|
Grand Opening - Geppi's Entertainment Museum
Maryland Stadium Authority Chairman Bob McKinney served as master of ceremonies. He introduced the Governor, who talked about Steve Geppi's efforts to promote Baltimore and the state of Maryland through partnerships with the other tourist destinations and philanthropic efforts in the area. McKinney next introduced Geppi, and his wife, Mindy, and lauded their civic accomplishments. Geppi welcomed one and all to the opening of the museum, a project that for him had been a long-held dream. He went on to explain that working together as a team with other museums and attractions to promote the city and state as tourist destinations, as well as presenting comics and other collectibles in a world class environment. Attendees were able to view the origins of pop culture dating back to the birth of our nation, and see how it's influenced our way of life. With wide-eyes and smiling faces, guests who have experienced GEM thus far have been absorbed the imagery of the exhibits and seemed to magically be transported back of their youth. Phrases like “I used to have that” and “I remember those” filled the air along with an excitement that was almost electric. Even as visitors were preparing to depart, the excitement and enthusiasm remained. Time and again, the most commonly heard refrain from guests was, “I've got to come back again!” "The connection between Steve's passion for this material and our ability to get the community at large interested in it just became perceptibly more tangible," said GEM President John K. Snyder, Jr. as he surveyed reactions to the venue. "It will be great when even more people see the connections between popular culture and history." The following night, Thursday, September 7, 2006, was the second of Geppi's Entertainment Museum's black tie-optional grand opening galas, with this one focused on the collectibles industry. Geppi himself served as master of ceremonies for the evening's events, and was joined on the podium by his wife, Mindy, DC Comics President and Publisher Paul Levitz, Dark Horse Comics President Mike Richardson, cartoonist Jerry Robinson, Brian Walker (representing his father, Mort Walker, who arrived later), fantasy artist Frank Frazetta, and activist Martin Luther King III. Geppi thanked his staff for the incredible effort in developing and completing the museum, and lauded his entire family for their understanding and support during the process. He singled out daughter Melissa Bowersox, who handled many of the arrangements for the two grand opening events. Along with his wife, Mindy, Geppi was then joined by GEM President John K. Snyder, Jr., Executive Director Wendy Kelman, and Curator Dr. Arnold T. Blumberg for the ceremonial ribbon cutting before the guests entered the museum. The reactions came from many different perspectives, but most of them ended up in about the same place: “I have to come back and take more time here.” “I think [Shi creator] Billy Tucci really summed it up very well when he said Geppi's Entertainment Museum is going to make our industry look at its history in a whole new light,” Snyder said. The following morning, Friday, September 8, 2006, the museum opened to the public, capping off a week of tremendous press coverage from print, radio, television and online outlets. “The 17,000-square-foot space takes up the second and third floors of the former Camden train station here, whose main floor is home to the Sports Legends at Camden Yards museum. Geppi's Entertainment Museum celebrates the colorful characters and collectibles that have emerged from comic strips and comic books since the late 1800s. Its packed displays - of movie posters, animation cels, action figures, board games, advertisements and more - chronicle the evolution of these characters, often reflecting the periods of American history from which they emerged,” the New York Times said. “As you wander through the lobby wondering all along how much more impressive the rest of the exhibit could be, you receive your answer immediately on crossing the threshold into the museum's main hallway. The walls are easily 20 feet tall and are covered from top to bottom (well, about 3-4 feet from the floor) with posters, original artwork, cartoon cels, cereal boxes and virtually anything else you could imagine that has some sort of pop culture icon emblazoned on it. Far from being overwhelmingly busy, with seemingly disparate images that you might assume would be at odds with each other fighting for your attention instead coming together to form a tapestry telling the story of American culture,” Comic Book Resources said. “To tour the new Geppi's Entertainment Museum in Camden Station is to reunite with those legions of imaginary characters who have instructed generations of Americans from infancy to old age,” said the Baltimore Sun. Saturday night following the Baltimore Comic-Con (which is right across the street in the Baltimore Convention Center), the museum hosted participants from the Belanger-Federico-Pitterich Foundation's Baltimore Celebrity Golf Classic, which the museum is sponsoring this weekend. Sunday night, following the end of the convention, GEM hosted the retailers in town for the Diamond Comic Distributors - Alliance Game Distributors Retailer Summit, which officially got under way the following morning. In conjunction with GEM's grand opening, the Diamond Comic Distributors family of companies hosted a series of auctions under the “Collectibles Celebration” banner. Hake's Americana & Collectibles, Morphy Auctions, and Geppi's Memorabilia Road Show hosted events before and after the Baltimore Comic-Con and the Summit. During the show, Diamond International Galleries teamed up with Heritage Auction Galleries to offer the John McLaughlin Collection. Each of the auctions featured record-setting sales. Geppi's Entertainment Museum is designed to allow visitors to walk through the timeline of pop culture, beginning at the birth of the nation and continuing through the present. The museum is now open to the public. For more information visit www.geppismuseum.com or call (410)625-7060. GEM is located at 301 W. Camden Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, immediately next door to Oriole Park at Camden Yards and just across the street from the Baltimore Convention Center.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
