Chattanooga
April 18-19
2009

Chattanooga, TN
Home of Lookout Mountain,
The world famous
Moon Pie!

It has been a custom for early arrivals at The Gathering to assemble at Sticky Fingers (a most respectable rib restaurant) for pre-Gathering socializing. This year, the "usual suspects," Senters (Carolyn right foreground; Joel taking the picture), Milners (Karen and David, left background), Rosses (had to leave before the photo was taken) were joined by new attendees, David McCallister (foreground left) from The Pleasant Places of Florida scion and Butch and Debbie Turbert (from The Tropical Deerstalkers of South Florida - right background).

Post-Sticky Fingers gathering in the Milner's suite at the Sheraton Read House. Carolyn, an accomplished raconteur, keeps Debbie Turbert and David Milner enthralled while Joel Senter and David McCallister avail themselves of libations (having selected that old southern favorite, RC Cola, while ignoring the Catdaddy and Midnight Moon from South Carolina).

Debbie and Butch Turbert (left) introduce their friends Flat Stanley and Flat Abbey. The "flat"project was started in 1995 by Dale Hubert, a grade three schoolteacher in London, Ontario, Canada. It is meant to facilitate letter-writing by schoolchildren to each other as they document Flat Stanley's travels. In the beginning, paper "Flat Stanleys" could be mailed to "pen pals" and journals were kept documenting the places and activities in which Flat Stanley visited or became involved. Butch and Debbie's goddaughter (whose name is Abbey) added "Flat Abbey" as Stanley's traveling partner and sent them both to experience The Gathering of Southern Sherlockians. Not many Flat Stanleys can make that statement!

Can you imagine the plight of these poor hotel guys trying to post the "Gathering of Southern Sherlockians" sign with a room full of obsessive-compulsive Sherlockians all trying to tell them how to line it up properly? Fortunately, the problem was solved when Irene Carr stepped forth, took charge and set the matter "straight."

The registration desk Cheryl Ross greets Chicago's eminent Sherlockian, Susan Diamond, ASH, BSI who is paying her first visit to The Gathering of Southern Sherlockians

Genuine Sherlock Holmes cigars, generously donated by Butch and Debbie Turbert, were on display at the registration table.

Kent Ross, head honcho of The Gathering, opens the proceedings.

Nashville's Bill Mason (always a star at every get-together) is the "leadoff hitter" with his learned paper, "A Chill on the Moor: Sex and Sadism in The Hound of the Baskervilles."

Carolyn Senter presented Cathy Gill's "No such thing as a Bad Dog: A Defense of the Hound." Unfortunately, Cathy had to call off her planned attendance at nearly the last moment. Sorry you had to miss your first Gathering, Cathy, but Carolyn's dynamic presentation, "did you proud."

Kenneth Carr from, Atlanta's Confederates of Wisteria Lodge, presented "How the Master Created & Developed His Unique Career as a Consulting Detective

Chicago's Susan Diamond and Allan Devitt, first-time Gathering attendees, gave a joint presentation entitled "What Ever Happened to . . ." in which Susan, as Baba Wawa, interviewed several HOUN characters. Here, Allan submits to interview while acting the exacting role of The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Richard Green (Genius Loci - Birmingham) presented "A Study in the Hound: A Look at Some Lesser Known Film Versions illustrated by several clips from "lesser known" versions of HOUN. Did you know that William Shatner (of Star Trek fame) once played Stapleton in a made for TV version of HOUN?

David Hayes, from The Scholars of the Three-Pipe Problem (Nashville) informed us, in a most erudite fashion, of "The Role of the Moors in the Victorian Psyche."

Saturday Evening:
The Banquet

Joel Senter (left) and David McCallister (in full Scottish regalia) socializing before dinner. Yes, David does play the bagpipes, too.

Here we see Carolyn Senter (with her trusty side-kick) toasting a character who doesn't seem to be "all there" - Beryl Stapleton. Other pre-dinner toasts were given to The Hound, Grimpen Mire, Dr. Watson, and, of course, Sherlock Holmes.

David Milner, in Deerstalker and tux, as MC of the evening's festivities, exhibiting the genuine Sherlock Holmes cigars.

After Dinner Entertainment!
We were privileged to view two sterling theatrical presentations by The Irregular Knights Theatre Troupe and directed by the award winning director, David Milner. First we were entranced by "The Adventure of the Talking Animals" (in which Joel acted the exacting role of "Pompey.") Pictured here is the cast of the second feature, "The Revenge of the Speckled Band." Left to right: Carolyn Senter, Rich Vitaris, Susan Diamond, Kenneth Carr, and Gord Shriver. In the panel to your right, the cast is smiling appreciatively in response to the audience's thunderous applause! Both of these theatrical gems were written by Survivors of the Gloria Scott member, Dr. Tracy Revels, author of Sherlock Holmes: Mostly Parodies (which may be viewed by Clicking Here).

The third performance in the gala evening of theatrical delights was a one-woman show in which Dr. Marilynne McKay portrayed the effervescent Isadora Klein, of Three Gables fame following her own script "Isadora in Chattanooga."

The Gathering of Southern Sherlockians "Class of '09" pose for their group picture (and an exceptionally good looking group it is!).

Sunday Morning

Here we are availing ourselves of the great Porter's Restaurant's (in the Read House) great Sunday morning buffet breakfast.

Left, Joel Senter officiates at the Sunday Morning Hound of the Baskervilles Quiz; right, David McCallister presents "Horse and Hound, One Dartmoor or Two?"
(To try your luck at the HOUN quiz, please
Click Here.

"The Gathering of Southern Sherlockians" is a great, fun gathering. Although it was originally designed as a regional meeting, it is rapidly attracting wider attention and extra-regional (and we might add, distinguished) attendance. This year, there was a number of Sherlockians who intended to be in Chattanooga, but because of illness, injury or a variety of other untoward circumstances, were unable to attend. Gael Stahl, Billy Fields, Cathy Gill (this would have been her first Gathering), David Hammer, Jodie Baker, and Jerry Abbott please know that y'all were sorely missed. Hope to see all y'all next year.
For articles devoted to past Gatherings, we do invite our readers to go to
http://www.sherlock-holmes.com/Chattanooga2008.htm,
http://www.sherlock-holmes.com/chattanooga2007.htm or
http://www.sherlock-holmes.com/chattanooga2006.htm.
We have been informed by Kent that the dates for the 2010 Gathering have already been set for April 17-18, 2010. Please email Kent Ross for further information.