VCON 13 (1985)

1985 – (May 24-26) – VCON 13:

Guest of Honour: ROBERT BLOCH. Ghost of Honour: H. P. LOVECRAFT ( MASON HARRIS ).Toast Master: MICHAEL WALSH. Artist Guest of Honour: SHARREE SLEDGE. Fan Guest of Honour: JOHN BERRY.

Venue: Gage Residence, UBC, Vancouver. Theme: ‘Horror in SF’.

Attending: 567.

CONCOMChair – Donna McMahon; Treasurers – Ed & Norma Beauregard; Registrars – Steve Forty & Tom Waddell; Art Show – Doug Girling, Dave Quackenbush & Gordon Duane; Dealers – John Ray; Security & Operations – Gordon Miller & Spencer Macdonell; Programming – Donna McMahon; Technical – Al Betz; Hospitality – Evelyn Beheshti & Debbie Ferguson; Video – Grandee Englehart; Fan Room – Fran Skene; Publicity – Terry Lavender; Gaming/SCA – William Lowe; Bacchanal – Beth Finkbiner & YaLeah; Dance – Dave Wilson; Trivia Quiz – Stuart Cooper; Writer’s Workshop – Eileen Kernaghan; Publications & Program Book – Donna McMahon; Guest Liaisons – Mikki Vernetti & Thom Wescott; Elron Awards – Michael Walsh.

Sponsored: by BCSFA, the British Columbia Science Fiction Association. Three days of quadruple-track programming with separate rooms for films, art show, dealers, gaming, Fanzine fandom & hospitality con-suite.

FIRST VCON to feature Turkey readings, FIRST to have Dirigible Races& FIRST to have an Amateur Art Auction in the Rain Relaxacon tradition.

FRIDAY (May 24 – Vcon 13) featured:

–          BRASS BRA SLIDE SHOW presented by Al Betz;

–          SURVIVAL NOVELS panel with Jo-Anne McBride, Howard Cherniack, Michael Coney, Mike Finkbiner & H. Beam Piper ( played by ? );

–          NEOFAN PANEL with Steve Forty, Jim Welch, Jo-Anne Mcbride & Eric Tilbrook;

–          UPCOMING SF MOVIE RELEASES talk by Michael Walsh;

–          TRIVIA QUIZ part 1 by Stuart Cooper;

–          READING by Eileen Kernaghan;

–          STAR TREK PANEL with Elizabeth Rose, Lois Salzer & John Fletcher of the Vancouver-based U.S.S. Kestral;

–          DARK FANTASY panel with Robert Bloch, H.P. Lovecraft ( Mason Harris ), Bram Stoker ( ? ), & Oscar Wilde ( ? );

–          a READING by Bruce Taylor;

–          OPENING CEREMONIES with Toast Master Michael Walsh & Guest of Honour Robert Bloch, Ghost GoH H.P. Lovecraft, Fan GoH John Berry & Artist GoH Sharee Sledge;

–          a MEET THE AUTHORS RECEPTION;

–          a DANCE

–          & HORROR STORYTELLING with Gael Blackhall, H.P. Lovecraft ( Mason Harris ), Fran Skene & Bram Stoker ( ? ).

SATURDAY (May 25 – Vcon 13) had:

–          a PRE-CANCELLED PANEL;

–          AMERICAN FLAGG COMIC slide show narrated by Michael Walsh;

–          BUG-EYED MONSTERS panel with Michael Coney, Ed Hutchings & Jon Gufstafson;

–          HORROR GAMES panel with William Lowe, Marcus Evanstar & Rick Smith;

–          MYTHS ON FILM slide show lecture by Richard Purtill;

–          “THE HAUNTING” OF THE POST OFFICE AND OTHER FANNISH HORRORS fanzine publishing panel with Fran Skene, John Berry, Jerry Kaufman & Garth Spencer;

–          COSTUMING WORKSHOP with Yeleah, Sharreestra, Terry Kristoff & Beth Finkbiner;

–          STARVING ARTISTS PANEL with Gail Butler, Julia Laquemont, Janet Kramer & Sharree Sledge;

–          DEAD AUTHORS PANEL with H.G. Wells ( ? ), Hugo Gernsback ( Al Betz? ), George Orwell ( ? ), H.P. Lovecraft ( Mason Harris ), H. Beam Piper ( ? ), Oscar Wilde ( ? ), & Bram Stoker ( ? );

–          HOLMES, DOYLE & LOVECRAFT talk by Peter H. Wood;

–          SF RADIO SHOWS panel with Vaughn Fraser, John McLean, Al Betz, Dave Meyer, & David McDonald;

–          BASIC WRITERS WORKSHOP with Bruce Taylor, Michael Coney, & Mary Choo;

–          HELMET BASH demonstration by the Northern Society for Creative Anachronism;

–          COMPUTER GRAPHICS panel led by Doug Girling;

–          LOVECRAFT panel with Robert Bloch & H.P. Lovecraft ( Mason Harris );

–          DRUGS IN SF AS A SOCIAL CONTROL MECHANISM with George Orwell ( ? ), Howard Cherniack, Paul Novitski & Jon Gufstafson;

–          TRIVIA QUIZ part 2 with Stuart Cooper;

–          POETRY WRITERS WORKSHOP with Eileen Kernaghan & J.T. Stewart;

–          GAMING & SF NOVELS panel with John Ray, John Fletcher & William Lowe;

–          THE HORROR OF SEQUELS panel with Jim Welch, Michael Walsh, Eileen Kernaghan, Michael Coney & Steve Fahnestalk;

–          a READING by Dead Authors H.G. Wells, Bram Stoker & others as available;

–          BACCHANAL & COSTUME CONTEST;

–          a science panel WHY CAN’T YOU TICKLE YOURSELF

–          & an introduction to the CALL OF CTHULHU game.

SUNDAY (May 26 – Vcon 13) included:

–          a RELIGION IN SCIENCE FICTION panel with H.G. Wells ( ? ), H. Beam Piper ( ? ), & Ray Andrews;

–          an ART AUCTION;

–          a BRUNCH at the Hong Kong Chinese Foods restaurant which includes the ELRON AWARDS;

–          a DARK SHADOWS lecture by Josette Kernaghan;

–          a DR. WHO panel with Dianne Smith of the Victoria-based group ‘The Keepers of the Key to Time’ & Dave Cutbirth of the Bellingham Dr. Who club;

–          the UNDEAD AUTHORS PANEL with Bram Stoker ( ? ), Robert Bloch, H.P. Lovecraft ( Mason Harris ) & others discussing vampire literature;

–          TRIVIA QUIZ FINALS with Stuart Cooper;

–          ETHER PATROL RADIO WORKSHOP,

–          an AMATEUR ART AUCTION & TURKEY READINGS,

–          an ADVANCED WRITERS WORKSHOP with Eileen Kernaghan, Paul Novitski & H.P. Lovecraft ( Mason Harris );

–          a READING by Edgar Allan Poe ( ? ),

–          DIRIGIBLE RACES,

–          followed by THE DEAD DOG PARTY.