Fun-Con (Mackey)

You may be looking for FunCon, a con by Crayne and Plez.

Science Fiction Convention
Name:	Fun-Con
Dates:	1980s
Frequency:
Location:	California
Type:
Focus:	media, comics, horror
Organization:
Founder:	Chris Mackey
Founding Date:
URL:
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Fun-Con was a series of conventions run by Chris Mackey.

There were at least five.

Some History

From a 1987 interview with Mackey:

DAVE: So tell me Chris, what got you started doing these conventions"

CHRIS: Phil Cable used to do some conventions a few years ago then quit and there was nobody else to put them on so I did one because r couldn't afford to go to the big conventions in Los Angeles or San Francisco so I did some. That was okay for the first one. it only cost me about a hundred and eighty-five dollars to put on. and that's about what it would have cost to go to one of the big ones. That theory worked fine for the first one, but for this one I'm spending as much as it would of cost to go to say, WorldCon in Australia, so that theory is kind of dead with this one.

D: Now, what was the story with Fun-Con 4? It didn't seem like it was up to anything near the quality of the previous Fun-Cons.

C: The guy that put it on was the guy that did the stickers and t-shirts for number 3, it made it look a lot classier, and it was going to be my last Con, and I thought all-right, what a way to go out, and he goes "if your not going to do it again, can I buy it from you?" and I said "Buy it? for money, the convention", this just doesn't happen. I want you to know this because I've been hearing alot of things from people who thinks it was my show, and it wasn't. The worst that he didn't do was advertising, and that's my thing because I advertise to death. that was a shame 'cause he had a decent show there, although the guy didn't think of guest stars until just before he did the show. I ought to clarify. he didn't actually buy the show. he just licensed it for that one time. That was number 4 and thought what a really weird way to end it. so I thought about doing a number 5 before what ever became number 4 happened.

5

May 2-3, 1987, Visalia Airport Holiday Inn.

Guests: Bobbie Bresse, maybe Forry Ackerman, Curt Siodmak, Don Glut, and the spaceship from My Favorite Martian.

D: Okay. Let's talk about number 5 coming up here. Why don't you tell me about some of the guests , Bobbie Bresee for example. Is she going to be in that negligee YOU had her in on the cover of Triviazine?

C: That's an interesting deal, 'cause most of the single men I've talked to have asked that same question. But, no, her husband's driving up with her so that's rather unlikely. Um, this will be like her second convention, and she's done like car shows and TV commercials, and several of the lower budget horror movies. Right now she's what they call a "Scream Queen" which means she's doing the parts that Angelique Petty john turned down. then Sybil Danning turned down, but she took to build her career.

[...]

D: What about Forrest J Ackerman?

C: I call him Mr. Sci-Fi. He invented that word and a bunch of others like Imagimovies. Also he was executive editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland, which practically raised everyone in monster or science fiction films right now.

[...]

People like to have him in cameos and stuff, because he has that touch. Like, well, Ackerman says I'm okay, so people are going to buy tickets. Between Him, and Bjo Trimble and Phil Cable, I've learned what I've learned it's a amalgamation of those three people.

D: I've heard a bout Mr. Ackerman' s massive collection of science fiction memorabilia. Is any of it going to be there?

C: None of it's going to be there because, in the past when he's taken any of it, it's been damaged or stolen by guys that just have to have this or that for their own collection. And besides I never really get into that, I've never had exhibits at a convention before this one, although will have a few controlled exhibits.