Schuster Star Trek Conventions/1978 (July) Philadelphia Schuster Star Trek Convention

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Star Trek Philadelphia took place July 14-16 at the Holiday Inn on City Line Avenue.

Planned: Admission was $10 until October 1977, $15 from November 1977 to April 1978, and $20 after May 1978. Checks were payable to "Star Trek Philadelphia."

Guest of honor was George Takei, perhaps others.

From an article in "The Philadelphia Inquirer":

The four-day extravaganza in Philadelphia, organized by New York businessman and promoter, John Townsley, will feature several Trekkie favorites besides Takei but not the two biggest -- William Shatner, who is Capt. James T. Kirk, and Leonard Nimoy, who is Mr. Spock.

"They cost too much," press liaison Nora Boch explained.

But their absence did not deter the 3000 fans who paid $20 each to register in advance for the convention, or the thousands more who simply showed up, paying $8 a day.

Nor did it deter the entrepreneurs, who were legion.

Jeff Maynard, for one, was doing a brisk business selling "Fanzies," or Star Trek stories written by fans: "tribbles," a kind of stuffed reproductions of an outer space animal: the blueprints to the Star Ship Enterprise, and models of the characters and spaceships.

"See, it's not crap stuff," he said pointing to an array of items. "A lot of people sell anything. I like to stay in the higher stuff. I don't sell junk.... A lot of thought and care goes into these things."

Maynard, a middle-aged man with a deep tan, literally lives off of Star Trek now.... [more about selling at cons]...

Together, [two fans] plan to spend about $700 this weekend, which, no doubt, will satisfy organizer Townsley.

After all, Ms Boch says, "He's not into it for the altruism."

NOTE: there may have been another con scheduled for this weekend at the same place, but that con was postponed and held August 18-20, 1978 at the Sheraton Hotel on JFK Blvd.

Flyers, Badges, and Other Ephemera

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  a flyer printed in the previous year's Philadelphia souvenir booklet

Con Reports

Also see Fan Comments Regarding These Cons and Profit, Size, Quality.