‘Spare’ Time for Springfielders
The lively second annual Bloss and Friends bowling event gave GUIDING LIGHT fans a way to hit three pins with one ball: They were able to meet and bowl with their favorite GL actors, they said farewell to the well-loved Jerry verDorn (ex-Ross; Clint, OLTL), and the funds raised at the event went to the American Cancer Society.
Held on Oct. 15, the event was sponsored by the Elizabeth Keifer and Jerry verDorn Fan Club, and netted $7,715. VerDorn was both wistful and optimistic at the event in “his” (and Blake’s) name. “This may be the closure that Ross didn’t have,” he said. “He just stopped appearing, rather than having a goodbye scene, however small it might be.” When Dinah’s fantasy sequence with Ross and her friends was mentioned, he said with a laugh, “Oh, really? I forgot about that.” As for passing the luncheon-hosting torch to Robert Newman (Josh) the next day, he joked, “I actually have one at home and I’m going to give it to him.”
Newman found the several recent cast changes difficult to deal with, but said they were easy compared to those his wife, Britt Helfer (ex-Lily, LOVING), had handled. “My wife had just left LOVING when they flipped it over to THE CITY,” and most of the LOVING cast members began…leaving. One of Newman’s favorite GL gathering memories was October 2001’s inspirational event, where he sang “The Prayer” with Britt. “That was pretty nice, because I was able to be with my wife. That it actually happened on the heels of 9/11 was pretty amazing.”
Newman’s TV brother, Jordan Clarke (Billy), added, “The people on this show are so good. We really are like family. A lot of shows say that, but we really are.” He added, “The fans are what this is all about; without them it’s nothing.”
Beth Ehlers (Harley) echoed Clarke’s sentiments about the fans, noting, “I am always impressed by how knowledgeable they are. They understand when things are working and not working. They will voice things that I’ve literally said in rehearsal hall.” On verDorn’s departure, she noted, “My first instinct was, ‘Oh, my God, I’m so happy for him.’ My second was, ‘What are you, crazy? You can’t leave the show!’ So I walked over to him just now and said, ‘Quitter!'”
Stephanie Gatschet (Tammy), who was thrilled to get a strike on her first frame, noted, “This year is particularly important, because the show is in such a time of change that it’s nice to spend time with fans who still enjoy the show.”
On Nicole Forester, her “nuMom” Cassie, Gatschet enthused, “She’s really sweet and talented, and she even has that little spark that Laura (Wright) had.” Suddenly she said, “I’ve gotta run away from Tom.” She had helped John Driscoll write playful insults against their friend Tom Pelphrey (Jonathan) on John Driscoll’s (Coop) bowling shirt; Driscoll wore one with “I don’t sleep with relatives” and another, “Tom plays with blue balls.” We’re not kidding.
Driscoll, who advised Ehlers to look at the arrows on the floor and not the pins, said, “It feels good to not be the newbie anymore. I’m not in the spotlight; people know who I am, finally.” Pelphrey — whose own contribution was “Driscoll eats it,” while his phrase for the weekend was “Cousins Rock” — said, “I love being here and I love beating John Driscoll.” Which he did for the second year in a row, this time 123-91.
For more info on the fan club go to www.lizandjerry.com.
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