Kelly and Jim Anthony created the museum with the purpose of “preserving the history of The X-Files (that ran from September 1993 to May 2002) and pay tribute to those involved in the creation of this historic and ground-breaking show” according to their website.
For the 30th Anniversary, The X-Files Preservation Collection organized a fanfest for July 7 and 8 that featured celebrity experiences and meet and greet opportunities for fans to enjoy. According to Kelly Anthony, her conservative estimate of about 500 people attending with visitors coming from all over the world including Costa Rica and Australia.
On Friday, July 7, the fest featured celebrity experiences with Karin Konoval, Christopher Logan, William B. Davis and Annabeth Gish. These experiences, as Kelly Anthony joked, allowed guests “basically two hours locked in a museum with a celebrity.” During each time slot, guests are allowed to explore the museum and interact with the celebrity there at that set time.
On Saturday, July 8, things got going on at both The X-Files Preservation Collection Museum on state Route 50 and the Saratoga Springs City Center on Broadway, with a shuttle going between both places to allow fans easy access to both events.
At the City Center guests were scheduled to meet celebrities from the show (Gish, Davis, Konoval, Logan, Brian Thompson, Chris Owens, Scott Bellis, Bruce Harwood, and JJ Lendl), get autographs and take table pictures. At the museum, Chris Waddell (props and special XFP from the show) and Mark Kudra (set dresser) were to meet fans, sign autographs and take photos.
As a special thank you to the fans and in honor of their goal to highlight those behind the screen XFP, The X-Files Preservation Collection offered the autographs and photos with Mark and Chris free of charge.
There was also a VIP after-party at the City Center that featured a catered dinner, two celebrity panels, a costume contest and a Zoom Q&A with show creator Chris Carter.
One thing that Kelly Anthony loves is the fact that the show truly brings people together.
She said she’s seen all types of people come to her store, from young children to much older people craving all the way out to Saratoga Springs to appreciate the show that has brought them so much enjoyment. One of the coolest memories she has is when a group of four teenagers from Florida found the X-Files over summer vacation on their own and convinced their mother to drive from Florida to see this museum.
“From my experience here from our previous events with Chris Carter I have heard firsthand how the show has changed people’s lives, saved people’s lives, and just had such a tremendous impact.” Kelly Anthony said regarding how special this event is. “And since this is the 30th anniversary, we loved to bring the fans together and celebrate this fandom.”
All the proceeds from The X-Files Preservation Collection museum go back into Jim and Kelly’s mission of preserving the history of The X-Files and highlighting the people that brought it to life.
The Saratogian - Source