Couver Con

Convention
Name:	Couver Con
Dates:
Frequency:
Location:
Type:	celebrity guests, for-profit
Focus:	multi-media: The Sentinel was the major focus
Organization:	C.C.I. (" C.C.I. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Couver Con '98 is a benefit for and sanctioned by The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. C.C.I., Couver Con '98 and The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation are not affiliated with The Sentinel, Pet Fly Productions, UPN or Paramount."
Founder:
Founding Date:
URL:
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Couver Con was a multimedia con with a large focus of The Sentinel.

1998

Couver Con was held Oct. 23-25, 1998, in Vancouver, BC.

There is an old flyer here and guests here. Also see events.

A fan's videotape of the event is MegaRed's Sentinel Con 98 Footage.

1998: Con Reports

On to the auction.

The hired auctioneer sucked and was quickly replaced by BAY who did an outstanding job!

RB and GM were like two bad kids and BAY was the "dad." You can tell these guys genuinely like one another, and are comfortable with all the rude remarks, jokes, etc. It was funny ... and kind of sweet.

The room, like every other damned meeting hall I've ever been in -- had insufficient light, so if you wanted to take pictures, you had to use a flash.

I don't know about you, but taking your own photos of people or events (not buying mass-produced pictures) is really important to me. It makes the event "mine", so to speak.

Someday, someone running these things will understand that, and have good-quality light. It would make everybody look better, and eliminate the need for flash equipment.

OK, I'll get off my soap box.

At the last Con, I wanted "Jim"s boxers so badly I couldn't see straight. (I was going to say 'I could taste them" but I won't). It wasn't meant to be.

This time, whatever gods were smiling on me, smiled broadly because I got them! RB modelled the plaid boxers for us. I think I got a peck on the cheek from him when I went to retrieve my "property" but I'm not sure. (I'm not sure because I may or may not have been "zoning" by this time.)

In case you're interested, the fly is not sewn closed.

Lots of $$$ was raised for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. I personally think the best items offered were either Jim's shirt and bandanna from Survival or the script for S2 which had some pages for S22 in it.

Too bad GM didn't raffle off his hair tie. I think it would have raised mega-ducets and given us the opportunity to see him with his hair down. Wouldn't that have been worth mortgaging the ranch?

We broke for 15 minutes after the auction so that the guests could take their places for the autograph line.

The order was: Ken, RB (with his wife and Jack, his son sitting on the floor next to him), BAY, Leigh, GM, and Anna. Ryf had to leave early.

I gave RB the SENTINEL jewelry, told him the story behind it, and that it matched GM's GUIDE.

I'm not kidding you. I would rather just look into those blue eyes and speak to him quietly than even get kissed. (Well, both would be better, but you take what you can get!)

I've said it before. There is no camera that does this man justice. RM is so handsome in person, he leaves you fuzzy-mouthed. And his good nature (OK, I'll throw in the word "soul") seems to just spill out of him. It's most apparent when he's with his son.

Anyway, I had RB sign the waistband of the boxers, I shook his hand (yes, folks, his handshake is manly) and went on to the others.

Needless to say, with my little boxer shorts clutched to my chest, I was one happy camper.

Couver Con ‘98—actually a benefit event for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation— was along time in the making. The organizers, Darla Kershner, Shanda Harry, and Kathleen Cole of C.C.I., were negotiating with Pet Fly Productions as early as winter 1997. Certainly plans were already in place, venues selected, and preliminary flyers printed up for distribution by the time of April ‘98’s Sentinel Con. Unfortunately, the Ronald McDonald House imbroglio which evolved out of Sentinel Con ‘98 raised considerable obstacles before C.C.I., as Pet Fly became understandably skittish. These issues were further compounded by the unexpected UPN “summer of hell,” which threw everyone —especially the actors— for a loop.

[...]

When the UPN order for what would prove to be the final eight episodes of “The Sentinel” was handed over and production resumed, Couver Con ‘98 was once again a going concern. The event was scheduled for late October 1998 and would be held at the Westin Bayshore Hotel. Couver Con ‘98, though featuring primarily the cast, producers and guest stars of “The Sentinel,” would also feature several writers and personages from the “Highlander” fandom.

Richard Burgi, Garett Maggart, Anna Galvin, and Bruce A. Young were joined at Couver Con ‘98 by guest stars Leigh Taylor-Young and Tim Thomerson, and by supporting actors Ryf Van Rij and Ken Earl. Also appearing—though not on the same day as the actors—were Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo, who were joined by Michael Lacoe and many of the associate producers and lead production staffers of “The Sentinel.” John Sampson and his stunt team were on hand once again to demonstrate their skill and showmanship, and Ellison’s immaculate blue and white Ford Ranger pick-up put in an appearance.

Q&A’s were held with Bilson and DeMeo and the production staff, with memorable guest actors, and with Burgi, Maggart, and Young, who also hosted the charity auction. The actors also attended a celebrity brunch, which immediately preceded the actor Q&A and auction. After a short recess, the actors moved to aside-room for the autograph session.

The Couver Con ‘98 charity auction, all proceeds of which went to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation ,was expanded to include an on-line auction. Up for bids were a pair of walk-on roles in an episode of “The Sentinel,” which— as it was the one currently filming—proved to be “Real Deal.” (The winning bidders can be seen in the background of the night-time outdoor footage in which Vince (Robert Vaughn) Deal is being questioned about his dead friend).

Couver Con ‘98 was also not without its moments of controversy, as many fans took issue with the scheduling of events and appearances. Unfortunately, actor and producer schedules precluded a one-day marathon of appearances. Working on the assumption that anyone “worth seeing” would appear on Saturday—as was apparently considered convention standard practice—many fans booked their return flights for Sunday, departing well before the event was actually over. As Burgi and Maggart would not appear until Sunday morning, these fans were understandably upset, even though the decision to leave before the benefit was over had been their own.

As a charity event, Couver Con ‘98 was an unqualified success, raising in excess of US$50,000 for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.