Friday Evening

The first reunion was called, fittingly, "Barbra The Reunion" and was held at the Holiday Inn in San Rafel, California, just outside the city of San Francisco. A handful of committee members took the initiative, not to mention a big risk, in booking the weekend without any assurance that people would actually show up. But as word of the upcoming reunion spread on both the Prodigy and AOL boards, fan interest swelled. Over 70 people showed up, and the first reunion was well on its way to success.

To set the appropriate mood, the main ballroom of the hotel was decorated in the same theme as Barbra's concert stage setting. Corinthian columns were used to frame a large promotional stand-up display from "Barbra The Concert." The folks at Sony Signatures, the official concert merchandise provider for Barbra's concert tour were only too glad to help out as well. They provided an unlimited supply of posters, props, stand-ups and other Streisand related decor for use during the weekend.

Once everyone had checked in at the hotel, had a bite to eat and settled in their seats, it was time to kick things off. A special proclamation from Mayor Albert J. Boro was read aloud, which officially declared February 12th through 19th as "Barbra Streisand Week" in the City of San Rafel.   

A delightful reel of Streisand music videos was enjoyed by everyone as the reunion's keynote speaker prepared to take the podium.

Dave Furano (right), an executive from Sony Signatures, discussed Barbra's record breaking concert tour from the unique perspective of merchandising. He described his hands-on working relationship with Barbra, who took a very active role in deciding the various types of concert memorabilia she wanted to offer the fans who attended her shows.

To the delight of everyone, Furano brought a case-load of merchandise that made for a very exciting "show and tell." Not only did he present various pieces of familiar concert memorabilia, he displayed several never-before-seen prototype items which were developed but never offered for sale at any of the Barbra gift shops on her tour. According to Furano, these were items that Barbra, in her final analysis, just didn't like.


 

Saturday Morning
 
Following the excitement of the reunion's opening night, a fun-filled agenda was in store for everyone the next day. A memorabilia show was organized in the morning which attracted an unexpectedly large crowd, not just the registered reunion attendees, but many "walk-ins." who had heard about the show from local media outlets. This was the pre-EBay era, so it was no wonder that so many people made the effort to attend what was perhaps the world's first trade show dedicated solely to Streisand memorabilia.

Rare Streisand video clips were shown on a large screen as people made their way through the trade show, looking for that one special piece of memorabilia that would make their collections complete. These were also the days before YouTube, so an opportunity to enjoy rare Streisand video footage was a real thrill for everyone.
 

Saturday Afternoon

After the memorabilia show, fans were able to attend a pair of special screenings. The laser disc version of "Barbra The Concert" provided fans with a chance to watch the concert video using the highest quality technology available at the time. And for those who hadn't seen the extraordinary director's cut of "The Prince of Tides," fans could chose to watch a special showing of the Criterion laser disc, complete with Barbra's running commentary and all the extra bonus features.

The afternoon's events also included the option to take a special "What's Up, Doc?" bus tour of San Francisco. The two-hour excursion shuttled people around the city's familiar film locations, including Chinatown, Russian Hill and the Hyde Street Pier.
 

Saturday Evening

The evening session began with a formal banquet, followed by the appearance of the weekend's second special guest. Streisand impersonator Steven Brinberg flew in from New York to give a special private performance of his award-winning show "Simply Barbra."

Day two concluded at 1:30 in the morning following an exciting raffle. To help defray the cost of the reunion, Sony Signatures generously allowed the reunion committee to raffle off several items, such as high-end concert tour jackets and bottles of "Barbra The Concert" champagne (which, at that time, had never been available for purchase). As you might imagine, bidding was more than brisk as enthusiastic fans vigorously competed for these rare concert collectibles.
 

Sunday Morning

The final day of the reunion featured several unique and informative presentations. On just a few hour's rest, Steven Brinberg showed up bright and early to host a question and answer session. Streisand expert Rafe Chase followed Brinberg with a presentation of rare photos which accompanied his discussion of Barbra's early years. Noted author Allison Waldman was next to take the podium, discussing the career of Barbra Streisand, followed by an official book signing of her newly released "The Barbra Streisand Scrapbook." The final speakers were Anne Zarraonandia and Tom Galyean, each an avid Streisand memorabilia collector, who offered tips on how best to amass the perfect Barbra collection.

With a few parting words from the reunion committee, and the announcement that the first reunion was a rousing success, everyone was invited to come back next year, this time in New York, for the second reunion.

 

We'd like to thank Allison J. Waldman, author of "The Barbra Streisand Scrapbook" and member of the first reunion committee, for her contributions to this article, for providing the images, and for sharing her fond memories of an extraordinary event. Be sure to read Allison's regular column at TVSquad.com.