Calcasieu Serialfest!

Chapter 7!

I’ve been going to Calcasieu Serialfest for a number of years now, and Chapter 7 will definitely go down as one of the most unique chapters in the festival’s history. COVID-19 has struck a massive blow to tons of events similar to Calcasieu Serialfest, but Serialfest’s smaller size and choice of venue allowed it to go off with only a few minor changes. Those changes were noticeable and sorely missed, but the festival was still just as fun as it has always been.

As stated in my previous post, this year’s festival focused on the career of Linda Stirling. There was no shortage of Stirling performances at the festival, as eight chapters were shown from four of her most popular serials: The Tiger Woman (1944), The Purple Monster Strikes (1945), The Crimson Ghost (1946), and Zorro’s Black Whip (1944). A brief history of Stirling’s life was also discussed.

Other serials featured included Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952), The Spider’s Web (1938), and Dick Tracy (1937). Fans of Star Trek were treated to one of Leonard Nimoy’s earliest performances in Zombies of the Stratosphere and also got to see Clayton Moore, television’s Lone Ranger, in one of his earliest performances as well in The Crimson Ghost.

Calcasieu Serialfest was held at the Brimstone Museum in Sulphur, LA as it has been for the last few years. The Brimstone always does an excellent job of providing the festival with a great venue and made sure that this year’s event fell well within the regulations and guidelines for COVID-19. While I missed the free lunch and popcorn that is usually provided for the event, safety is much more important. Besides, I got to check out a new Mexican restaurant in the area for lunch during the festival’s noon break.

I also missed seeing serial cosplayer Bill Necessary at the festival. He was unable to attend due to circumstances beyond his control.

Despite not having popcorn or free pizza this year, the festival did have an extremely unique gift for all of those that attended the event. The festival had special Green Hornet face masks made for the event and they were a huge hit! Not only did they have the masks, but they also had some wonderful stickers and Green Hornet buttons for anybody that wanted them.

Next year’s event is already in the works, and unlike previous events, the July 2021 version of Calcasieu Serialfest won’t focus on an individual. Instead, 2021’s version of the festival will be called Welcome To The Jungle and will highlight jungle and adventure serials! I can’t wait to see which serials will be highlighted.

As always, thanks for reading my post. The Calcasieu Serialfest took on COVID-19 and managed to pull off an excellent event. I hope to see all of you there next year!