Beaglefest: A history

(This special post is by 5CP Associate Editor Gayna Lamb-Bang and her roommate, Derrick)

The Peanuts Collector Club was founded in mid-1983 by Andrea Podley, who until summer 2008 managed the ever-increasing duties with the sole assistance of her husband, Phil. She published quarterly newsletters, each of which seemed to be larger than its predecessor, every one filled with articles about various aspects of Peanuts-dom: bios of individual members and descriptions of their collections; news on just-released merchandise; collectibles; and definitive lists of particular items (refrigerator magnets, for instance). The most popular newsletter feature, during its early years, was the all-important Buy/Sell/Swap pages in the back (which gradually shrank, as the Internet became more important, and eBay consumed everybody's attention!). At its peak, the Club had close to 2,500 international members.

Beginning in the summer of 2008, Kathy Magrane took over the position of Club president. Bowing to the digital age, the printed newsletters ceased shortly thereafter; since then, most business and news has been conducted via the club's Facebook page.

But stepping back in time...

Within two years of the Club's founding, the growing cadre of members decided to celebrate their organization with a festival of convention of some sort. Member Marian Wolff gets credit for coining the term "Beaglefest": selected out of an abundance of caution, lest "Snoopyfest," or some derivation thereof, might be forbidden due to licensing rights.

Beaglefest I was scheduled for July 5-7, 1985, at the Los Robles Lodge in Santa Rosa, California; it was chaired by Andrea Podley. This was a modest affair, and attendance was small: just 40 brave and enthusiastic souls, all a little crazy about Peanuts collectibles, many of them meeting each other for the first time during an introductory wine and cheese party held in the Lodge ballroom. The excitement and high spirits continued during the next day's Collectors' Market, when Club members brought hundreds of items to sell or trade. Many sellers immediately spent their profits on more goodies for their own collections. Later that evening, members gathered for dinner and then sat in the bar and talked the night away.

Beaglefest was declared a success, and so...

A happy group of Beaglefest II attendees

Beaglefest II took place June 30-July 3, 1989, again at Santa Rosa's Los Robles Lodge; attendance was much larger, with slightly more than 100 members arriving from across the United States and Canada, with a few flying in from overseas. Bruce Carlson chaired the event, which adopted the slogan "40 Years of Happiness." Swap meets were held on both Saturday and Sunday, with a stunning display of collectibles for sale. A costume parade was modest enough to permit all participants to win a prize, and — best of all — Charles and Jeannie Schulz were guests of honor.       

Beaglefest III brought roughly 300 people to the Los Robles Lodge from July 2-5, 1993; members came from all over the United States and Canada, and four additional foreign countries. Bruce Carlson once again chaired the event, and Charles and Jeannie Schulz once again were guests of honor. The Club completely filled the hotel, which was convenient; the often late-night room sales didn't bother any other guests!