By Heide Dziardziel, USS Challenger Correspondent
JERSEY SHORE – After months of planning and excitement, members of the USS Challenger recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of the popular science fiction franchise Star Trek along with other fans.
The event, which was in partnership with the Borough of Seaside Heights, welcomed fans to the Fremont Avenue boardwalk and later the oceanfront beach to celebrate Star Trek’s milestone anniversary.
Members of the USS Challenger, the Jersey shore chapter of Starfleet, the International Star Trek Fan Association enjoyed a very interesting and sociable day meeting those enjoying a summer day and evening on the boardwalk.
The event’s special guest was Brick resident Steven Lance who appeared as an extra in “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” that was released in 1979. He signed autographed pictures of himself that featured his alien character from the film. He also spoke to fans about his days hosting Star Trek conventions in the 1970s and his current acting roles.
“Beaming down to the USS Challenger’s, ‘Star Trek 60th Anniversary: A Fandom Celebration’ on the boardwalk at Seaside Heights was an out of this world experience. Sharing my on-set production stories with fans, posing with them for photos, and signing color 8x10s of me as the Rhaandarite alien from ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’ pleases me to no end,” Lance said.
He added, “while enjoying the beautiful weather on the Seaside boardwalk, I had the opportunity to meet and pose for photo ops with both legacy and newly indoctrinated Star Trek fans.
It wasn’t just “Trekkies/Trekkers” that took part in the event. Local Ghostbuster club leader Steven Ciercierski of Lacey is also a Star Trek fan and he was among the vendors who came out promoting his club and showing off some of his memorabilia from that supernatural franchise.
The USS Challenger brought along replicas of famous props such as phasers and tricorders from the TV series and films. Seaside Heights provided not only the venue but a big inflatable screen on the beach to show the first televised Star Trek episode on NBC “Man Trap” and the second televised episode “Charlie X.”
Ortley Beach resident and longtime USS Challenger leader Bob Vosseller was thanked for his contribution to make this event happen. The club also acknowledged the work of Michael Gracien the borough’s public events and public affairs director and his staff.
Also present from the Challenger were Chief Medical Officer Joyce Terrana, Operations Chief Chris Ruff, Chief Engineer Ken Ruff, Science Chief Annie Brugmans and Assistant Science Chief Vince Ceraso, Assistant Communications Chief Emily Daly, Assistant Security Chief Patrick Comune, Command Attache’ Sam Saporite, Recruiting Officer Bill Schmidt and fellow crew members James Pecora, Linda MacKenzie, and Greg Lynch.
Among those who came up to see what was happening on the boardwalk was Boda Mohamed, a visitor from Cairo, Egypt, who came out to show his interest in Star Trek which he said airs in Egypt.
Pecora, an actor and author of several books on depression and Italian heritage, signed some autographs and spoke to attendees about his playing a Klingon in a Star Trek parody years ago.
Brugmans is heading up another USS Challenger Star Trek 60th Anniversary Celebration event to be held at the Novins Planetarium on the campus of Ocean County College. This event will include a Star Trek trivia contest and a planetarium program featuring a documentary narrated by “Star Trek: The Next Generation” star Patrick Stewart.
For more information on the club visit usschallenger.org or email usschallengerco@gmail.com and like the USS Challenger’s Facebook page, USS Challenger.
