I had the opportunity to attend the event, Outlander in the City, Saturday June 3, 2017.  It was held at the Papillon Bar & Bistro in New York City.  I flew from Jacksonville, Florida to New York City the day before the dinner.Image via Facebook Outlander in the City Event pageThe Outlander in the City event was wonderful! I felt honored to meet so many of the actors from the show, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.  The unique event was a fundraiser for the charities chosen by each of the actors.  I met fellow fans and friends that I have only “met” previously online.  At one point, I said, “I feel so close to you even though we just met.” Although, it is true we have KNOWN each other much longer. When I first joined Twitter, Pelly @pellicott1, said, “I can “hear” your voice on Twitter.”  I agree.  I was thrilled to meet Cooklander friends, Florida Outlander Fans, ThePeakPosse members, and My Peak Challenge participants in person. I really loved seeing the familiar faces of friends that I met when I marched in the 18^th Annual Tartan Day Parade in 2016.(L to R: Kendra, Me, and Kathryn)Image via http://www.terrisquires.com(L to R: Pelly, Me, Bouton)The organizers did a terrific job! My hat is off to you. I moonlight as a PR Consultant which includes celebrity handling and event planning. This event was a huge undertaking, and I’m so proud of everyone involved in the planning. Thank you again so much Carole Braun, Dorianne Panich, Liz Mercado, Laura Michelle, Lisa Michelle Woody, Bonnie Terbush, Sandhya Dawar, and everyone at Outlander Homepage @OutlanderHome!!! Kathryn Elliott served as raffle ticket saleswoman extraordinaire.Reconciling my PR Girl persona and my Fan Girl persona is still an ongoing process.  My Fan Girl status has been written about in previous blog posts.  If you’d like to read more, check out “To be a fan girl or not to be a fan girl, that is the question…” https://inspiredbyoutlander.com/2014/11/19/to-be-a-fan-girl-or-not-to-be-a-fan-girl-that-is-the-question/ and “To Be a Fan Girl, or a Cougar, or Go shopping for a Billionaire, That is the Question…” https://inspiredbyoutlander.com/2015/08/17/i-am-not-a-fan-girl-a-cougar-or-shopping-for-a-billionaire/.During the event, I realized that everyone does Fan Girl in their own way. Partially due to my personality and partially because old work habits die-hard, I determined that I much prefer to sit back, watch people, and take in everything around me.  I didn’t get photographs with all the actors that attended the event.  It wasn’t for lack of interest, I was entranced with watching them.  I never would have imagined that I would see Stephen Walters, Nell Hudson, and Steven Cree singing songs by The Beatles.Steven Cree, who plays Ian Murray, wore a kilt to the event.  I follow him on Twitter, and in person he is exactly as you would expect him to be based on his tweets and interviews.  He has a clever sense of humor, and is very charming.  The evening was more fun because of him. He talked of his project, The Little Princess.  I read an article from The Herald which discusses his role in Churchill, and other future projects. Check it out at http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts_ents/15340652.__39_I_was_devastated__39___Churchill_and_Outlander_star_Steven_Cree_on_the_day_his_acting_career_nearly_came_off_the_rails/?ref=twtrec.Nell Hudson, who plays Loghaire MacKenzie, was so sweet! She has a beautiful singing voice, truly a highlight of the evening.  In addition to Outlander, Nell can be seen in ITV’s Victoria.(L to R: Deborah, Nell, Patty)Wil Johnson was the surprise guest at dinner.  He plays Joe Abernathy in Season 3 of Outlander.  The guests were delighted to meet him, and he circulated throughout the restaurant.  I saw him outside after the event, and he was quick to offer a smile.Duncan Lacroix portrays Murtagh Fraser.  He received a thunderous round of applause when he was introduced at the event.  Everybody needs a Murtagh.Grant O’Rourke plays Rupert MacKenzie.  He was in front of the restaurant after the event when I approached him. He smiled, and gave me a big hug.  Grant just announced he was nominated for Best Actor (theatre) at the Sunday Herald Culture Awards, and can be seen in August at the Edinburgh Fringe.Gary Lewis is a very genuine and kind person.  He gives the best hugs!  I was so pleased to meet him.  Researching this blog, I realized I have much of Gary’s work to binge watch.  This article from The Herald describes his role in The Level as well as what’s up next for Gary, http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts_ents/14803823.Gary_Lewis_on_leaving_Outlander_and_a_new_role_in_ITV_drama_The_Level/.

 Richard Rankin is incredible!  I was so impressed that Richard stayed late at the event to make sure all 270+ women were able to have their picture taken with him.(L to R: Kathryn, Me, Richard, Patty)Before I share my conversation with Richard Rankin, I’d like to pause and refer back to a blog I wrote, People are People, https://inspiredbyoutlander.com/2016/06/16/people-are-people/. In the blog, I share my relief that celebrities are people just like us.  I can add my conversation with Richard to my list of “open mouth, insert foot” moments relayed in that blog.Richard: Where are all of you from?Me: FloridaR: Do you know that Florida is the only state that begins with an “F”?Me: Really?R: Yes, only one “F”.Me: I really should have known that.  (Proud resident of the state of Florida since 1981)R: You learned something new tonight.Richard also knows how many states start with an “A” (4) and with “N” (8).  I applaud his perceptiveness.  As an educator, I do like to learn something new every day.  I used to think of myself as a Brainy Fan Girl.  In that moment, I didn’t feel very brainy, more like a shy coed talking to the star quarterback.  Richard has been very busy with several projects.  I’ve binge watched Thirteen and I am in the middle of The Crimson Field.Stephen Walters performed songs from his Charity Ditty Album (CD).  You can still purchase the album at www.bathgateregal.org.  It was such a treat to see him belting out tunes with Steven Cree and Nell Hudson.  Stephen took to Twitter after the event to announce his project Humpty Dumpty with Andrew Gower.  For more information about the film or to donate to the Kickstarter project go to https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1840778365/humpty-dumpty-film. Bruce Devlin was the emcee for the evening.  I have to be honest, he cracked me up throughout the dinner.For more information about the charities or to donate to the charities chosen by the actors, please see the JustGiving links below. The links will stay open until December 31, 2017.Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity (chosen by Gary Lewis and Grant O’Rourke):https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/OutlanderInTheCityGCHCSave the Children (chosen by Nell Hudson):https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/OutlanderInTheCitySTCWorld Child Cancer (chosen by Stephen Walters and Duncan Lacroix):https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/OutlanderInTheCityWCCInternational Animal Rescue (chosen by Steven Cree):https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/OutlanderInTheCityIARMacmillan Cancer Support (Chosen by Rik Rankin):https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/OutlanderInTheCityMacThank you so much for reading!  I hope this is the first of many Outlander in the City events that Outlander fans are able to attend.Jenny McJenny Mc @jennymcinspired – Twitterinspiredbyoutlander@gmail.com – EmailJennifer McAfee – Facebook