 Old Blue Barn Home | Gazette | E-Mail The special event is here. So much preparation but all well worth it. The week leading up to the signing brought so many smiles and wonderful memories to share a lifetime. Friends from across the US came to help celebrate. Our first special guest was a very dear friend Ann Miller, owner of The Dollhouse in Olde Gahanna, Ohio. Up to this point, Ann and Fran have corresponded by phone and email. Finally, they have the opportunity to meet each other. What a special lady. Fran knew it was Ann as soon as she walked into The Old Blue Barn. I guess you just know when a fellow store owner walks in!!! They hugged each other, bear hugs that is, and hugged some more. Fran gave Ann a tour of the store, sharing their ideas and mutual love of Boyds …….After the tour Ann was put to work………….Why not? There's still lots to do!! Carol and Alan from the Pocono's arrive all dressed in their Boyds attire, prepared to start their shopping. They poked around the store for hours, finding their special Boyds to take back to PA. It's Friday and the tents have arrived. Once they are in place, the tables are set up for the Food Court, Package Check, Raffles, The Reinhart's Bears Hare and Trails, Dining Hall and Special Boyds for Sale. The forecast calls for a spectacular day for Saturday. Indian summer arrives just in the knick of time!! Also, on Friday Ali arrives with more Boyds friends, Laura Sanchez, from Arizona, Laura makes those beautiful tapestry purses and is currently designing The Old Blue Barn exclusive bear, Bonnie Blue. Ruth Block from California, Beverly Davies and Sharon (Koala) Anderson from New Jersey.………….The store is rockin' with hugs, laughs, and lots of Boyds stories. The morning of the Signing started with an extra special breakfast honoring Liz Smith. All of our Bears n' Buddies friends are there along with the members of The CT Boyds Collectors Club. Ali and the club members did a wonderful job in making the whole breakfast a huge success. Liz was presented with a gift; an afghan throw of CT landmarks. Truly a perfect keepsake of her visit. Fran was also presented with a gift for all of her terrific work in making this Signing really happen. After all, Fran and The Old Blue Barn collected all those FOB memberships. After breakfast, Liz was most gracious to spend some time chatting with the FOB members and taking loads of pictures.  While Fran and Liz attended the breakfast event, the staff at The Old Blue Barn was making the last preparations. Each staff member had a special job for the day: Erin and Shirley manned the registers, Claudia packed the loads of Boyds purchases, Kate, Sindy, and Elaine assisted in the Boyds Forest, Jenn, Julie, Ann, Lisa, Sue, and Valerie were in charge of the signing process, Ruth was the flexible runner; assisting where ever needed on the floor, Steve directed traffic until the "real cop" came on duty, Gail handled the Raffle Table, Marlene was in charge of the Food Court, Doreen assisted at the table where "special Boyds bears" were for sale, Jason took pictures of the members with Liz, and Jean worked at the bag check. Fran and Liz chatted about Boyds Stuff, on the drive to The Old Blue Barn. Liz is such a pleasure to talk with. She makes you feel so "at home." A great lady!! We arrive at the store, greeted by all of our fellow Boyds Friends. The store is bustling with activity….how exciting. Liz and Fran took a tour of the store. Liz was very impressed with the Boyds Forest and imaginative decorating. Shortly after the tour, Liz took her seat at the signing table. During each signing, Liz spent some time to chat with each and every Boyds fanatic. Ann Miller had the best seat in the house; she assisted Liz throughout the signing. Great job Ann!! While Liz was busy inside, the weather was perfect for outdoor activities. The Food Court was cooking up a storm with the most delicious dishes, all homemade by the many friends at The Old Blue Barn and Fran's specialty dishes. The OBB chefs, Alan (Fran's husband) and Fran (Shirley's husband) manned the grill. The raffle items and special, retired Boyds items for sale were on display under an adjacent tent. Dave and Linda Reinhart talked with fellow Boydsters' about their Bear, Trails and Tales subscription. As we each anticipated our assigned signing times, we were able to shop for that special Boyds item to be signed. The Boyds Forest was bursting at the seams with Boyds shoppers. And everyone was so patient and courteous when the lines reached into the forest. We had games to keep us entertained too. If you had a bobbie pin, a purple lipstick, or even a 1967 quarter….you won a Boyds prize. We had a "Guess the Marbles Game", our winner was a nine year old boy who came within 10 marbles. Fran had a huge selection of Boyds items for the raffle. Theodore Sr. was one of them!! Boyds members, new and old, were able to sign up for future special event pieces. We can't believe the day is almost over, we had too much fun. We ended our day with more pictures with Liz, Fran, and our guests from across the US. We thanked our most special guest Liz Smith for sharing the day with us. We all captured more memories to tuck away in our Boyds Bears albums. Special Thanks to Fran and her staff for their hard work and dedication to their Boyds members. Following the signing, we had one more party to attend………..Ann Miller's surprise birthday party. And yes it was a surprise!! We enjoyed dinner and cake but the best part were Ann's birthday gifts. That's a cookie cutter that Ann is holding!!! It's not what you think……The hard hat will come in handy to assist with the road construction back home!! We shared laughs and hugs and more laughs. We concluded our day with a party photo. We hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did. Bear Hugs to all. Written By Sindy Thomas |
Our store is handicap accessible