Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Organizer shares her views about series that ran for seven seasons on WB, UPN

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - In every generation, there is a chosen one.

Since the final episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" two years ago, some people may have forgotten who that chosen one was. This weekend, more than 200 fans will gather in Sacramento to remember. The show, about a former cheerleader who battled evil, ran for seven seasons, first on the WB and later on UPN.

"What the show touched on for a lot of people is the empowerment of the individual," said Ginger Graves, a night pharmacist in Bangor, Maine, and one of the convention’s organizers. "Sometimes, you get an intellectual conversation about it. Sometimes, you’re like, ’Go, girl kick butt!’"

The Whedonverse & Beyond Convention runs Friday through Sunday. (The event is named for Joss Whedon, creator of "Buffy" and the spin-off series "Angel.")

Fans won’t get an interview with a vampire, but they can take a picture with one. Others might bring wooden stakes for actors to sign.

We talked with Graves about a gothic Disneyland, notions of geekiness and the search for redemption.

What do fans find appealing about the show?

Buffy was the only one; she was the Slayer. Nobody knew how she felt. So many teens feel like they’re the only one who’s different, that they’re alone even when they’re not. For women, it’s good to see a pretty young girl out there with power.

With characters like Angel, it was more about redemption ... . I think that theme touched people. It’s "Hey, I know I’ve been bad, but I’m not going to do that anymore" and trying to redeem yourself in society and with yourself.

Do you think outsiders understand the world of fandom?

My biggest gripe is the belief "You’re a bunch of geeky losers." That’s not the case. Not from the people I’ve met, anyway. There are people from all over the world: doctors, lawyers, accountants, secretaries, teachers. I don’t think I’ve met any politicians who’ve admitted it. I’m as excited to see friends I haven’t seen in awhile as I am that James Marsters (who played Spike) is coming.

We’re just fans. You don’t make fun of people who go to football games and paint themselves blue. It’s fun for them; this is fun for us. You carry a stake in your suitcase to be autographed, whatever. That’s fun. Then, you go back to work Monday.

You’re a "Buffy" fan who teamed up with two friends to organize this convention. Why?

My partners Ingrid (Orozco), Marlaine (Wade) and I we’ve been going to conventions for years and volunteering at different ones. Between the three of us, we’ve done 30 or so, not always working. My first one was a "Star Trek" convention at least 10 or 15 years ago. Ingrid goes back to "Highlander."

You always look at something you want to do this way or that way, but you’re under the mercy of someone else. We thought, well, we’ll do it our way.

What are some of your goals for this convention?

One of our goals was to make it a smaller event so you don’t feel like there’s 800 people behind you rushing you through the autograph line. Lots of people who are coming have met the actors before, but some haven’t. You’re not going to take 15 minutes and have tea with somebody, but you’re not going to feel a crush of people going "Hurry, hurry, hurry."

When you get down to it, it’s a lot of money: travel and hotels and buying different tickets. Then, you put vacation time in. It’s like Disneyland for people. I just want them to have a blast. Then, I’ll come home and sleep for a week.

Since you’ve never organized a convention before, was it difficult to book actors?

We hired a convention consultant who did most of our booking. But because we’ve been to conventions over the years and volunteered, they’ve seen our work ethic. That, and they got paid. The consultant we hired is also the manager for some of them.

Why did you choose Sacramento?

It’s easier to shift actors up there than back East. We wanted San Diego, but they have the comic book convention, and there were things going on in Los Angeles. So, someone said, Sacramento is the capital, why not there?

How far will fans travel for the convention?

There’s a smattering of Midwest, East Coast, Southern. There’s a woman coming in from Mexico and several people from the U.K. I think a few Canadians are coming down. A lady in Austria said, "I can’t come but (that she would pay for photographs of cast members.)"

What are the demographics of the fandom?

I saw a woman bring a little kid once who was 3 or 4 years old. He toddles up to James Marsters in the photo line and goes "Spike!" I met 10-or 12-year-olds from the U.K. last year. They were sweet on Danny Strong. Then, I’ve met women in their 70s. There’s a huge age range, but a lot of them fall into my age range, 30s and 40s. Even when the really pretty actors show up, ("Buffy" convention attendees) tend to be predominantly women. Conventionwise, you’re talking people who have a certain amount of disposable income.

Do you plan to organize more conventions?

"Buffy" and "Angel" have been off the air for a couple years. We’ll sit back and look at other fandoms out there, say, "The 4400," "Veronica Mars," "Battlestar Galactica." ... We haven’t decided yet. You have to look at who your customers are, what fandom is coming up.