Royals FanFest 2008: Share Your Thoughts!

[KC Royals Nation]

The Royals 2008 FanFest will take place on Friday, January 18 and Saturday, January 19 at Overland Park Convention Center. The fee is $10.00 for adults (I believe).

Does anyone plan on attending this event? I haven't purchased tickets yet, but I'm planning on being there Saturday.

[KC Royals Nation]

OK, I'm going to the forecast luncheon on Friday, and will be at the O.P. Convention Center on Saturday. I'm set. I plan on wearing (if possible) my Gil Meche jersey and possibly some more paraphernalia.

Anyone else going? All the cool kids are doing it....

[KC Royals Nation]

OK, so who attended FanFest 2008? Who would like to endulge us with their activities for the day? I was there, but it was incredibly crowded. I was impressed by the variety of activities put together; however, it was, in fact, geared toward a younger audience (as opposed to a 370 year-old relic like me). In fact, I took a few pictures. So did the 47 Royals Nation interns I employ here at the headquarters. I'll post my story within the next few hours.

[KC Royals Nation]

Here's a brief synopsis from yours truly:

I attended FanFest on Saturday, arriving at the O.P. Convention Center around 11:30am. From not finding a single parking spot within the complex and, thus, having to park and walk at least 10 minutes away, I knew this convention would be crowded. To be honest with you, I felt the organization did a tremendous job with presentation - organizing a number of activities for children, including but not limited to: fast-pitch, batting cages, autograph sessions, and whiffleball. The area was remarkably clean, and it was cool to get to see the players up close and personal. I even strolled beside Joey Gathright, without even realizing it was him (he was wearing a Gathright jersey, which initially struck me as odd, until later....)

However, I'm not much of a man-amongst-crowds. Quite simply, I loathe crowds. And I loathe standing in line. The latter is probably why I did not receive any autographs today. The lines were utterly ridiculous, and waiting in one would have taken at least two hours. In fact, the term 'line' is loose....they were more like winding mazes.

My highlights of the late morning/early afternoon included taking 30-40 pictures, and witnessing a kids press conference, where Mark Teahen, Joey Gathright, David DeJesus, and Tony Pena were asked several dozen questions. Also, I bought a Brian Bannister powder blue t-shirt. That will complement my grey DeJesus shirt (yes, I have another one) and my Gil Meche jersey well, and will go along with my other Royals-related peraphernilia well.

Overall, a low-key afternoon, and a slightly disappointing one at that. I was impressed by the overall cleanliness and presentation of FanFest, but was turned off by the multitude of people. In fact, most of those people were probably casual "fans" at best, attending because it was something to do with their kids on a cold Saturday in January. However, I'm glad the Royals are thrusting forth and promoting themselves on the local scene. Overall, the intentions of FanFest were good, but the activity itself just wasn't for me.


But.....

Pictures to come!

[KC Royals Nation]

Here are some pictures that I took at FanFest on Saturday. Sorry that a few turned out a little blurry. I was a little rushed and didn't exactly have much space to use the camera at my best.