the American Open competition in 1997 where he and about five other brave souls took on Brian Boitano's challenge for a game of Add-On.

Add-On is a game skaters play where the first skater does a trick and the second skater has to do that trick plus add on their own, and the third skater does the first two tricks and then adds on a third trick and so on and so on.

Guess who won the challenge? His win has always stayed in my feeble mind, which says something right there, and that is why I asked for an interview.

He has been performing and teaching in Sun Valley, Idaho for the past 14 years. He claims it's hard work during the summers but also a dream job that he is honored to have. There's a great facility with a gorgeous outdoor rink, the best in the world as far as he's concerned. There is also a very nice indoor rink. The summer school offers loads of ice time and also many great classes. Craig teaches a class every morning, either "Spin to Win", "Jump to Win" or "Sk8 Tricks." Every Saturday night, June - Labor Day, there is a world class ice show with top headliners like Even Lysacek, Brian Boitano and Sasha Cohen. Craig says, "Skating in these shows has been a highlight of my professional career."

Meanwhile, Miss Ice Charades has always said, just vacationing in Sun Valley would be the highlight of her life!

During the winters, for the past five years, Craig has been performing and teaching in Hong Kong for Swire Properties. He says he can take full advantage of all the incredible things Hong Kong and other places close by have to offer. He has some very fun and talented skaters which helps him keep in shape for shows he performs in over the holidays.

So, I suggest that if you are anywhere near Hong Kong or Sun Valley, Idaho and want to improve your skating, check out his seminars.

Better yet, fly him to your skating club and he could teach a bunch of skaters at once!

So without further ado, on to my six questions ...

#1 ... Did you have a favorite skating number?
This is a hard question! I have done so many numbers that I have loved performing over the years that it is hard to choose. The ones that stick out the most are: "Come What May" from the Holiday on Ice show called 'Hollywood' that I performed in for 4 years all over Europe and Asia. Robin Cousins choreographed the show along with Cindy Stuart and Anthony Van Laast was the Director. This number was so meaningful to me in many ways. I could not wait to perform it night after night.

"Perhaps" by the group Cake was another favorite. Brian Wright choreographed it and it was brilliant. I still use it sometimes. I originally used it as a short program for pro competitions and then I used it for shows. It was so Brian and so sarcastic and fun.

The most recent one is "Save a Horse..Ride a Cowboy" that Gia Guddat choreographed. Another sarcastic and fun routine that I love to perform. When Gia first asked me to do this one I said "no way..I can't skate to that!" But then she convinced me and we came up with a really fun number that I have performed in Sun Valley, Idaho and Hong Kong.




And, I know this is more than 3, but I will never forget my Seven years performing the rolls of Andy and Sid in Feld Entertainments 'Disney on Ice - Toy Story.' I got to play the good boy Andy and skate to "You've Got a Friend in Me" and "The Boys Are Back in Town" and also the bad boy Sid where I did a famous countdown of 10 double Axels in a row for many performances all over the world.


Okay boys and girls let's stop here for a moment. Ten double axels! In a row! When you can do that, you too can beat Brian Boitano in a game of Add-On.

#2 ... You're known for your superior spinning. Were you always a natural or was there a technique you mastered?
The spinning thing started when I was a kid but escalated when I had a bad knee injury and could not jump very much...but I could spin!! I made a good thing out of a bad situation. When I was a kid I skated in a small rink and on lots of crowded public sessions so I would spin a lot. I also have to give a lot of credit to Frank Carroll who nurtured my spins and even created some for me that many other people started doing and still do to this day. Before I would compete he would always tell me to "Spin like a bat out of hell."


#3 ... Do you ever have skating dreams? And I'm not talking wishes here.
I don't often remember my dreams but I have had the recurring one where I'm late for a competition or show and I can't get my costume and skates on and then I'm so far away from the ice and I'm racing for the ice because I hear my music but I can't make it there.

Out of all the thousands of shows I have done, I only missed one cue and it was in the opening number for Dorothy Hamill's Ice Capades. I told myself it would never happen again (I was only a few seconds late) and it never did.


#4 ... Have you ever had groupies?
Yes, every show has groupies. It is part of the territory. Nothing really that crazy has happened to me. At a theme park in Florida one groupie would sit in the front row of every show (we had 5 shows a day) and scream at me to do a triple. They've given me gifts (I love gifts so this is a good thing). I've also had them walk into my locker room acting like they thought it was an exit. Strange.


#5 ... What would you do if you didn't skate?
I have always had a fantasy of having an office and working for a big company. Of course I would have my own corner office with a view and a balcony. I think the reason for this is because since I started skating I have always had to take care of myself and my body. I'm always needing to stay in shape and getting enough rest. My job never stops even when I'm on vacation. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. It will be nice someday to be able to totally relax, not that I ever will as I'm pretty Type A, OCD, ADD and every other letter in the alphabet. :-). I can't even sit down to watch TV and I rarely go to the movies. I would rather do something than watch other people do things on a screen.





#6 ... Would you like to see the game of Add-On in the Olympics (a personal wish of mine). If so, how can we get that done?

That would be an amazing event for the Olympics! I know the Olympic Committee is working to get a team event into a future Olympics so this is a good start.


