Recently, several SZoners met in Philly to celebrate the upcoming 35 anniversary of the release of Rocky. SZoner, SlyStalloneFan has been kind enough to provide photos and commentary.
SlyStalloneFan is back again with an exclusive report on the 35th anniversary of the movie ROCKY.
Just a little over a year ago, I was sitting at my apartment. surrounded by four walls, sitting on my desk with my pen and legal pad and trying to put words on paper. Ever since I heard about Sly writing the script for Rocky, it just motivated me to do the same. So I was sitting at my desk trying to come up with something proactive. Something that will have a true meaning to me.
And I just couldn’t believe that it was almost 35 years since my favorite movie of all time was originally released in theaters. It just felt like Rocky’s birthday. And that truly means something to me and has a very big spot in my heart. Because this is a movie that i have been watching my whole life. So right away, I pictured the Rocky locations in the city of Philadelphia and how great it would be to be there for the 35th anniversary.
I was just hoping that there would be an actual event for this and not just me going there all by my self. And there was my answer. Just a few days after that, I started hearing about a Rocky 35th anniversary event that will take place in Philadelphia. It just absolutely made my day. I don’t know if I can describe the level of excitement that I had. Because I knew that I would be surrounded with other Sylvester Stallone and Rocky fans and more importantly, get to meet other members of the StalloneZone website. So I knew that this will be impossible to miss no matter what. Rocky has been my favorite movie my whole life and Sylvester Stallone has been my favorite actor and my biggest inspiration and so to be part of an event like this is just unbelievable. So as time went by and we got closer and closer to the event, my level of excitement just kept growing bigger and bigger.
I flew from Salt Lake city, UT all the way to Philadelphia. I arrived to Philadelphia about 11:30 at night and headed to the hotel. Next morning, we all met at the hotel lobby, got to know each other and say some “hello how are ya’s” 
I don’t think I ever talked as much in my life but getting to meet people who share a very big common interest which is Sylvester Stallone, is just truly amazing. I felt that I was meeting my own family and friends that I have known for so long. It just happened very natural. and then will all hopped on the bus and that is when the tour began. We stopped at several Rocky locations and as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, the pictures I will post will speak for themselves. 
Above you can see a picture of my self with Mike.
The picture above is where Rocky walks “lil Marie” home and she turns around and says “Screw you creepo”.
This picture is with Angie. She was in Rocky Balboa when Rocky goes to have a drink at the bar and she comes asking him to buy them a round of drinks.
The bar in Rocky 5 where Tommy comes to challenge Rocky for a fight and Rocky says “Hey Tommy what are you doin here you oughtta be out there celebratin right?”
This is an awesome picture taken right in front of the gym with all four of the Rocky look-a-like contestants.
This picture above is with James “Jimmy” Binns. He was the lawyer in Rocky V and also you can see him in the fantastic court room scene in Rocky Balboa where Rocky tries to get his boxing license back.
It really amazes me that 35 years since the original Rocky, and yet you can see that the spirit of Rocky lives on in people’s lives. and for that I just would like to thank every single person who had something to do with this successful event. I would like to thank them for making such event happen and for giving me the opportunity to be part of such an amazing group and to experience the Rocky locations in a totally different way. Thank you all.
Also I would like to thank you Craig Zablo. Seriously man you truly deserve every bit of appreciation there is because if it wasn’t for your wonderful website, I would probably not have known any of the people I met on this event. But being a member of your site and visiting it on a daily basis, allowed me to interact with other members and become friends in real life. So thanks Craig for all the hard work you have been doing and for creating a home on the world wide web for Stallone fans.
Last but not least, and this is going to be hard to find words that can describe my emotions, I would like to thank, my idol Sylvester Stallone. Sly, you have been and will continue to be, a huge part of my life. There is nobody else that can have the same impact that you had on me. And if it wasn’t for your creation of Rocky, this event, would have never happened. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for creating such character that truly inspires us all and that taught us real life lessons that I will Cherish for the rest of my life.
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Thanks to SlyStalloneFan for sharing the photos and the report! – Craig
