M60: MONKEES 60TH ANNIVERSARY CONVENTION – A RECAP BY FRED VELEZ

The M60 Convention for Monkees fans on the 60th Anniversary was held September 4, 5, and 6, 2026, in Connecticut. It was a fun event for the fans who attended to mark the 60^th anniversary of the debut of The Monkees as a multimedia phenomenon. Fans from as far away as Australia and the U.K. joined in with fans from throughout the U.S. to share their love of the Monkees. And that love was on display all weekend long.

The M60 festivities began on Friday with an opening night party in the host venue, the Clarion Inn Hotel in North Haven. Fans started to come in at 7PM and were greeted by convention producer/host Charles F. Rosenay!!! The music started with singer/musician Scott Ringle entertaining the crowd, performing both familiar Monkees songs and deeper cuts. The happy atmosphere set the tone for the weekend, with attendees singing along and dancing. Entertainer Mick Lawless joined Scott for a few numbers, and Charles did some announcements.

Friday night also gave us the first look at Rosenay!!!’s new book “The Monkees Comic Book Book,” co-authored with Mark Arnold. The pair had previously released “Not Just Happy Together: The Turtles A-Z (AM Radio to Zappa), but their Monkees book was in the works for years. It is a loving collection of the original Monkees comic books that were issued during the original run of the Monkees television series, restored, remastered, and delivered in a beautiful format. It includes an exclusive interview with the late artist Jose Delbo, who worked on the original comic series. Also inside the book it is a valuable timeline, a comprehensive price guide for all the original comic books, plus celebrity commentary on the comics and The Monkees themselves. It’s a must for all Monkees fans, comic book collectors, and pop culture aficionados.

On Saturday September 5^th, the main part of the convention began at 11am with fans lining up to get in, and the opening of the vendors room.

There, fans were able to purchase rare Monkees items for their collections, ogle at all the amazing memorabilia, records, and merch, and visit all the guest authors. In the same ballroom, they were able to meet and hobnob with the guests: Present and past Monkees band members Felipe Torres, John Billings, Rich Dart, David Robicheau; Peppy Castro of the 60’s band Blues Magoos; actor Greg Evigan of “My Two Dads” (in which Davy Jones guest starred in two episodes); “The 5^th Monkee” Bill Chadwick; legendary photographer Henry Diltz; and Monkees producer Chip Douglas making his very first appearance at an East Coast convention. Sadly, actress and Monkees friend Valerie Kairys-Venet and author Mark Arnold were unable to attend.

In the welcome area, fans were greeted by MMR (Monkee Mania Radio), where Professor Microdose was broadcasting and interviewing the numerous special guests and fans.

Attendees were really in the spirit at the convention, with a few fans even cosplaying as Monkee Men and as a Wind-Up Man from the “33 & 1/3 Revolution Per Monkee” TV special!

The on-stage events began with an Author’s panel moderated by Charles F. Rosenay!!! featuring Monkees book authors Joe Russo (“Smoke Filled Dreams”) Ed Rilley (“The Monkees: A Manufactured Image”) Melanie Mitchell (“Monkee Magic: A Book About A TV Show And A Band”), Michael A. Ventrella (“Long Title: Looking For The Good Time-Examining The Monkees’ Songs One By One” and “Headquartered: A Timeline Of The Monkees Solo Years”), and Fred Velez (“A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You: The Monkees From A Fan’s Perspective” and “A Little Bit Me A Little Bit You 2: The Monkees From International Fan Perspectives”).

Pictured below are authors Reilly, Mitchell, Ventrella, and Velez (plus Russo’s hand and book)

A panel of Monkees Musicians followed with current Monkees bassist John Billings and former tour drummer Felipe Torres was moderated by Professor Microdose of MMR (Monkee Mania Radio). Rich Dart and David Robichaeu came to the event later on in the day, so they didn’t get to participate in the interview.

Below is a rare shot of John Billings, Rich Dart, and Felipe Torres sitting together, with Fred Velez. (Fred’s wife Linda in a tie-dye shirt photo bombing on the left!)

Actor Greg Evigan of “My Two Dads” and “B.J. and The Bear” followed, interviewed by Edwin Thrower, sharing stories and memories of when Davy Jones guest starred on two episodes of “My Two Dads.”

Photo of Charles and his three children (Harry, Ian, Lauren) with Greg Evigan. 

A town representative welcomed the attendees and introduced Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, who said a few words, declared it was “Official Monkees Day,” and had the fans join him singing the first few verses of “The Monkees’ Theme.

Following the surprise ceremony, veteran convention emcee and author Fred Velez took the stage to introduce legendary photographer Henry Diltz, who moderated a slide show of his incredible photographs of the Monkees.

Photo below of producer Charles F. Rosenay!!!’s son, Harry, with legacy guests Bill Chadwick, Chip Douglas and Henry Diltz.

