Thanks, Patrick

By WALLACE McBRIDE

I might have knocked up DARK SHADOWS, but Patrick McCray married her.

The Collinsport Historical Society was a glorified Craigslist ad when it launched in 2012. I had been a solitary fan of DARK SHADOWS for a while, but had recently discovered the show had a rich history of fandom that had managed eluded me. The only real goal I had with the blog was to meet other fans, using my exploration of old 'zines and newsletters as bait. If you browse the posts from the CHS's first year you'll see for yourself it was a modest endeavor. Things didn't really get "serious" until Kathryn Leigh Scott agreed to do an inteview near the end of that first year, which unexpectedly led to the website's first podcast ... a concept enabled by some of those new friends I'd made along the way.

Among the panel guests on that first episode was Patrick McCray, a guy who is always down to talk about DARK SHADOWS come rain, sleet or storm. I don't know that he's ever said "no" to one of my requests, no matter how great or terrible they might have been. He's even been on board for a few of my ideas that never went anywhere, never once complaining when these efforts failed to bear fruit. Frankly, the CHS probably would have died from neglect a year or so ago had it not been for Patrick. If you're reading this, it's because he's not only been able to hold onto your attention, but mine, as well.

A few months back we learned that Patrick had been named "Writer of the Year" by The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards, an award that he collected over the weekend during the annual WonderFest Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. He accomplished this by writing about a niche fandom via his regular feature "The Dark Shadows Daybook," which has already accumulated more than 300 entries. And he won out over such runners up as Kim Newman and Tim Lucas. I mean, holy shit, right?

I'm not holding my breath waiting for a congratulations from MPI Home Video or anyone else involved with the Dan Curtis estate about Patrick's achievement. But I want to publicly thank Patrick for all of his work here at the CHS, and to let him — and everybody else — know how proud I am to have his writing associated with my humble website. He's definitely made Collinsport a more interesting place to visit during the last few years.

- WM