I don't start many topics, too long winded, but I wanted to pass on how much I appreciated Mr. King coming to Wichita last night.
My wife and I left early yesterday morning for Wichita, KS. The drive took us a little over four hours. We got to the Eugene Hughes Metroplex where the event was held around 11am. I was surprised to see there were only about 100 people lined up for the event. That number grew throughout the day but we got there at about the right time to get a good spot in line.
It was cold in Wichita, I periodically checked the temperature app on my phone, it never got above 38 degrees throughout the day and there was a north wind blowing off and on. I noticed, in addition to our Arkansas license plate, there were several vehicles from out of state. We saw vehicles from Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Georgia, and several other states. We set up our chairs at the end of the line, and what I noticed right off that bat was how courteous everyone waiting was. There wasn't any of the normal pissing and moaning you here while standing in a line for an extended amount of time. Everyone was in good spirits, all of us connected by a mutual respect and admiration for Mr. King's books.
I struck up a conversation with the couple in line in front of us and as the day went on we discussed, in depth, Mr. King's works especially the Dark Tower series. We talked and laughed about the mutual anxiety in the years between 1991 and 1997 waiting to see if there would be a follow up Dark Tower book to The Wastelands and of first getting the news there was going to be another installment of the Dark Tower in 1997. We talked about how much we all hoped for the best for Mr. King in 1999 when he was struck by a vehicle but that from what we were hearing it didn't sound good. That lead to other conversations about how his writing just seems to to get better as the years go on and that over a 35 year time line, during all kinds of changes in our lives, the ups and the downs, Mr. King's books have always been there as a solid undercurrent, giving you an escape vessel if you just want to pick up a book and disappear for a while.
As the day wore on and the sun moved from East to West, we all kept moving our chairs further out into the sun. When we first arrived, the line started up against the building on the east side, but as the sun crept westward, the line began to look like some comical conga dance with everyone trying to maximize their exposure to the sun by moving their chairs out into the parking lot. I thought waiting in line for 6 hours would go by slow, but even my wife, who isn't into Mr. King's works to the extent I am, said the day passed quickly, and she isn't a fan of cold weather by any means..lol. We drank cup after cup of hot chocolate and spoke with a very nice group of three ladies behind us in line about everything from Wichita State U's baseball team to national politics.
I spoke with a career Air Force Sergeant and our mutual interest in military matters made for a very interesting conversation on military aircraft. The venue is apparently very close to McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, and there seemed to be an endless line of large military aircraft taking off and landing just to our west throughout the day. The Sergeant I spoke with could identify the aircraft before I could even get a good visual on them. His eyesight was very keen and he was a great guy to talk to. GO AIR FORCE!
They eventually started handing out wrist bands around 4:15pm and after that, the line moved quickly into the venue. We all took our seats and I noticed songs mentioned in the new book Revival were being piped into the auditorium. My wife likes music from that era so even though she was frozen by this point, not being able to feel her toes or ears, she took it all in stride. We waited in anticipation for Mr. King to take the stage and at around 6:15 Mr. King walked out to thunderous applause which he handled with a few jokes and humor.
I noticed one thing that linked the Dallas, TX event I was lucky enough to attend three years ago and the event in Wichita last night. Mr. King does NOT forget to thank the readers for their patronage. He mentioned it several times in Dallas, and several times in Wichita last night. Whether by thanking everyone for putting his kids through college, or to just thank everyone for reading books in general, Mr. King seems to genuinely appreciate that everyone took the time to come see him talk and, I may be wrong, but he still seems a little amazed that we all are there to hear him speak.
He read from his new book for about fifteen minutes and you could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium during the reading. The same doorway I jump thru when I read one of Mr. King's books at home seemed to appear in the auditorium and we all jumped thru it, if only for a few minutes.
Overall, the night was wonderful, and unfortunately over all too soon. I sat there for a few minutes after he left the stage hoping he might come back out for a while, but I understand it's not a rock concert so I shook hands with the Air Force Sergeant, who has sat beside us, wished him a safe trip home and started the long drive back to Arkansas. My wife fell asleep almost immediately so it was a quiet drive home.
I turned on my audiobook, 11/22/63 by Mr. King, and as the miles rolled by on I-35 south, the Cimarron Turnpike, and later, the Cherokee Turnpike, I barely noticed. The door appeared as it always seems to when I read or listen to one of Mr. King's stories and I went thru it willingly. For the next four and a half hours, I drove but I also watched and followed along as a very normal high school teacher from Maine named Jake Epping discovered a strange door inside a diner pantry in his home town.
It was a very special night, as much for the company outside the event as the event itself. Everyone braved the cold, no one tried to cut in line, and overall the whole experience is one I would repeat in a heartbeat. Stephen King fans are loyal, dedicated, and it was a honor and privilege to attend the event. Thank you for coming to Wichita, Mr. King. We were all well met on the path of the beam. Long days and pleasant nights sir.