Did you hear that Aaron? There could be a game of Add-On coming soon to a games near you!
At the American Open that game was so much fun. I loved it! We all had a great time playing in front of an audience and with pressure! This is a game we would usually play with other skating friends on a general session when not seriously training. I always loved it and was always pretty good at it.


Hmmm. I think more than pretty good.

November 7, 2010

Quick thoughts from the House of Mouse

Still on vacation.

We've been in Orlando at Disney World. This post will be hard to spin from a show skating point of view ... but why the heck not ... heck - that's the Disney in me talkin'.

One thing I've now discovered ... you never forget the smell of dry ice.

Watching the parade I kept wondering ... which performers get a day off tomorrow? Is that why they're smiling more?

Is their a secret heirachy to the princesses? Is Snow White always the oldest cast member of the princesses?

Are the dancers at Cinderella's castle (who seemed to be the best) the top dogs in the park or are they asprining to be characters such as Mickey and Minny?

Do they wish they could be in Tokyo (free lodging) or on the Disney Cruise instead?
I went to the Disney Audition website, but had a hard time finding basic info like minimum age, height or weight limitations, or pay with or without benefits such as lodging and travel, but you can watch videos from a bunch of performers and if you still want more you can email the park your specific question.

Hmmm. I wonder if Mickey will be looking over their shoulder.

November 1, 2010

On Vacation

... I'll try to check in, but no promises. Have a great week!

October 29, 2010

Ice Castles 2010


Boy, I thought my blog was obscure, but I've just been to the awesome Opthamology in Film blog - celebrating eye-related content in popular films - and discovered that Ice Castles 2010 never got a theaterical release.

Did we all miss it?

I was so excited to blog about the theaterical debut of 2010 so I could rehash about the original in 1978. (I have lots to say about the original - which will come soon.) But why didn't it make it to the theaters? Anyone know?

Is it just more decline figure skating's popularity in general?

October 19, 2010

Halloween Costumes

Yes, Ice Mom, I'm going back to the well on this one. Buckle up kids and help me pick the silliest Holiday On Ice costume that may be the "best" Halloween costume at your local bar, neighborhood bash, or after-show cast party. Now, there are lots of beautiful costumes also for sale on the Holiday On Ice site, but that wouldn't be as fun to show you, now would it.

Up first: Some kind of "Eye" in the Bugs Bunny show.



Not to be outdone by the female version is the male eye from the same show:



This one features both male and female costumes and I can't figure out which one is creepier:



Could work out with the slate of zombie movies and tv shows coming out.

Okay, next is this guy is trying to look Mexican, but I don't know:



That poncho looks more like a navajo toga. And don't get me started on the mustache.

Which also makes me wonder how authentic this guys is:



Next up what I call the office peacock look:



This one is suppose to be a costume from the Caribbean:



And finally, this one's for Ice Mom:



So you tell me - which one is the best? Remember Halloween is just around the corner. If you want to know what NOT to wear, check out this article by Gawker.com

Disney On Ice gets another mention in the Washington Post

under this headline: Abramoff associate Ring stands trial a second time

... cue the jokes about Disney On Ice!





That's right, this guy, Kevin Ring, is alleged to have procured illegaly, for his clients, among other things, tickets to Disney On Ice. Read the Washington Post article about it here.

Ice shows getting a shout out.

I wrote about it (and more importantly linked to the Washington Post's first article to drive a lot of traffic to my site, hee, hee, hee) the first time back in June of 2008.

So I promise to keep track of any mention of Mickey's ice skating leading to jail time, or some other far-fetched joke. But I think the lesson we can all take from this is that he did it for the kids!

October 18, 2010

Ice Capades Mini-Reunion This Weekend

Another reminder, if you happen to be free this weekend, and happen to live in the greater San Francisco/Santa Rosa areas, and happened to have skated in Ice Capades.

Hey - if you skated for Follies or Disney or park shows only, I bet they would let join them.


When: Oct. 23rd, 2010 starting at 1:00 P.M.
Where: Santa Rosa, California (Linda Illsley's home)

We plan to start at 1:00P.M. That will allow us to visit, look at photos, etc. We'll have dinner in the early evening.
Lisa has arranged for WINE TASTING in the afternoon hosted by Dehlinger Winery, YEA! There will be lots of munchies in the afternoon (but lunch will NOT be served).


Linda has a fabulous outdoor park like setting and she is known for her entertaining skills!

We thought it would be a lot more fun to have the party at Linda's home instead of in a restaurant, etc. We can be together much longer and don't have to worry about disturbing others. We will ask everyone to contribute to the "party kitty" (probably about $25-$30 each) to help cover the cost of food, beverages, etc. If you are local and want to bring a dish; that would be great (please give Linda a call). I plan to bring a cake! Yea, no weigh-ins!

For those of you who don't know the area, Santa Rosa is just 50 miles north of San Francisco and is very near the famous Wine Country of Napa and Sonoma.
Our weather in Oct. us usually some of the nicest of the year. Please note it will still be HIGH season for hotel rates.

Please let us know if you can bring any DVDs or CDs with movies/photos of our performing days. Linda will have a theater set up to show/play them. Even "low tech" scrapbooks are a lot of fun to share.
I recently "found" 18 super 8 movie reels of Ice Capades and I am having them transferred to DVD, so they should be ready to bring and share!
There is the possibility to also go to the Shultz Museum and maybe work in some wine tasting at a few local wineries on Sunday.