Benecia

Convention
Name:	Benecia
Dates:	1974, 1975
Frequency:
Location:	Atlanta, Georgia
Type:	fan-run
Focus:	science fiction, Star Trek TOS
Organization:	Southeastern S.T.A.R.
Founder:	Steve D. Reed
Founding Date:	1974
URL:
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Benecia was a science fiction convention in Atlanta, Georgia.

There were two. The first was a mini-con. The second one had DeForest Kelley as a guest of honor.

There was to be a third con, held July 23-24, 1976 at the Dunfey's Royal Coach Motor Hotel, but it was cancelled.

1974

July 7th, Stouffer's Atlanta Inn.

The founder was sixteen year old Steve D. Reed.

It was originally planned to take place July 5-7, 1974 with celebrity guest DeForest Kelley, and fan guest James Mule.

This appears to be an ad for the original, larger cancelled con, not the mini-con that eventually took place:

BENECIA I, July 5-7, 1974 STOUFFER'S ATLANTA INN, Atlanta Georgia. Guest of Honor: DeForest Kelley.

A STAR TREK/science fiction convention. Fan Guest of Honor: James Mule. Memberships: $5 until June 3. $6.50 after that, and $3.50 supporting. Luncheon Tickets are $6.50 each. The film program is fantastic and includes: SILENT RUNNING, COLUSSUS-THE FORBIN PROJECT, DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, plus many many more. This con is run in part by Southeastern S.T.A.R. Send memberships to Steve D. Reed [address redacted], information call (NON-COLLECT!) [phone number redacted]

Con Reports: 1974

BENECIA I — THE "OFF-AGAIN. ON-AGAIN CON" Robert H. Gibbons

What can you say objectively about a Star Trek Convention when (1) you finance most of the expenses and (2) you are one of the Con's guest speakers? So I shall to try to relate the circumstances leading to the creation and cancellation of Benecia I and the formation of the Benecia '74 "Minicon."

I met Steve Reed and Janet Davis of Southeastern S.T.A.R. at Vul-Con I in 1973. Steve asked me if I would like to help plan a Star Trek Con in Atlanta. I told him that Vul-Con was my first ST con and I didn't know much about convention planning. Then I attended the 1974 New York Con and Equicon 74 and saw a pattern develop on how ST cons operate. Steve had asked me to be a guest speaker at Benecia I, to be held over the weekend of the 4th of July, 1974 at the Stoffer's Atlanta Inn, and I consented to give my lecture, "The Science of Star Trek."

Then came a letter from Steve saying finances didn't look sufficient to pay for the con and he and the Con Committee had cancelled Benecia I. I wrote back that I wished he had contacted me because with the Con organized as well as it was, I could have put up some money to help keep it going. That is when the "Minicon" idea came up. Steve said he had no idea how many people would show up thinking that Benecia I was still on, so he had rented a Ballroom at the hotel and wondered if I could come down and bring some of my videotapes of ST, "Questor',' and "Silent Running." I consented and arrived on July 3rd. My brother Jim, who is finishing up his PhD in Chemistry, flew in to help us. We rented videotape equipment and set up a unique system to allow fans to view ST episodes on color TV monitors in the Ballroom.

When Myrna Culbreath, author of the famous Spock edition of "The Fire Bringer" and personal friend of Gene Roddenberry, arrived, I knew we could have a successful "Minicon" for those fans who showed up. Then as Steve Reed prepared to give his opening remarks Friday, we noticed something was lacking -- an audience! The Con room looked like the fake Enterprise from "Mark of Gideon" — everything was in its proper place except people!

ST channels were very efficient in getting around the news that Benecia I had been cancelled. Also we learned the news that Leonard Nimoy would arrive in Atlanta Monday, July 8 for a run of "Fiddler on the Roof." Could we get Nimoy to come a day early and could we get publicity to attract people? Myrna put the wheels in motion and we got TV news coverage, including a pretty good transporter effect where the newsman took my communicator and said, "As for me, Mr. Spock, beam me up." The Nimoy situation was that he had to tape in California Sunday and could not arrive in Atlanta before Monday afternoon, so we missed having him at the Con by 24 hours!

Things finally picked up Saturday and Sunday with local fans arriving who had seen the TV segments on the news. We had a good auction and trivia contest, a panel discussion with Myrna and myself acting as the panel and Steve Reed doing an excellent job as moderator. I gave my slide lecture, "The Science of Star Trek." We showed various ST episodes, both live action and animated, on videotape, and had the Atlanta premier of "The Questor Tapes" (the original network showing had been preempted by a sports program). We also had "Silent Running" on tape. We had many showings of the blooper film, as well as two feature-length movies, "Journey to the End of the Universe" and "The Fly." I ran some Harryhausen movie trailers, a 2001 trailer, and a trailer from "Forbidden Planet." We had some Flash Gordon TV episodes, too.

The highlight of the Con for me were the discussions with Myrna about her upcoming TV special to be taped in Baton Rouge, LA, on ST fandom, and her work on an upcoming book on fandom, co-authored by Sondra Marshak and Jackie Lichtenberg. At a post-con party (my brother Jim wondered if a Con that is over is an ex-con!) she told me some stories about the last days of filming ST, of Gene and Majel's marriage and the birth of the baby Gene II. I can't wait for that book to be finished.

