how it all started . . .

It's kind of amazing what average, everyday people can do when they share a dream and work together diligently and unwaiveringly. I guess we have all heard that said so often, it is a cliché by now. But I had never experienced it firsthand—not, that is, until the nine months between August 2005 and May 2006. During that time, I learned a lot about what people and dreams can do. Although I never met the man, I learned it all because of Bobby Darin.

Strangers Talking

It all started on an internet discussion group. Strangers from all over the world, posting messages to one another about their common interest in the late, great Bobby Darin, began to talk about how wonderful it would be to have a Darinfest. After all, there are Elvis festivals. And Beatle festivals. There are all kinds of music festivals. Bobby Darin was an immense, prolific, and diverse talent who contributed more than his fair share to the world of entertainment. Why not a Darin festival? And the timing was perfect. In one year's time, it would be the anniversary of his 70th birthday.

Talk about this topic continued for several weeks with everyone throwing out great ideas of what it would be like, where it would be, and who might run it. They were great ideas, but random ones, among people who had never met. It was clear that if no one took the lead, it would stay in the realm of ideas and dreams and would never take any kind of shape in reality.

The Tiniest Beginning

One day, someone took the initiative and decided to create voting buttons to help us determine where the festival should take place. There had been much talk about New York, Las Vegas, and California being the top contenders for location since Bobby spent significant portions of his life in those three areas. Well, the votes came in and, if memory serves, of 35 votes cast, 17 came in for New York City, 14 for Las Vegas, and 4 for California. We had our location!!

After that first tiny step in the right direction, things kind of fizzled for a while. Yes, we have a place, but what do we do now? Many people began volunteering for different things. There is certainly plenty of Bobby Darin history in New York City so there is lots to do. Again, there was no one assuming a leadership role, so how could we move forward? Many of us thought that this probably would not go anywhere, but we kept talking about it anyway. It was, after all, fun to think about, and certainly still seemed possible.

Darinfest Has A Planning Site

One member, with experience in documentation (that would be me), volunteered to set up a planning site and begin to keep track of our Darinfest planning—who is volunteering for what, the decisions we are making, and what (if any) progress is taking place. I also designed a Darinfest graphic image because I felt that giving Darinfest a visual presence would aid in its development and could be used later for posters, stationery, and so on. I put this image on the planning site.

As we continued to discuss our as yet unformed event through the summer of 2005, I kept the planning site updated with the latest information so people would stay informed. Along with my friend, Sandy, I watched to see if a leader would emerge. She and I knew what needed to be done and we wanted to help, but we both work full-time. We just did not have the time or the experience to pull the entire event together by ourselves. Unbeknownst to us, however, another pair were also discussing plans for the Darinfest and had even begun making phone calls regarding group hotel and restaurant reservations.

Help Arrives

In August of 2005, I received an e-mail from another discussion list member, Lorraine, who told me that she and another member had been researching hotel accommodations and more in New York City and would soon be ready to tell the group. She asked me if I would help them organize the information and present it on the Darinfest planning site. My answer was a resounding YES. Of course I would do that. I would be thrilled to get the information and inform the rest of the group that we have a plan!

Team Work

That was the very beginning of a nine-month long collaboration between Sandy, Lorraine and myself. Before long, we were speaking on a regular basis, consulting one another on decisions that had to be made and discussing ideas and the required steps for making this dream a reality. Soon, we were joined by Susan who took on a vital planning role.

Using the title of a great song that Bobby sang like no other, our weekend became "Once In A Lifetime" and, together, we became the "Once In A Lifetime" planning committee. Two other discussion group members, Lori and Darlene, took on important leadership roles. Many others group members began to volunteer their energy and skills. Every role, even just sending in a deposit to attend, was as important as the next in this project. Every single participant in this event made it happen.

Celebrating Bobby's Life

To create a weekend-long celebration that does justice to the life and work of the great Bobby Darin is a daunting task. It took vision, commitment, generosity, team spirit, effort, trust, lots of late nights, and not a little bit of faith. It has been an honor and a privilege to work with and come to know as amazing, generous, and loving a group of people as ever there were. They and Bobby Darin have taught me that love is the power behind any successful creative endeavor. I hope you feel that love and, of course, the presence of the magnificent Mr. Darin, on these pages of the "Once In A Lifetime" story.

 May 2006                                                              back to Once In A Lifetime