ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – December 1974 — it was the first time May Pang went to Walt Disney World, and she went with her partner at the time, John Lennon.
While they were sitting inside the packed monorail to head inside the park, Pang listened to a conversation between a father and his son.
“He leans over to his son, and he goes, ‘Son, I heard that there’s a Beatle that’s here in Disney World,’” she said, smiling.
The father said he thinks it’s George Harrison at the ‘Happiest Place on Earth,’ Pang said.
“So, I stood up and John’s looking at me because I’m laughing, and he doesn’t understand why I’m laughing, and I get up because I’m not going to scream (...) I lean over and I tell him the story, we both started cracking up,” Pang said. “And of course, the father and son were exiting at the next stop (...) and he turned around and he looked at us, not realizing he was staring at John.”
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Pang and Lennon had an 18-month relationship from 1973 through 1975 and he described this time as his “lost weekend.” She was right by Lennon’s side during an iconic period of his life – such as that 1974 Disney trip where he signed the contract to dissolve the Beatles.
Moments like this, from hanging around Magic Kingdom to that historic contract signing inside the Polynesian Resort, are also what Pang took photos of.
These personal photos are coming to Central Florida as part of her exhibit, “The Lost Weekend: The Photography of May Pang.” It will be at the Ocean Art Gallery in Ormond Beach only on Tuesday and Wednesday, a news release states.
The art gallery is at 197 East Granada Boulevard and Pang will be appearing at the free show on both days, which runs from 12 p.m. ‘til 8 p.m., according to the news release.
This exhibition started after the documentary about her relationship with Lennon came out in 2022, Pang said. She said a lot of the photos were used for the movie, but she didn’t think anyone would be interested in seeing or buying them.
“I was wrong, and I’m happy that I’m wrong, and it brings joy to a lot of people that come in to purchase any of the any of the prints. I mean, I’ve had people come and they said, ‘I get to see him,’ they see another side of John,” she said. “He’s not posing, all of the photographs are very candid.”
Meanwhile, Frank Gromling, the owner of Ocean Art Gallery, said he is very happy to host this exhibition, and this show is the jumping-off point to host more in the future.
“I decided this is big enough that it will be the big starting point for six big events in 2025. It’ll take us way over the top,” Gromling said.
Gromling said he is even more honored to know that this is the only stop for Peng’s show in Central Florida. He mentioned he was taken aback when asked to host her show, especially knowing other cities in the area got snubbed for a stop, such as Orlando.
There will be five other stops for “The Lost Weekend” exhibition across the state: Jacksonville, Tampa, Palm Beach, Miami and Pensacola, he said.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for people to meet her, to see the genuineness in her and to learn more about that time and how it was, how she was able to go from a relatively inexperienced young lady and be with a star of rock and roll and have a strong relationship. It obviously meant a lot to her, and I believe it meant a lot to John,” Gromling said.
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