• The Obama Blog

• ‘Simpsons Movie’ passes go quickly

On Aug. 22-23, 2008, I again donned a laptop backpack and headed downtown to blog about preparations for and the day of presidential candidate Barack Obama’s visit to Springfield, where he was to announce Joe Biden as his running mate.

It was incredibly hot, and I’d say I worked about 22 hours those two days, documenting what was happening, what people were saying, tips for visitors and residents and news updates.

The result was a one-stop-shop blog where people could understand what was going on and feel like they were there, even if they couldn’t be.

You can read the blog entries here.

You can’t live in Springfield without writing at least one Simpsons-related story. In my case, I staked out the line outside the local convention and visitors bureau in July 2007 when they handed out a limited number of passes for a special screening of the new Simpsons Movie opening that summer.

‘Simpsons Movie’ passes go quickly / Each one good for two admissions to special screening
July 24, 2007

Adam Stogdell, 19, kept an eye on the office of the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau all weekend, looking for signs of life.

Had he seen a line of “Simpsons” fans forming outside the front door, he was prepared to park and stake out a spot for himself in line.

By 10 p.m. Sunday, however, the anticipation had become too much. There still was no line, so Stogdell parked in front of the Seventh Street office, pulled out a chair and cooler and started a line himself.

“Honestly, there just is not much to do on a Sunday night,” said Stogdell, an engineering student home for the summer from Berea College in Kentucky.

By 8:20 a.m. Monday, a line of 90 fans eager for a pass to see a special Thursday night screening of “The Simpsons Movie” stretched down the street and around the corner.

At 8:30 a.m., officials at the convention and visitors bureau started handing out 75 passes, each good for two admissions to the screening, and 500 special-edition posters touting the film and declaring [...] Read the rest of this entry »