Huggy's-in-the-Strand
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Huggy's-in-the-Strand |
| Dates: | May 18, 1985 |
| Frequency: | |
| Location: | a room above a wine bar near Charing Cross Station, London |
| Type: | |
| Focus: | |
| Organization: | |
| Founder: | Cathy Buckett and Jean Donkin |
| Founding Date: | |
| URL: | |
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Huggy's-in-the-Strand was a 1985 fan-gathering of Starsky & Hutch fans in London, England.
Fan Comments
On 18 May, several of us met for an informal get together in a wine bar near Charing Cross Station. Since the room was so small, numbers were limited and there was no roon for a video or any other programming. As it was above a wine and sandwich bar, however, there was food and drink readily available, at a reasonable (for a wine bar) price, and the hire of the room only cost us a little over £2 per person.
I must confess that, after hearing so much bickering among Starsky & Hutch fans recently, I did wonder what the day would yield. To my surprise, although contentious letters to letterzines did form one topic of conversation, there were also plenty of other things to talk about, ranging from US fans we had met to other tv shows for which new zines were available and, of course, Starsky & Hutch were mentioned every so often.
For me, the day made a pleasant change, as it meant I was mixing with a different groups of fans from the ones I usually see, and getting fresh viewpoints. It also meant I was able to put a lot of faces to people who had previously only been names, and renew acquaintance with two or three people I hadn't seen for a long time (in two cases since the second Dobeycon).
In all, the day was extremely enjoyable and run in such a way as to be considerably cheaper than a convention, but still with the opportunity to sell and exchange goodies, and to just sit and talk. When's the next one, Jean and Cathy? I'm looking forward to it. [1]
On Saturday, May 18th, twelve S&H fans came together in the Strand for a day of friendship, sharing, discussion - and a lot of laughter. The get-together was organised by Jean Donkin and Cathy Buckett, and was originally planned for fans from London and the surrounding areas only, but, I'm glad to say. Tabby Davis and myself were invited along, too.
This was my first meeting with S&H friends since DCon 5 in October 1983 - much too long a gap between meetings - and it was a great pleasure to be with friends again and to have time to talk about virtually everything and anything - S&H included, of course.
There were no videos, no auctions, no art shows, no competitions ... just lots of very friendly, relaxed conversation and sharing, which filled the day very happily, and made time truly fly by.
It was mentioned as we talked that some people in fandom feel that these one-day get-togethers are of little or no use: I think everyone who spent May 18th in the Strand will disagree. True, these get-togethers can't replace the usual longer conventions, but then they aren't meant to. They simply give friends a much needed opportunity to cane together and share. It would, I'm sure, do fandom a great deal of good, to have similar meetings all over the country - and what better way to spend a day than in the company of fellow S&H fans?
grateful thanks then, to Jean and Cathy for taking the time and trouble to organise the day; and also to Tabby, June, Brenda, Sara, Debbie, Janet, Katharine, Tracey and Jan for making it a day to remember.
When can we do it all again? [2]