Pax Museum hits record-breaking attendance w/Optimus Prime
"In just four hours, the museum broke all previous attendance records. I was blown away by the amount of people who came to support us."
The world's only fan-built AOE replica of Optimus Prime and his driver, Joe Fiduccia, made the voyage to Leonardtown, Maryland this Fall for the first time in their six years of travel. And they left behind a lasting impression for the residents of a small but close-knit community.
"I was contacted by Leo Gillespie, who is the president of the Ridge Lions Club for the region," says Fiduccia. "He had been following our social media pages for a while, and reached out at the beginning of the year to discuss ideas on bringing us down."
Fiduccia and Gillespie brainstormed ways to make the biggest impact possible with Prime. They considered participation in a variety of events throughout the year. But when the option of rolling in the Veteran's Day parade came up, Fiduccia immediately suggested that as the most preferred option.
He tells us: "I do not have a military background, but I appreciate what the military has done for America. I even have a tribute on Optimus specifically giving thanks to our veterans. In all the years we've had the truck, we never joined a Veteran's Day parade. So that seemed like a no-brainer, and something I definitely felt was the best fit."
Gillespie agreed, and worked diligently to find the sponsorship necessary to welcome Joe into Maryland. With the logistics finally in place by the Spring time, the countdown began to their pending visit in November.
Word about the Autobot leader's planned trip spread quickly throughout the region, including to many of the local businesses. One of them, the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum, heard about the appearance with Prime and Joe and contacted Gillespie to see if an added stop could be arranged.
"Typically when I book these event appearances, I do not schedule anything else in that region," Fiduccia explains. "I do this to stay fair to the event organizers who already put in the original legwork and financing to bring us down. So when Leo first told me about the museum's interest, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea."
Gillespie understood Joe's concerns, but reassured him that an appearance at the museum would only enhance the overall visit to Maryland for their parade. So a detour was officially scheduled one day prior to the parade.
And in the midst of all those discussions, the duo even planned a bully awareness presentation at one of the area elementary schools.
Fiduccia ultimately made the voyage to Maryland on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Under no specific direction from Joe, and all on his own, Leo had arranged a surprise welcome with some of the local sponsors as well as a personal escort with the fire, police, and sheriff departments into Leonardtown.
"That was a surprise I was not expecting. They met me at the county line and escorted me the remainder of the way. For some perspective, that's almost a full 60 minute drive."
The following day, Fiduccia stopped at Greenview Knolls Elementary school to deliver his anti-bullying presentation. About 400 students in grades 1 - 5 enjoyed a 45 minute visit from Team Prime outdoors. They received anti-bully pledge cards, interacted with some of the first responders, and a few lucky students even got photos in the driver seat of Bumblebee.
Once the school presentation was complete, and after visiting a few area sponsors throughout the afternoon, Fiduccia prepared Optimus for the museum detour on Friday.
"Mother nature can be finicky when I'm out with Prime," says Joe. "She didn't necessarily cooperate very well for the museum visit. It was cold, windy, and eventually rainy. But we showed up despite the weather, and so did many others."
Optimus arrived at the museum by 9:30 Friday morning. He and a Bumblebee replica parked alongside an actual Blue Angel jet plane, in and among several other vintage and military aircraft. They planned to stay onsite for up to 4 hours. A line began forming at the museum entrance before they opened, and remained in place for the next 3 hours!
"I was blown away by the amount of people who came to support us. As soon as the doors opened, people immediately paid their donation to the museum and came outside to see us. Dozens of kids were dressed in Transformers costumes, while some families drove from over 3 hours away. The crowds got bigger and bigger as the hours progressed, and neither rain nor wind stopped them from wanting to see us."
In total, the museum had over 1,000 visitors enter the doors within those 4 hours. That number represents a record-breaking attendance in the museum's history.
"They have events throughout the year, including a Wings and Wheels car show that is usually a big hit. I was told that their biggest event turnout was in the range of 750 - 850 visitors. That included the vehicle owners as well as visitors to the car show. Yet our 4-hour appearance with Optimus Prime ... in the rain and cold ... blew past those numbers and set a new attendance record for the museum. Now THAT is something to be proud of."
Following the success of the museum appearance, Fiduccia's last stop was back to the original reason they were in town - the Veteran's Day parade. One of the largest parades on the east coast, Prime and Joe led a fleet of emergency responders into the town square, and were greeted with cheers, applause, and smiles from fans of all ages along the way.
"It was the perfect way to end our first-ever voyage to the southern tip of Maryland. Not only by honoring the veterans who made it all possible in the first place. But also seeing how the community rallied around our story with this inspiring fictional hero."
Fiduccia said none of this would have been possible without the support of his new friend, Leo Gillespie.
"Leo was a HUGE advocate for us. He was met with opposition when the idea was first brought up with the committee. But he was persistent, and ultimately got them to agree. He went above and beyond in hospitality, he did everything possible to help spread the word, AND he even made me an honorary Lion's Club member (which is an honor I do not take lightly). In short, Leo deserves all the gratitude and praise we can offer him. Because he helped put together a memorable experience that southern Maryland has never seen before. And one I will never forget."
Fiduccia would also like to thank the following sponsors and supporters:
Great Mills Trading Post
Patuxent River Naval Air Museum
PJ's Towing & Recovery
Dyson Building Center
HollyRock Customs
B&W Pluming
Ron Bailey
Craig Reese (Bumblebee)
Tennyson Heating & Cooling
Southern Maryland Auction Company
Champion Used Auto Parts
Forrest Automotive
Hollywood Lion Club
Lions Camp Merrick
Mr. & Mrs. Colvin
"Without them, our appearance in Maryland would not have been possible. I am grateful to each and every one of them for welcoming us into their community and joining us in creating the best experience possible for kids and families. I've made new friends down here, and it would be an honor to return anytime."
*Many of the photos seen in this article were provided courtesy of Ron Bailey Photography.
Check out more pictures from this experience with Team Prime on the RIDGE VRS website!
