Coast Con

Convention
Name:	Coast Con
Dates:	1977 - Current
Frequency:	Annual
Location:	Biloxi, Mississippi
Type:	Fan run
Focus:	science fiction, media, Star Trek
Organization:	CoastCon, Inc.
Founder:
Founding Date:	1977
URL:	http://www.coastcon.org/
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Coast Con is a series of science fiction and media cons in Biloxi, Mississippi.

1990

This was the thirteenth Coast Con.

1990: Con Report

Coast Con is now held in the Gulf coast Coliseum and Convention Center, which can comfortably hold several thousand people and then some. It is right on the beach and next door to three hotels, so everything is convenient. The convention center is huge (we had 3,500 in it for one con) and almost anything you wish to do at a convention is possible.

This year, the committee chose a horror theme since it was the thirteenth Coast Con. Now, I don't know about you but "horror" is not my cup of tea and it showed. There was an unbelievable guest list, but I only knew about three people on it. Apparently, I was not alone. More people knew who I was than some of the guests and they wore badges identifying themselves as guests. But there was one guest that I did know and had looked forward to seeing again.

Walter Irwin was the sole STAR TREK guest and was perhaps a little ignored by the committee. After all, Star Trek is hardly considered "HORROR" (unless, of course, you count STAR TREK V). purchased some great old STAR TREK items from Walt and he even gave me a few things. Some of these will go to STARFLEET archives. Anyway, I wound up spending a good part of the convention and most of my meals with Walter. Seems we have several things in common and our conversations were the highlight of my trip.

The dealers' room was fantastic as always, and I spent plenty of my money there as well as in the art room which is really my favorite retreat. For the past four years I have been the art auctioneer and it is my real love at Coast Con. We had a huge selection of excellent works that were greatly admired by all. But my excuse for being there this year was to recruit for STARFLEET. So on Saturday, I put on my Bonny V uniform and set up shop at the information desk with all the merchandise an d applications. We were beside the local Fox T.V. affiliate's booth and they were pushing Alien Nation with great success. They had some of their people completely outfitted in Alien Nation costumes, including the head pieces. They were a smash! They twice had articles and giveaways air expressed in from L.A. and still gave out before Saturday was over. Well, we did well by STARFLEET. They should have several shuttles in that area by the summer, which is good, because the T.V. people decided they want to bring in N.G. STAR TREK people for next year. This means that for the twenty-fifth anniversary of STAR TREK, Coast Con will have a STAR TREK theme. That means they want STARFLEET people to help out with next years' con and they asked yours truly to help coordinate it. Looks like fun. One of next year's guests will be Sally Jerome, who had a family illness prevent her from displaying this year. Sally will be joining the Bonny V later this year, and be prepared, she has one of the largest STAR TREK memorabilia collections in the world. She says she is going to bring the entire collection to Coast Con XIV! After a day of recovery, spent mostly with my godson, I packed all my new treasures in my STARFLEET bags and began the voyage back to Raleigh. As the sun set outside the cabin window, I bade a fond farewell to Biloxi, with warm thoughts of a speedy return to Convention

Paradise.