Pioneer One

Convention
Name:	Pioneer One
Dates:	October 21 and 22, 1978
Frequency:	once
Location:	Springfield, Massachusetts
Type:
Focus:	Space: 1999, Star Trek, science fiction
Organization:	The Springfield SPACE: 1999 Club and The Star Trek Club of Springfield
Founder:
Founding Date:	1978
URL:
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Pioneer One was a science fiction convention first held October 21 and 22, 1978.

See Alpha Log Interview with Shirley Maiewski and Alpha Log Interview with Allan Asherman, two interviews conducted at this convention.

A Post-Con Wrap-Up

On October 21 and 22, 1978, the Pioneer One convention was held at the Stonehaven Hotel in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was a rather small, but important convention for it marked a beginning. Pioneer One was a joint effort of "The Springfield SPACE: 1999 Club" and "The STAR TREK Club of Springfield". The two traditional arch-rivals cooperating in a common cause is in itself a marvel.

A continuous film show was held. Included were such greats as WAR OF THE WORLDS, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, FORBIDDEN PLANET, three STAR TREK blooper films, STAR TREK EPISODES "A Taste of Armageddon", "Where No Man Has Gone Before", "The Corbomite Maneuver", "The Tholian Web","The Apple", "Mirror, Mirror", "Patterns of Force", "The Ultimate Computer", a TWILIGHT ZONE episode ("The Monsters are Due on Maple Street"), and episodes of SUPERCAR and THUNDERBIRDS. Slide shows included Starlog's REACHING FOR THE STARS, Allan Asherman's SPECIAL EFFECTS SHOW, and GERRY ANDERSON RETROSPECT which featured Supermarion-ation, UFO, and SPACE: 1999. Guest speakers at Pioneer One included David Hirsch, Allan Asherman, and Shirley Maiewski. Two interviews are presented in this issue of ALPHA LOG. A costume party was held on Saturday night. Among the menagerie were characters from STAR WARS (including chairman Bill Dwyer's impressive Stormtrooper), BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, STAR TREK, LOGAN'S RUN, and a collection of aliens, wizards, robots, and sorcerers. The contest winner was a Cylon from BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. Also seen at the party was your editor and his infamous hoard of Sandmen (good work guys). PIONEER ONE also hosted a large dealer's room which still echos the sounds of fast deals and hot items.

And when it was all over and done, each of us went our seperate ways, promising that we'd have to do it again sometime- like in January, 1980.