A crowd of hundreds is piled under an event tent on the town green.

“Who’s here for the first time?” asks Jennie Whitaker from the stage, minutes into her opening remarks, as she stares out at a sea of people. The response is louder than she anticipated. “Oh, I just assumed you’re all back again. I guess I should’ve started with, ‘Hi, I’m Jennie! Welcome to Fan Fest!” 

Jennie and her husband, Marcus, are the creators of The Fan Fest Society, an annual gathering of Gilmore Girls fans, cast and crew members that celebrated its tenth event in October.

“Gilmore Girls was simply the reason people began gathering…but it wasn’t the only thing everyone treasured from the event,” the event’s website states. “The community was real, Stars Hollow didn’t exist but our parallel universe actually did. People were more than just characters, they became friends. Well-written storylines were fun to explore. Talking about TV provided joy. And we decided to live the mantra, ‘if it brings you joy, you keep it.’ Hence, The Fan Fest Society.”

Every fall, hundreds of fans – not to mention a devoted roster of cast and crew members – gather in a New England town to celebrate all things Gilmore. This year and last, the lovely Guilford, Connecticut, with its central town green dotted with cafés, shops and restaurants, has stood in for Stars Hollow and welcomed more than 600 people into its small borders. 

I was a newbie. The event has been on my radar from the start, but I’d never managed to make the trek. With my book, Gilmore Girls Pop Culture Reference Guide, set for release in a few months, I decided to travel north this year come hell or high water. After buying my ticket, I reached out to Jennie to introduce myself. She was kind enough to offer me a slot on the schedule to discuss the book. 

But book promotion was just an aspect of what I wanted to get out of my time at Fan Fest, because it is clear that this event forges deep bonds and lasting friendships – from all over the world and from very close to home. Among the first folks I met when entering the fandom were Claudia Schoder from Germany and Meghan Phillips, a fellow native West Virginian. Everyone is united by their love of this show, and they manifest those Stars Hollow vibes to anyone and everyone. It’s a welcoming and inclusive community of people from all walks of life who make the journey to Fan Fest. “Welcome to the fan-mily!” is a common greeting to new folks.

That welcoming vibe was enveloping from the jump when we arrived on Thursday afternoon. It was evident that we were among friends, even if we hadn’t met them yet. My partner and I approached the registration table where none other than “Mrs. Kim” herself, Emily Kuroda, was there to welcome guests and assist the hardworking volunteers – her warmth and humor a far cry from that of her severe character. Aris Alvarado (“Caesar”) and Key Set Costumer Valerie Campbell were milling about chatting with fans. Outside the tent was photographer Nick Holmes (“Robert”) taking portraits of attendees. The energy was palpable for the early arrivers.

By Friday morning, the crowd at the registration area had tripled. I hit some early-morning sessions before slipping away for a very important appointment. My goal is to get a tattoo to commemorate each book I publish. Earlier this year, I got an elaborate and intricate portrait of The Golden Girls in honor of my last book. I thought what better time than while at Fan Fest to get my Gilmore-inspired art? Months ago, I began researching tattoo shops in the area and landed on Lucky Soul Tattoo in nearby New Haven. Owner Tracey Rose liked the idea of doing a show-related piece, and we began tossing around ideas. 

I put feelers out in the Fan Fest’s Facebook group and had a running list of options – a firefly, the Luke’s Diner logo and an homage to the infamous “You Jump, I Jump, Jack” episode were all contenders. But I also wanted something different – something I wasn’t finding when searching Gilmore Girls tattoos online. Since it’s a book-themed sleeve I’m building on my arm, I settled on the logo of the town’s bookshop, Stars Hollow Books. After some slight modifications for sizing, Tracey got to work on the piece, which we placed on the inside of my wrist. It turned out beautifully. [People always ask if tattoos hurt. They don’t feel good, per se, but it’s a manageable discomfort. But Tracey did say, and she was correct, that the inner wrist is a little spicy.]

Freshly inked, we headed back to Guilford for the afternoon and evening festivities (after a stop for some famous New Haven pizza at Modern – the source of the town’s best pizza being hotly debated at the tattoo shop). The agenda at Fan Fest is a blend of cast/crew meet-and-greets, special topic sessions like trivia games, and unique offerings like the 90-minute panel with the one and only Kelly Bishop (“Emily Gilmore”), arguably the fest’s biggest “get” in its 10-year history. 

Later in the evenings are the big draws like cast and crew panels, a singalong led by Kathleen Wilhoite (“Liz Danes”), and a costume contest. My go at Luke was technically accurate but outmatched by more creative and elaborate offerings. I lost the “Business Owners of Stars Hollow” category to a couple dressed as Jackson and his zucchini. Oh, well. Personally, I think the dude dressed as candy shoppe Taylor was robbed! 

My favorite evening event was The Coffee Monologues, spearheaded by writer/producer and friend Stan Zimmerman, who I first met at a Golden Girls convention a few years ago and later welcomed to my bookshop when he was touring with his memoir, From Golden to Gilmore. Stan recruits attending cast members to perform monologues from the show as other characters. This year, Aris Alvarado read as Rory, Nick Holmes as Lorelai, and dialogue coach/featured extra George Bell as Emily. It made for a hilarious alternate-reality version of the show. Lastly, the nights are capped off with events like karaoke and dance parties, but my old self was ready for bed before the lights went down on those gatherings. 

And as for my session? Coincidentally, my publisher, Lyons Press, is located less than half an hour from Guilford, and my wonderful publicist, Anthony Pomes, agreed to come along and help facilitate an hour we ultimately called Gilmore Girls Pop Culture Palooza. Anthony and I took the stage in the main tent on Saturday afternoon to discuss Gilmore Girls Pop Culture Reference Guide and play some trivia based on pop culture references from the show. We pulled up players from the audience for a couple rounds – some players doing better than others but everyone having fun…I think! Destiny’s Child and Charo they knew right away. Petticoat Junction and cat-lady Jocelyn Wildenstein stumped ‘em. It was a fun hour that seemed to be well received by folks and hopefully generated a little buzz for the upcoming book. 

It’s a tricky balance attending this kind of event with something to promote, because I didn’t want it to look like I’m only there for that purpose. What I wanted more than anything from this event is to better immerse myself into a fandom that I’ve long been a part of but had never experienced to this degree in person. I’m no stranger to TV show fandom and the strong bonds a mutual love of a show can create. I was part of The Golden Girls online fandom way back in the ’90s and became the torchbearer for its spinoff show, Empty Nest, so much so that I eventually found myself hosting reunion panels at events and becoming friends with members of the cast. I experienced The Golden Girls fandom’s lasting effects at the Golden-Con events in Chicago, but I would say the love and devotion is perhaps even more palpable in the Gilmore Girls world. I met people this weekend that I’m happy to know and look forward to getting to know even better. Everyone with whom I interacted was eager to chat, trade tokens, share stories, and become friends. 

My first-ever Fan Fest Society was a blast. Thank you Jennie and Marcus for your devotion to this event and all your hard work – and for letting me be a small part of it. Also thanks to the many volunteers and others working behind the scenes, to Will the sound guy for making us sound good on the stage, to the fan ambassadors for your commitment, to Guilford for making us feel welcome, and to the show’s cast and crew members who give so tirelessly of your time and energy to make every fan feel special. 

A recent Us Weekly story called Gilmore Girls “a show, a lifestyle, and a religion.” After a weekend in Stars Hollow – err, Guilford – I’d call that an accurate description. I’m happy to say that, where this show leads, I will follow.