The SoCal XenaGab Gatherings

The group kept growing and we began meeting mostly in Long Beach at Sharon S.'s house. She had a huge television and space for many people to comfortably view the latest Xena episode. The group picture became sort of ritualistic, or at least we did this at most of the gatherings. For example:

You get one of the rare MCA TV beach towel promo items in this photo and there I am holding the chakram. At some point I no longer had to hold it for the pictures -- we had had enough of it locally.

I also don't think we kept up with the Herc and Xena standees, but they were very popular for a while to add to the group photo.
These were all taken during the summer of 1997, energized, I believe, by the first convention experience that we all had shared. The convention was what drew the fans together more cohesively as a community, but it was the internet that allowed the network to grow.

The internet activities weren't enough, though, a lot of us (myself included) wanted to meet fans face-to-face, so I think this is why the SoCal Xena Gab gatherings continued to be popular. There were some fans who came and went, but there was a core group that were always in attendance. The core group turned out to be the same people who started the Southern California Xena Fests gatherings, so it was a natural blending of the two -- and many XenaGabbers became very involved in organizing the SCXFs.
In the 2nd group photo, you can still a Joxer Pinata being held in the center front row and it being hit with a fan-made GabStaff in the 3rd photo. Joxer Pinata's were the rage that first year.
The last photo is of one of the largest XenaGab gatherings in Long Beach that year. A number of out-of-town fans are in this photo -- people from the East Coast visiting the West. This was near the time of the 3rd SCXF, held in July of 1997. Front row center is a poster-sized birthday card I had made for one of the XenaGabbers and everyone in the group had signed it.