Probably one of the oddest, yet coolest things that ever happened to me. I was nine or ten years old; cannot quite recall, but I believe that Dark Shadows had recently been cancelled. My dad was doing some temporary work that involved him spending a day in St. Louis at the massive “Home Show” that was held there a couple times a year. Crowds were encouraged by the appearance of several celebrities.

The Home Show was a place to showcase all these new products for the home, and it included cars, jeeps and recreational vehicles. My dad was doing some supervising for the RV division. We lived in Columbia, Missouri at the time and dad had wanted mom to accompany him on the trip, but she had some art classes she was doing and couldn’t take the time off. Not knowing what I was volunteering for (a bad habit I had of walking into the middle of conversations) I said I’d go. Well, a trip to St. Louis was a luxury and it was always fun getting some time in with dad.

The trip was a pleasant one and we arrived on time for the show. I followed dad around quietly for awhile until I noticed someone that looked sort of familiar; a brooding sort of guy in a dark suit that looked a bit out of place in the middle of this auditorium. I managed to stop dad for a second and pointed at the fellow. Dad didn’t know who he was, but the guy had a pin on his suit that showed he was a participant.

Dad diverted my attention, though, as he smiled at me and told me, “We have a special guest that’s helping us out. Do you want to meet him before the crowd gets here?” I was curious, so I forgot about the other fellow and followed dad eagerly.

I was flat out astounded when we went into the RV showroom, which was still closed off, and there was the Lone Ranger, mask and all, standing on a stage glancing down at some notes in his hand. Wow! The Lone Ranger waved to my dad and even called my dad by name, “Jack!” So cool.

Clayton Moore stepped off the stage to greet me, and talked to me for a few minutes. The chat ended too soon, and dad led me toward a secluded booth where I’d have to wait for two hours while the RV show ran.

About a half hour into the show, boredom took hold of me, and I left the booth and went to wander around the auditorium. I soon found my way to a different area populated by a lot of people. There was that familiar face, smiling, shaking hands, and signing books for people. I watched for awhile until it dawned on me who he was, Jonathan Frid, the vampire Barnabas Collins.

When dad came to check on me, he discovered I wasn’t where I should be. He was in a dilemma. If he left in the middle of the show, he could risk losing that day’s pay. But I was missing. Mom would kill him if he showed up without me. Just as he was about to toss in the towel, Clayton Moore came into the booth, saw something was wrong, and offered to go and look for me.

Mr. Frid… I was a respectful little girl, invited me to sit with him while he spoke to fans, sold and signed his book. I can no longer recall what the book was, but it was filled with photographs of many of the cast in Dark Shadows. Clayton Moore, still dressed as the Lone Ranger (this was before they took his mask away) came to the table. He told me that my dad was worried about me and that I was lucky I found a friend to look after me. He also went on to invite Mr. Frid to lunch with us, my dad, and the head of the RV show, my dad’s present boss.

I wish I could remember what was talked about, but I don’t. A big part of me was just too dazzled by what were to me, two living legends, eating lunch with us regular folk.

So there you have it, my lunch with the Lone Ranger and Barnabas Collins.