Friend Encounters: Meatloaf and Mike & Mia Kerz at Flashback Weekend

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities.

With Flashback Weekend coming August 5-7, it's the perfect time for this Friend Encounter. This is the perfect picture, too.

Mike and Mia Kerz are the owners/promoters of Flashback Weekend, Chicago's longest running horror convention. The upcoming show is the 20th annual event and I have attended most of them.

Mike and Mia work tirelessly to make Flashback Weekend a great time for all. That work isn't just on the actual weekend. Their work is basically an ongoing thing all year. Having been involved in promoting such events, I can tell attest to how challenging it is. It also is reqarding when it all comes together.

The 2021 event might have been the biggest challenge. With the pandemic still affecting everyone to some degree, Mike and Mia were able to put on a fantastic event.

People think it is a glamorous job, because you get to mix with all the celebrities. The truth is you work with the celebrities. It is definitely still cool, but unfortunately, promoters like Mike and Mia spend little time with the celebs. That's why this picture is great. Mike and Mia actually were able to get a nice picture with Meatloaf.

I'll be "On the Beat" as always at Flashback Weekend. Check here for my recurring coverage.

As a side note, I am friends with Mike and Mia, but not with Meatloaf. I guess two out of three ain't bad.

On another much sadder note, Meat Loaf passed away early this year. I am so grateful to Mike, Mia and Cuzz for the opportunity to meet Meatloaf before he passed.

Go to FlashbackWeekend.com for more info on the upcoming 20th anniversary event. Also, check the Flashback Weekend Facebook page for more frequent updates.

Mike, Meatloaf and Mia in Rosemont, IL-August 2021.

The Midway Drive-In and Flashback Weekend

I have been going to Flashback Weekend every summer for many years. Mia is a cousin of my bud Cuzz Gekas, who also attended unbeknownst to me. How we never compared notes and made the connection is beyond me. Eventually, we did put it all together.

Flashback Weekend is a great convention held in August in Rosemont, IL:. I have met so many celebrities and had so many fun times there.

Mike and Mia are awesome people. They work very hard to make this event fun for all. I cannot thank them enough for the consideration and kindness they have shown me over the years.

Mike and Mia also own and operate the Midway Drive-In about 90 minutes west of Chicago. I wrote about it at A Night at the Midway Drive-In for Global Traveler.

Drive-In theaters have been on the decline since their peak in the 1950s. There are about 300 left in the country and the Midway Drive-In is the closest and the best. The drive-in is perfect for social distancing.

The Midway Drive-In is a combination of nostalgia and technology. Gone are the radio speakers. All audio is played over the radio. That's really the only major difference and it is a good one.

Unfortunately, during the current pandemic, the diner is closed, but patrons are allowed to bring in their own food for a nominal fee. The diner will eventually reopen, bringing back the full experience.

The Midway shows classics as well as current movies. Watching movies at night in the country is about as peaceful as it gets.

Go to FlashbackWeekend.com for more info on the convention. Check out MidwayDriveIn.com for more info on the drive-in.

Mi and Mike Kerz and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2019.

Mia at Flashback Weekend 2017

Flashback Weekend is happening in Rosemont from Friday, August 3 through Sunday, August 5. In honor of that, I am featuring some of my greatest memories from my many years of attending this convention.

Flashback Weekend is organized and run by Mike and Mia. Running a convention is a thankl;ess job, but I am here to thank them and to shine a little spotlight on them.

Having been involved in putting together events like this, I know firsthand about all of the challenges involved. You deal with celebrities (or their agents), vendors, attendees, building management and more. The logistic issues alone are mind-numbing.

Flashback Weekend debuted in 2002 and is Chicago's longest-running horror con. It is billed as a horror con by day and horror film festival by night. I simply call it a weekend of fun. I have met so many fantastic celebrities and made many friends at Flashback Weekend.

Mike and Mia work incredibly hard to make the weekend run smoothly. They are wonderful people and I am proud to be friends with them. We don't get much of a chance to catch up during the weekend, because they are so busy, of course, but it is always good to see them. Even if we weren't friends though, I would still attend Flashback Weekend.

Go to FlashbackWeekend.com for info, including scheduling and ticket prices. You can also follow Flashback Weekend on Facebook for more updates.

Mia and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2017.