Saturday night was a good night to be a Lost fan. At a converted photo studio in Glendale, fans from the unofficial posting board known as “The Fuselage” gathered to meet, greet, chat and bid on items from the show.

The VIP contingent included producers Bryan Burk and Carlton Cuse, as well as actors William Mapother (Ethan) and Dan Roebuck (Arzt). Roebuck even donated a basket full of show-related goodies and a personal lunch with a silent auction winner. In all, the auction items (including Lost books, scripts and banners, a bicycle signed and donated by Victor Garber and a rare promotional poster for the fictional band Drive Shaft) brought in just over $5,000, which went to the Children’s Defense Fund charity.

Conventions are so old school, ideal for Star Trek fans who like to practice their conversational Klingon and buy bootleg copies of original episodes. But for more, let’s say, discerning fans, these kinds of parties are where it’s at. The trend really took off back in the days of the legendary Buffy the Vampire Slayer posting board called “The Bronze.” The first posting board party (or PBP, as they came to be known), was a intimate affair attended by just as many fans as there were representatives from the show. It grew over the years into an event-sized production, hosting hundreds of fans at its peak and raising tens of thousands of dollars for charity.

Being a more mainstream hit, Lost may have higher ratings, but it probably has fewer obsessed fans than Joss Whedon’s progeny. That’s okay, though. It meant that every person at the party was a true devotee, and everyone had a chance to bend the ear of the producers of their favorite show. It’s not often that an opportunity like that comes around. And besides, Saturday night wasn’t about getting autographs and sucking up to the stars of the show. As much as anything, it was a chance for people who have only met in the virtual world to see each other in person for the first time. Like any community, “The Fuselage” has its cliques, and the popular kids held court with as many guests as the VIPs did. There’s no such thing as a total stranger in a room full of people who share your obsession. Striking up a conversation is as easy as, "So... Kate/Jack or Kate/Sawyer?"

I talked with a friendly red-faced Irishman (sunburned from spending the day in Venice beach) who had come to the States for the first time to attend the party. He was standing near the auction table keeping an eye on the silent auction for a signed copy of the script for the episode titled “?.” “I’m not going home empty handed,” he said as he upped his bid to $100. It came down to the wire, but he will be taking that script home with him when the trip is over, along with the memories of a night full of unabashed fan geek-outs and a feeling of having done some good for needy kids as well. Ain’t fandom grand?