All in all, Benecia 74 "Minicon" was a success after a very apprehensive beginning. I am looking forward to the 1975 Benecia convention. The people of Southeastern S.T.A.R. and the Benecia Con committee are very competent people, and I am sure they will plan a con for 1975 that will be nationally-attended and have a real guest star next time.

1975

July 4-6, 1975

BENECIA '75 — a Star Trek con to be held July 4, 5, and 6, 1975, at the Sheraton-Biltmore Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. Guest of honor: DeForest Kelley. Memberships limited to 2,000. §7.50 until May 1, after that (and at the door) $10. One day: $ 5. Non-attending: $3.50. Register or for more information, write Benecia '75, 511 East Normal Street, To Springfield, Missouri 05807. Please send SASE with inquiries.

BENECIA '75 is an Atlanta based convention scheduled to be held at the Sheraton-Biltmore Hotel, on July 4-6, 1975- convention will feature special guest star DeForest Kelley (McCoy) who will appear on the 5th. There will be dealers, a costume ball, an art show and auction, panel discussions, films, and more. Membership in advance is $7.50 before May 1. There will also be a banquet to honor DeForest Kelley on Saturday. Costs an additional $10.

"Star Trek Lives: 'Trekkies' Gather for Convention," article in "The Atlanta Constitution," July 4, 1975

From a July 4th, 1975 newspaper article:

“Star Trek Lives!” read the flyers, and the Atlanta Star Trek Convention, expected to draw as many as 2000 “Trekkies” and “Trekkers” from across the country, is under way at the Sheraton-Biltmore.

The convention will be held Friday through Sunday. It has been christened Benecia 75, after a colony mentioned in the last episode of the original version of the show, which is now being rerun.

Atlanta native DeForest Kelley, who played Dr. McCoy in the popular series, and James Doohan, who was Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, are scheduled to attend.

Kelley and Doohan will participate in panel question and answer discussions and autographing sessions on Saturday and Sunday mornings, respectively, and in addition will be guests of honor at a $10 per person banquet Saturday.

For the remainder of the convention, the ‘Trekkies,” the fans of Mr. Spock, and 'the “Trekkers,” the more serious fans, will compete in trivia contests (Who are the arch enemies of the Federation? The Kling Ons [sic]), costume contests, attend an art auction, and watch science fiction movies, series episodes and daily runs of a 30-minute Star blooper reel.

[snipped]

Steve Reed, a 17-year-old senior this fall at Osborne High School in Marietta, and Don Harden, a 17-year old graduate of South Cobb High, have been planning the convention off-and-on for three years, since the 73 Star Trek Convention in New Orleans.

The two have collaborated with Robert Gibbons, member of NASA, Commission the Atomic Energy and a Missouri Physicist, since the Atlanta “miniconvention” in 1974.

Gibbons is slated for a Friday morning slide lecture on "The Science of Star Trek."

Reed, co-chairman of the convention along with Gibbons, explains why he idolizes the show, which has infected the country with a cult fervor since its cancellation by NBC in 1969. Reruns of the 79 episodes have shown on 142 TV stations in the U.S. and 50 foreign countries. There is currently a Saturday morning cartoon version.

“The reason why I like Star Trek is that it's a very positive show about the future,” Reed says, sporting a haircut which hints at the famous Spock pointed ears. “Star Trek says there is a future...and that it's not all over yet”

Harden, trivia contest and art director, says he likes the show for two reasons: the gadgetry and the philosophy behind Star Trek. “Two different Vulcans” he says, smiling deviously.

Set in the 23rd century, Star Trek involves the Enterprise, a self-sufficient interstellar vehicle whose crew values democracy and individual differences.

The original 12-foot model of the Enterprise, used for filming, will hang next to the Spirit of St Louis at the Smithsonian in the near future, Harden says.

Both Reed and Harden are hoping the convention, combined with a movie to be produced by Gene Roddenberry (creator of the series) and “Starring” the original cast will provide the army of 30,000 nationwide Star Trek fans (The “Fandom,” as Harden and Reed refer to it) with enough clout to force a revival of the show despite the standard joke of Leonard Nimoy, who portrayed Mr. Spock, that Star Trek will come back in the form of a “small puppy dog.”).

Proceeds from the convention will go to the Gene L. Coon Memorial Fund, for the purchase of an electron microscope to be used at the Los Angeles Cancer Research Center.

Con Reports: 1975

Why are the larger ST cons running low on attendance recently?... Benecia, I hear, got only about 600, Ourcon got around 700, hardly the 1000+ they were planning on... Have there been too many big cons recently, or have we recidivists heard it all too many times before? You do get sick of the dumb questions and the crowds; there is even -- really! -- a point beyond which you can't get too worked up about seeing George or Jimmy or Gene or whoever again. It's more than about time for a trek relaxacon.

Someone ((Paula Smith)) in issue 9 wondered why Ourcon and Benecia had such poor attendance. I don't know about Ourcon, but I can tell you what happened with Benecia. Pure and simple, it was a matter of advertising - or rather lack of same. In all the ads on the con I saw, only one gave any details. The rest just told who to write for info. That just don't work, either. I guess they were trying to hold attendance down and were afraid of a deluge, but they goofed. Most people want a little more info in an ad, and need it to pique their curiosity. Perhaps, if they hold Benecia next year, they'll do more advertising. That's the only way I know of to get people interested.