An auction of rare Monkees items took place, and some lucky fans walked away with autographed items and other treasures at great prices.

This was followed by a special panel featuring Bill Chadwick, Henry Diltz and Chip Douglas moderated by Charles F. Rosenay!!!, with the legacy guests sharing their memories of the Monkees and fielding questions from the fans.

Throughout the day, fans were posing for photos with the guests and getting autographs, sharing special moments and collecting memories that would last a lifetime.

After a short break to visit the food trucks for dinner, the vendors room started to wind down, and the evening musical festivities began with concerts by Scott Ringle returning to perform a set of Monkees rarities. After that was a special surprise set.

Danny Solazzi and his band, The Characters have performed at Monkees conventions since 1986, and this was no exception, except it wasn’t their set in the spotlight. They served as the back-up band for the Special Guests who each came up to do a few songs, including the various members of the Monkees bands, actor and performer Greg Evigan, Bill Chadwick, Henry Diltz and Chip Douglas. It was magical.

Just before Mick Lawless took the stage with his band Loose Salute, Fred Velez played a segment of the Uncle Floyd Podcast where Floyd’s stage partner Scott Gordon told a couple of short stories of Peter Tork and Davy Jones appearing on the Uncle Floyd show that included a funny story concerning Davy. The segment can be heard on the Uncle Floyd Show Podcast #89 on all Podcast platforms, the stories come in at the six-minute point of the episode. Mick Lawless and Loose Salute then performed a selection of Monkees and solo songs by Michael Nesmith.

 

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-fp6si-1b51254

Uncle Floyd Show Podcast #89, Peter and Davy segment at 6:15 point of video

The Characters, with Danny Solazzi as frontman, returned to the stage and closed the Saturday night festivities with a rousing selection of Monkees tunes that had fans dancing all over the ballroom. The evening ended with all the special guests joining in for a grand finale of “Daydream Believer” and “I’m A Believer.”

Photo includes Mick Lawless, Bill Chadwick, Charles, Danny Solazzi, Chip Douglas, and members of The Characters.

It was an unforgettable day, and 100% of the fans who attended all had an amazing time.

If that wasn’t enough, the magic continued the next day in nearby Burlington, CT, where Katherine McCabe has put together an incredible exhibition of Monkees collectibles, posters memorabilia, and rarities. She and co-curator Mick Lawless call it the “Underground Frodis Adventure,” and it boasts sections devoted to each individual Monkee.

Katherine’s collection was featured on MeTV’s “Collector’s Call” show that was hosted by Lisa Whelchel, with Charles F. Rosenay!!! as the Monkees expert appraiser.

Photo of Katherine showing Chip Douglas around.

Fred Velez tries his skills on the Monkees Pinball Machine.

 Among the many items at the museum is Peter Tork’s family piano, a custom-designed and fully-working Monkees Pinball machine (of which there are only two in the whole world), a Monkees jukebox, slot machine and so much more. McCabe was a great host as she took fans on a tour of the world-class collection. Meanwhile, outside there was a stage set up for musical performances. We were once again entertained by Scott Ringle, along with Mick Lawless who broadcasts his “Frodis Room” show on MMR. Bill Chadwick, Chip Douglas, and Henry Diltz surprised everyone, attended and even performed on stage. They mingled and took photos with fans. A birthday cake was presented to Diltz to celebrate his 88th birthday that day.

Photo: Monkees archivist Gary Strobl, Chip Douglas, Charles, Henry Diltz, Katherine and Mick Lawless. 

The Sunday closing party was a perfect ending to an amazing weekend. For those who were unable to attend, the Convention events can be viewed on the archived stream and saved for later viewing (https://evt.live/m60-convention-for-fans-of-the-monkees-september-5th-noon-11pm).

Many thanks go to all the special guests and fans who attended this amazing event. Extra kudos to event producer Charles F. Rosenay!!! and his family and staff for putting this wonderful convention together. There was no other event in the U.S. commemorating the 60^th Anniversary of The Monkees, and his hard work was greatly appreciated.

Charles’ new book, officially released to the public on September 12 to coincide with the actual Monkees TV premiere date, is available from Genius Book Publishing for $45 at https://geniusbookpublishing.com/products/the-monkees-comic-book-book-paperback (Genius Book Published also released The Turtles book). Better yet, for a signed and numbered copy of “The Monkees Comic Book Book,” email monkeesfanconvention@gmail.com or call (203) 795-4737.

We don’t know if this will be the last full convention for Monkees fans, but we sure hope not.

For those who were there, we KNOW we had a GOOD TIME!!!

Fred Velez, 2026.

Fred Velez is the author of the books ‘A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You: The Monkees From A Fan’s Perspective’ and ‘A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You 2: The Monkees From International Fan Perspectives’. 

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