Day two of the Gateway to the Wind celebration was even more busy and action-packed than day 1! That morning the breakfast room of the Drury Inn was packed with Windies and honored guests, all waiting and anticipating a wonderful day. The three Beaus from Gone with the Wind, Patrick Curtis, Mickey Kuhn and Greg Geise, had arrived and were mingling with everyone. This was something that happened all weekend and is something I loved about this event. It was very informal and everyone had an opportunity to get to know these three splendid gentlemen!
The morning activities included: an autograph session with the three Beaus; Joe Yakovetic’s artwork was on display; a separate room was dedicated to the Market Bazaar where visitors could buy collectibles and meet visiting authors like Kathy Witt and Herb Bridges; and Dr. Novella Perrin’s impressive GWTW collection was on display. I headed the autograph session so I didn’t have the opportunity to visit Novella’s collection or the Market Bazaar but I heard wonderful things about both! And I had a friend snap photos with my camera, so I technically did get to “see” those separate rooms. I was stationed in the ballroom and had the lovely opportunity to work with some fellow Windies and the Beaus. They are complete gentlemen and quite the joksters! They were so welcoming to me and their fans. As a thank you, they all gave me a signed autograph and Mickey gave me a rare photo of him and Vivien Leigh on the set of A Streetcar Named Desire!
Me working the autograph table
Patrick Curtis signing autographs
Novella's collection- chairs from the film!
Novella's collection- costumes from the film!
The sons of Marcella Rabwin, executive assistant to David Selznick, sign their mother’s book Yes, Mr Selznick at the Market Bazaar
After the morning festivities came lunch at the Margaret Mitchell & Vivien Leigh Birthday Celebration in the main ballroom! Guests were provided sandwiches, side items, and birthday cake! There were three cakes made for the occasion, 1 dedicated to Ms. Mitchell, 1 dedicated Ms. Leigh, and 1 featuring the Gateway to the Wind logo. All three were beautiful and were created by designer Meghan Godsy! During lunch artist Joe Yakovetic’s latest masterpiece “Young Master Wilkes” was unveiled by GWTW star Mickey Kuhn! The three Beaus also had an opportunity to speak that afternoon in a segment called “Beau Knows Gone with the Wind” ! They each had a moment to speak to the crowd and Mickey shared his story about meeting Vivien Leigh! (Read about it HERE in my 2009 interview with him) Herb Bridges spoke about The Atlanta Premiere accompanied by a visual slideshow featuring rare photos of our favorite stars (some of which I had not seen!). Dr. Novella Perrin spoke about her GWTW collection and how she got into collecting. Windie Joseph Thompson created a beautiful video tribute to the late Cammie King Colon — there were lots of sniffles in the room!
Cakes for the birthday girls
Mickey Kuhn unveils his portrait, created by Joe Yakovetic
the three Beaus
The rest of the afternoon was free to rest up before for the big Gateway to the Wind Charity Ball at Orlando Gardens! This ball was a show-stopper: delicious food, live bands, tons of people dressed in Civil War costumes, a massive silent auction to benefit Rainbows for Kids, and plenty of dancing (including the Virginia Reel). Well I didn’t get out on the dance floor until Mark Rabwin forced me to dance the last dance of the evening with him… which I did and I’m glad I did! It was fun! There was a lot of energy in that room. I didn’t get to bed until after midnight!
The Virginia Reel
The Yessir Band playing
Some of the Windies at the Ball
