MARCon

Science Fiction Convention
Name:	MARCon
Dates:	1966 - present
Frequency:	annual
Location:	Columbus area, Ohio
Type:	fan run
Focus:	Science Fiction/Fantasy
Organization:	SOLAE
Founder:
Founding Date:
URL:	http://marcon.org/
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MARCon (short for Multiple Alternate Realities Convention or Multiple Alternative Realities Convention) is a fantasy and science fiction convention in Ohio. It is sponsored by SOLAE (The Science Oriented Literature, Art, and Education Foundation).

History

It was originally held in March (MARch+Con) but is now held in May. The original MARCon in Toledo in 1966 was "simply a planning session for the 1966 Cleveland Worldcon (TriCon)".

1968

Columbus, Ohio. Approximately 85 attendees. Frederik Pohl – Guest of Honor

Convention Reports

I rolled into Columbus at. 10:30 a.m. on a sunny Friday and was suitably surprised that my state capitol had no horses or even steam automobiles. Downtown Columbus is a bustling, modern city, pretty and pleasant.

I was amazed by the Holiday Inn. The rooms were large and had many conveniences, including coffee and a water heater. The feeling of luxury that comes from having a huge room to myself soon disappeared, for I ended up sharing the room with an MSU student and a hippie.

Larry Smith, Mike Lalor (of Olentangy SFS) and the almost inseparable trio of Bill Anderson, John Cuzlowski, and Nancy Webb grumbled in, with several tons of tape equipment. The trio (almost universally known as "the hippies" because of John’s beard) and I wandered about and later watched "Assignment: Earth" on ST, and everyone cheered when Spock used his nerve pinch, and booed when the dumb blonde secretary appeared. We went to the official, suite, where we greeted Bob Hillis, Brian Burley, Sherna Comerford, Fred Pohl, Doug Lovenstein, George Poster, Dick Shultz, and others. Pohl revealed that INTERNATIONAL SF is dead, and that Lester del Rey will edit a new fantasy zine. When I asked Pohl what stories he would have chosen for the Nebulas to replace the choices of the SFWA, he said "Almost anything."

After breakfast, I wandered around the lobby, which wasn’t much of a wander, and met Bruce Johnstone. Hillis and Lalor, in their OSFA bowling shirts came by recruiting people to help wake up Larry Smith. We went with them to the suite where verbal abuse, physical force, and cold wet clothes were applied to Larry’s indifferent body. Most effective were Bruce’s insults including "Smith can carry on a rational conversation for 10 minutes before he’s awake."

The lobby slowly filled with fen, including: Dale Tarr, Lou Tabakow, Doc Barrett, Tracie Brown, Fred Jackson, Art Vaughan, Bob Gains, Larry Knight (who became known as ’’poor Larry”), Ron Miller, Rod Gorman, John Ayotte, Cick Byers, Bill Mallardi, Hank Davis, Darroll Pardoe, and of course, ye eds, Linda and Suzanne.

A Wallace for President group was found to be meeting next to the Marcon meeting room, and their bumper sticker was amended to read MRS. PEEL WE’RE NEEDED IN *68, which brought high humor from all, all except the Wallace people, that is.

Larry opened the con at 2:30 by introducing the notable present. He then had Pohl, Ed Dong, John Jakes, and Dean McLaughlin hauled up to the podium for an unplanned, unexpected panel which was two thirds Pohl. Afterwards Lalor and Mallardi (BEM) did thrilling Donald Duck imitations. Then all the fmz editors left in the meeting room were hauled up to speak and were less entertaining than the pros, if that were possible.

I went over to Dick Schultz’s room where I drooled over the beautiful poster and photos of Mrs. Peel that he had.

The banquet at 6pm was fun. There I talked to Lloyd Kropp, Columbus’s only pro (and not an SF writer at that, poor fellow) and Ben Jason. There was a buffet with plenty of something for everyone. Pohl then gave a speech about technological change, and society change, and SF. He also mentioned that GALAXY is giving awards for viable ideas concerning the war in Vietnam.

The official party was well stocked with blog and things were grooving. Suzanne and I found each other, and together listened to BEM recite Mark Schulyizer’s annual poem and George Young relate Harlan Ellison stories. We went up to Johnston’s room where we saw a number of people including the standard first-drunk-and-sick fan (absolutely not Larry Smith, as some idiot told people). At one point BEM stuck his head out the window and yelled ’’Shut up” in Donald Duck-inese, which seemed very funny at the time.

The next morning I blew a wad on Big-Hearted Howard’s books and then went to hear Pohl and Robin Scott Wilson discuss writing conferences. After that I made reverse greetings to many people, and went to the bus station. It was altogether a fun con.

PS, the next Marcon will be held in either Toledo, Finlay, or Bowling Green.

 

After surviving the perils of early arrivals, Pittsburgh buses and subways, and anti-Civil Rights airport bus drivers to get to Marcon, we barely survived Marcon itself.

We first encountered fellow-fen (all fellows) in the vestibule lobby of the motel. We were greeted with cheers, leers, and general goodwill. I looked at Suzanne. I looked at Linda. We both looked at the 20 surrounding male fen. And the same horrible, terrifying, frightening, disturbing, interesting, amusing, attractive, wonderful, exciting, the same thought occurred to both of us: ’’What if we are the only girls here?” Unfortunately fortunately there were at least 15 other girls (including middle aged bags ladies, married women, two teeny boppers, and an engaged Sherna Comerford). Our next big thrill was discovering that a leering Dale Tarr was the proud possessor of a key to our room, which he got 'by mistake’. He mumbled something about returning it and wandered off.

Before the official program we met nearly everyone and had a very interesting discussion with the MSU group, and anyone else who happened along. We got lots of ideas for our club. We broke for lunch and trooped to MacDonald’s. Glorious.

That evening came the highlight of the convention, the parties. We never could figure out what happened to about 30 of the 110 attendees, but the parties were cherily crowded anyway. We enjoyed our first taste of fannish Blog, somewhat gladly sadly noting the lack of corflu. We enjoyed shouting over the drunken conversing with the happy fen, including Jerry and everyone else.

The next morning we had a good confab with Bob Young and a bunch of others about starting and keeping some interest in an SF club. After the exciting (?) panel discussions, Bill Mallardi kindly took us to the airport where we caught the 3:17 plane at 3:21, after fighting ultra-slow clerks and rolled-up gangplanks. Once aboard, as the plane began to taxi down the runway, we found our one seat! That is we found one vacant seat and one very small girl whose mother angrily kindly agreed to hold her until Pittsburgh. Art Vaughan had the same plane and his parents dropped us off downtown, where we caught a bus back to dear old CMU.

Well, we did survive Marcon, and right well, too. Regional cons are great fun, if just for all the fascinating people you meet along the way. [This was written before Disclave. Fascinating, weird might be more apt. Disclave seemed to have its share of unusual fen, of course about a third of this category was from our own WPSFA. - Linda] We are seriously (?) considering having a Burghcon (Or as L. insists on calling it Pcon (Bleach!))sometime next spring. Ghu! The thought is kind of nice frightening. But, one never knows... [Burgeon - Bleach! You’ve got to be kidding. Bleach! - Linda]

 

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