February 2020, I returned to Wilmington, North Carolina, to attend another One Tree Hill convention. This convention was organized by Friends with Benefits Charity Events. The convention space was also used in the show as the all-ages club, Tric. That made the convention even more special because you were in one of the places where the show was filmed. Everyone involved in the convention worked so hard to make it look like the Tric from the show. From the bar to Peyton’s office, they actually made you feel like you were at Tric.

The actors that were part of this event were Hilarie Burton (Peyton Sawyer), Chad Michael Murray (Lucas Scott), James Lafferty (Nathan Scott), Stephen Colletti (Chase Adams), Robert Buckley (Clay Evans), Lee Norris (Mouth McFadden), Antwon Tanner (Antwon Taylor), Moria Kelly (Karen Roe), Craig Sheffer (Keith Scott), Barbara Alyn Woods (Deb Scott), Daphne Zuniga (Victoria Davis), Sheryl Lee (Ellie Harp), Jana Kramer (Alex Dupre), Brett Claywell (Tim Smith), Colin Fickes (Jimmy Edwards), Amber Brooke Wallace (Glenda), Michael Trucco (Cooper Lee/Hot Uncle Cooper), Marcus Coloma (Marcus Johnson), Tyler Hilton (Chris Keller), Grace McKenna Holcomb (Baby Jenny), Mary Kate Englehardt (Lily Roe Scott) and Jaeden Earle (Lydia Scott).

It was a three-day event on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with so many things happening every day that went far too fast. While photo ops and autographs were the main attraction to happen over the three days, the biggest event was the end of the night. Friday night was a concert featuring Tyler Hilton, Jana Kramar, and Amber Brooke Wallace. Saturday night was a game and dance party where you get to mingle with the actors. Sunday night to wrap up, the weekend was a screening of the first two episodes of Everyone is Doing Great, James Lafferty and Stephen Colletti’s new show, which is now on Hulu.

It was my third One Tree Hill convention and definitely my favorite. It was my favorite because of two different reasons. The first has to do with location. How often do you go to a convention or an event for a television show in a location where it was filmed? Yes, the other two conventions were held in Wilmington, where the program was filmed, but they were in the convention center. There’s a different vibe between the convention center and the Tric building. I also think it’s because there was more light in the Tric building, so it’s a little brighter than convention centers. Personally, I have never been a big fan of large groups, and took me until 2019 to enjoy Boston Fan Expo. The other reason is that there is more time and a little more freedom to interact with the actors. I do love the questions and answers panels, but losing it to have more personal time to interact with the actors was worth it.

One thing that conventions are great for is getting everyone in and out of their photo sessions quickly and in time. It’s quite understandable when you have a large group of people because they want to ensure that everyone gets their picture taken. But when it comes to autographs sometimes it’s great to be able to have a little conversation with the actors. Sometimes, when everything moves rapidly, you feel rushed and it no longer feels personal. One of the nice things this convention did was they didn’t rush you, were they trying to stick to a schedule and keep everything flowing, but they never made you feel like you needed to get your autograph and leave.

I didn’t attend the concert, so can’t talk about it, but I did attend the dance party on Saturday night. This event just brought me back to a lot of soap opera events that I used to attend. When it came to the soap opera events I had attended in the past, you would have so much personal time with every actor. They’re not totally like the big Comic Cons, Fan Expos, or even like the One Tree Hill conventions because they work a little differently. They do give you the chance to actually talk to the actor and stuff like that makes it more meaningful. Just being at the Dance Party Saturday night made me feel like I was back at those events because you could talk to the actors and not have to worry about them being ushered away 2 seconds after you say hi to them. One of the things that has been consistent with the actors is that some of them love to dance and just have a great time with the fans. It’s stuff like that that makes me love actors even more.

One thing you can say with confidence at these conventions is how much the actors love to meet the fans. The show has been off the air for nearly 10 years and yet they are always so excited and happy to meet the fans. Knowing that alone makes me want to return year after year for these events. If you had told me years ago that I would meet the actors of One Tree Hill someday, I would have told you that you were insane. I should have known that crazy things happen all the time. Having met one of my favorite actors over 10 years ago, I should realize that anything is possible. If you can wish for it, it’s possible.