SerlingFest & Me
SerlingFest- Aug. 21-23, 2026
The beloved carousel of Rod Serling's childhood
The Rod Serling bronze statue in Recreation Park- dedicated on September 15, 2024
My table 🤗
In August I made my way to Binghamton, New York for my very first SerlingFest.
My Twilight Zone art challenge had started simply as an exercise for myself: I wanted to see if I could create something inspired by every episode. I never imagined that one of those drawings would eventually be noticed by the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation, shared on their page, and lead to an invitation to SerlingFest.
I caught the 5:15 AM bus from New York City, arriving in Binghamton early enough to get settled before it began. I had my artwork, brand-new business cards, a hotel reservation, and plenty of excitement.
I brought along several of my Twilight Zone-inspired mixed-media pieces and was really looking forward to physically putting my work out there for the weekend.
The sales weren't huge, but it didn't bother me. I was rewarded with engagement, exposure, and conversations with folks who were kind, intelligent, funny, and passionate about the same strange corner of television history that has fascinated me for so long.
I also got to meet Anne Serling 🧡 Rod Serling's daughter, who without hesitation and to my surprise, gave me a hug when I told her about my father’s passing earlier this year.
One of the things I enjoyed most was seeing how many different ways people continue to engage with and honor Serling's work. There was artwork, discussion, memorabilia, presentations, and some cosplay.
For me, the show was always beyond the monsters and aliens. Episodes involving cowboys, astronauts, and military men were always more of a challenge for me to get into but with time, I'm becoming more able to understand and appreciate them.
I also began to appreciate Rod Serling's social conscience and the way he used storytelling to explore prejudice, fear, conformity, and the tragic tendency we sometimes have to dehumanize one another. He often slipped something pressing and relevant underneath an entertaining or fantastical story.
When I was a teenager, I remember wistfully thinking how wonderful it would be to meet other people who loved and “got” The Twilight Zone as much as I did. People who were curious, thoughtful, and interested in the bigger ideas underneath those stories.
At SerlingFest, that little teenage daydream actually came true.
On our final morning together, we gathered at Recreation Park to visit Rod Serling's statue. Being there in the park he grew up around, surrounded by fellow fans, we took turns speaking on what Rod Serling and his work has meant to us.
When I mentioned that teenage wish to meet like-minded fans, someone jokingly called out with the chant from the 1932 film, Freaks:
"Gooble Gobble! One of us! We accept her! We accept her!"
Others chimed in, which felt slightly embarrassing 🫣 but could I have received a sweeter, warmer welcome?
I doubt it!
Here are some of SerlingFest’s fellow attendees this year- the other Zoners and their own work:
Thanks for mentioning my website! It was really nice meeting you at Serlingfest. I regret not getting back around to your table to buy something. They really are cool pieces of art!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy using my site. I've been making lots of updates with nerdy things like stats. I've been trying to figure out who some of the users are based on the names, and there are a few that I can't figure out. But then I ran across your business card as I was trying to sort out all the things I collected during my trip, and I thought "Oh that must be her!" 😁
I'm glad that you felt the same warm welcome that I did at Serlingfest. It was my first time too, and it blew me away how great everyone was/is. The conversations are still going with Tom Elliot's podcast group on Patreon and Telegram, if you want to join!
Not sure if I should post the link here, so DM me if you're interested, or just join Tom's Patreon and ask about it.
Thanks so much! Harold told me about your website and I marked the episodes I've seen so far but haven't ranked them as of yet- that's very difficult for me to do with such a show lol I also made the links I posted here easier to click onto :) Thanks again for checking out my blog and art- I really appreciate it :)
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