Bluefield Virginia celebrated 60 years of Gilligan’s Island thanks to the Ridge Runners

BLUEFIELD, VA (WVNS) – When you head out to the baseball field, you’d expect a typical baseball game.

But the Bluefield Ridge Runners had something else in store.

They were celebrating the 60th anniversary of the hit TV show Gilligan’s Island, and the team brought out several special guests.

One of those was actress Julie McCullough, who made appearances on The Golden Girls and Growing Pains.

All of these years later, she still remembers Gilligan’s Island.

“My daddy was a coal miner, from Wyoming County, so I lived there a lot when I was a kid. Of course, we had big dreams of becoming like Ginger on Gilligan’s Island but I knew that I was more of a Mary Ann.”

Actress Julie McCullough

Baseball players dressed out in team uniforms while the locals dressed in Hawaiian shirts.

Visitors got the chance to tour, explore, and remember the famous show. And no one enjoyed it more than Dreama Denver.

The wife of the late Bob Denver, aka Gilligan himself, chatted and snapped photos with enthusiastic fans.

Even after getting famous from the TV show, Dreama said Bob continued to remain a loving father until his last days.

“Bob and I had one child, and our son was diagnosed with severe autism. Bob spent the last 20 years of his life with me giving full time care, 24 hours a day, to our handicap son.”

Dreama Denver, Wife of the Late Bob Denver

60 years later and love for the TV show hasn’t diminished, including across the mountain state.

A very fitting remark given Bob lived out the last 15 years of his life in West Virginia.

Dreama said she can’t thank fans enough for keeping her late husband and the show’s legacy alive.

“So many people were telling me how much they loved the show and how much they loved him. There’s something, even after all of these years later, something so comforting to me about that kind of love shown to me for him. It’s awesome.”

Dreama Denver, Wife of the Late Bob Denver

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