My wife and I left early yesterday morning for Wichita, KS. The drive took us a little over four hours. We got to the Eugene Hughes Metroplex where the event was held around 11am. I was surprised to see there were only about 100 people lined up for the event. That number grew throughout the day but we got there at about the right time to get a good spot in line.
It was cold in Wichita, I periodically checked the temperature app on my phone, it never got above 38 degrees throughout the day and there was a north wind blowing off and on. I noticed, in addition to our Arkansas license plate, there were several vehicles from out of state. We saw vehicles from Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Georgia, and several other states. We set up our chairs at the end of the line, and what I noticed right off that bat was how courteous everyone waiting was. There wasn't any of the normal pissing and moaning you here while standing in a line for an extended amount of time. Everyone was in good spirits, all of us connected by a mutual respect and admiration for Mr. King's books.
I struck up a conversation with the couple in line in front of us and as the day went on we discussed, in depth, Mr. King's works especially the Dark Tower series. We talked and laughed about the mutual anxiety in the years between 1991 and 1997 waiting to see if there would be a follow up Dark Tower book to The Wastelands and of first getting the news there was going to be another installment of the Dark Tower in 1997. We talked about how much we all hoped for the best for Mr. King in 1999 when he was struck by a vehicle but that from what we were hearing it didn't sound good. That lead to other conversations about how his writing just seems to to get better as the years go on and that over a 35 year time line, during all kinds of changes in our lives, the ups and the downs, Mr. King's books have always been there as a solid undercurrent, giving you an escape vessel if you just want to pick up a book and disappear for a while.
As the day wore on and the sun moved from East to West, we all kept moving our chairs further out into the sun. When we first arrived, the line started up against the building on the east side, but as the sun crept westward, the line began to look like some comical conga dance with everyone trying to maximize their exposure to the sun by moving their chairs out into the parking lot. I thought waiting in line for 6 hours would go by slow, but even my wife, who isn't into Mr. King's works to the extent I am, said the day passed quickly, and she isn't a fan of cold weather by any means..lol. We drank cup after cup of hot chocolate and spoke with a very nice group of three ladies behind us in line about everything from Wichita State U's baseball team to national politics.
I spoke with a career Air Force Sergeant and our mutual interest in military matters made for a very interesting conversation on military aircraft. The venue is apparently very close to McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, and there seemed to be an endless line of large military aircraft taking off and landing just to our west throughout the day. The Sergeant I spoke with could identify the aircraft before I could even get a good visual on them. His eyesight was very keen and he was a great guy to talk to. GO AIR FORCE!
They eventually started handing out wrist bands around 4:15pm and after that, the line moved quickly into the venue. We all took our seats and I noticed songs mentioned in the new book Revival were being piped into the auditorium. My wife likes music from that era so even though she was frozen by this point, not being able to feel her toes or ears, she took it all in stride. We waited in anticipation for Mr. King to take the stage and at around 6:15 Mr. King walked out to thunderous applause which he handled with a few jokes and humor.
I noticed one thing that linked the Dallas, TX event I was lucky enough to attend three years ago and the event in Wichita last night. Mr. King does NOT forget to thank the readers for their patronage. He mentioned it several times in Dallas, and several times in Wichita last night. Whether by thanking everyone for putting his kids through college, or to just thank everyone for reading books in general, Mr. King seems to genuinely appreciate that everyone took the time to come see him talk and, I may be wrong, but he still seems a little amazed that we all are there to hear him speak.
He read from his new book for about fifteen minutes and you could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium during the reading. The same doorway I jump thru when I read one of Mr. King's books at home seemed to appear in the auditorium and we all jumped thru it, if only for a few minutes.
Overall, the night was wonderful, and unfortunately over all too soon. I sat there for a few minutes after he left the stage hoping he might come back out for a while, but I understand it's not a rock concert so I shook hands with the Air Force Sergeant, who has sat beside us, wished him a safe trip home and started the long drive back to Arkansas. My wife fell asleep almost immediately so it was a quiet drive home.
I turned on my audiobook, 11/22/63 by Mr. King, and as the miles rolled by on I-35 south, the Cimarron Turnpike, and later, the Cherokee Turnpike, I barely noticed. The door appeared as it always seems to when I read or listen to one of Mr. King's stories and I went thru it willingly. For the next four and a half hours, I drove but I also watched and followed along as a very normal high school teacher from Maine named Jake Epping discovered a strange door inside a diner pantry in his home town.
It was a very special night, as much for the company outside the event as the event itself. Everyone braved the cold, no one tried to cut in line, and overall the whole experience is one I would repeat in a heartbeat. Stephen King fans are loyal, dedicated, and it was a honor and privilege to attend the event. Thank you for coming to Wichita, Mr. King. We were all well met on the path of the beam. Long days and pleasant nights sir.
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