MediaWest*Con/MediaWest*Con 2016

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Convention
Name:	MediaWest*Con 2016
Dates:	May 27-30, 2016
Frequency:
Location:	Lansing, Michigan
Type:
Focus:	multi-fandom
Organization:
Founder:
Founding Date:
URL:	2016 Con Page program book, Archived version
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

cover of the 2016 program book

Some Facts About the 2016 Convention

• May 27-30, 2016
• Membership was $45. Apocryphal memberships were $1, for live animals, stuffed animals, or alternate identities.
• "In honor of the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, MediaWest*Con 36's four day mission is to seek out those SF futures past that never quite became reality, to geek out and breathe new life into classic stories, new tribble-ations. So join us as we return to tomorrow for all our yesterdays and yesteryears where tomorrow is yesterday, and boldy go where Nomad has gone before!"

• It was held at the Lansing Ramada."The location of the Ramada should be familiar to long-time MW*C members, as it was the original location for T’Con (1978), 2’Con (1979), and MediaWest*Con 1 (1981) through 11 (1991), first as a Hilton Inn and later as a Holiday Inn. It has gone through several owners and franchises since then, and is now a Ramada."

• "This year we have both CareLinc Medical Equipment and AirWay Oxygen assisting us with our mobility needs. Both have said that they are willing to give our members the best service possible."

• There were 33 dealers: 28 dealers room, 2 hallway, and 3 guest room.
• There were 112 panels (100 gen, 12 slash)

Program Books and Progress Reports

• Program Book, ^{Archived version}
• Progress Report One, ^{Archived version}

( Progress Report Two, ^{Archived version}

Fan Q Awards

For specifics, see 2016 Fan Q Awards.

Fan Fun

Elaine Batterby was the winner from 2015 and she was expected to attend this year's con.

Skit

"Trickster Shenanigans! (a Homestuck skit) -- Cast of Characters: Trickster Jane...Rachel Schick, Trickster Jake…Elizabeth Wadsworth, Trickster Dirk...Madison Breen

Star Trash: Return to All Our Yesterday Tomorrows or The Once and Future Future (a Star Trek parody puppet spectacular written and performed by Gordon Carleton)."

Party Suite and Other Gatherings

Friday:

• Informal Shabbat Service and Oneg, and Celebration of Lev (Jewish AIDS Memorial day) and Lag B'Mer -- Peter Cooper
• Coloring book enclave -- Jynjyr

Saturday:

• The Professionals Party -- Kat
• Peter Pinkie Pony Party (Real Ghostbusters) -- Party Posse
• A Wake for Han Solo -- Solo's Seraglio

Sunday:

• Brunch with the Strachey-Callahans: Donald Strachey Mysteries Party -- Candy A, Storyfan, Vivian
• Ice Cream Social -- Jon and Peter's 11 Anniversary (+2 days) Together
• Celebration of MediaWest*Con and everyone's continued attendance -- Erika Frensley, Dee Beetem, and Toni Lichtenstein Bogolub

Other:

• The Downton Abbey tea party (canceled due to illness) was to have been open to everyone and costumes or formal tea attire was encouraged as there would be prizes for best of and runner ups. A proper tea was to have been served.
• from the first progress report: "From Jeanne Sullivan: We have lost many dear friends over the last few years and to honor them a Memorial Wall will be set up in the Con Suite. Bring copies (please copies only) of your friends /fans that have passed. Many of us remember faces rather than names. It would be nice to remember the good times that we shared with them."

Masquerade Awards

• Judges: Sophia Kelly Schulz, Mark Cogan, Carla Rodriguez

• Cross Genre Paternity Suit Award: Captain Kirk Spends Shore Leave With Galadriel, Queen of the Woodland fairies -- M. S. Uram

• The Clever Kimono Award: Rin (From anime Inuyasha) -- Lilly Demorta

• He’s Dead Jim Award: Han Solo (Or, Is He?) -- Spenser Coates

• The Chaos Boomerang Award: Lady Loki -- Erika Frensley

• Better Looking Than The Remake Award: Lulu the Ghostbuster -- Lulu

• Scaling To New Heights Award: The Halfsnake of Medusa -- Malaya Armstrong-Bruce

• My Heart Is A-Flutter Award: Owlvira -- Margie Martinson

• Bubble Gum Is So Hard To Get Out Of Fur Award: Babsie Wolf -- Babs Magera

• The Show Must Go On Award: Star Wars Next Gen -- Robert Dawe

• Mysterious Other Award: East Meets Mid-West Follower of the Dragon – Symbol of Power & Mystery -- Mary V.

• Where’s The Earth Shattering Kaboom Award: Rocket T. Coyote & His Pet Rocket(s) -- Rocket T. Coyote

• Audience Wins Award: Star… Who? -- Peter Cooper

• She Answers To Lucky Award: Landing Party Blues -- Stormy Hall, Sandy Hall

• The Oops The Geriatric Judges Haven’t Seen The Movie Award: Hiccup from How To Train Your Dragon 2 -- John Marks

Door Decoration Awards

• Best In Show: TO BOLDLY GO… 50 YEARS AND COUNTING – Room 333 Kendall Wochoski & Mick C
• Fan Favorite/Furriest: TIC TAC TRIBBLES – Room 274 Bagel & Cream Cheese
• Best Con Theme: IN MEMORIAM – Room 324 Cheri “Elaine” Tripp
• Most Poignant: STARMAN –Room 283 Tami Alexander, Chris Mistele, & Sara Diaz
• Best Steampunk: SHERLOCK HOLMES– Room 279 Annie Walton & Glenda Jordan
• Best Stare-off: CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR – Room 175 Holly Hofer, Ginna Wilcoxen, & Amanda Morgan
• Most Patriotic: THE REAL REASON FOR MEMORIAL DAY – Room 163 Jan Boll
• Most Timely: HOW DO YOU TELL TIME? – Room 139 Linnese & Nathan Dawe
• Best Interactive: WHERE’S WIDOW?– Room 116 Gail Celio, Scott & Suzy Rosema

Art Show Awards

• Best In Show: Toothless by John Marks
• Best In Con Theme: String Trek — Bishop Collection
• Best In SF: Celestial Seasons — Bishop Collection
• Best In Fantasy: Toothless by John Marks
• Best In Humor/Cartoon: (TIE)
• Magnus & Loki: Photo Bomb by Mike Cole
• They Had Cookies by Mike Cole
• Best Portrait: Strange by Karen River
• Best 3-D/Jewelry/Glass/Ceramic: Priestess by Alesia
• Best In Fabric/Needlework: Book Bird by Kelly Dwyer
• Best Critter: Toothless by John Marks
• Best In Cop/Investigator/Spy: Holmes & Watson by Mike Cole
• Best In Horror: Freedom Fighter by Kate Nuernberg
• Best In Animated: Toothless by John Marks
• 2 Cute To Live: Do Cats Get Bookworms? by Kate Nuernberg
• Best Other: Terrarium by Sarah Clemens
• Fan Favorite: Toothless by John Marks

Fanzine Reading Room

"The 'Zine Room has been part of MW*C since 1982! In that time, fan-fiction has changed from being only print 'zines that were regionally or, at best, nationally known and available to fan writing that is primarily on-line fanfic with free world-wide access. MW*C is one of the very few cons that still has 'zines for sale or for reading. And what was originally just a small room for con members to sit and read current 'zines lent by other con members has changed and grown as well. It's added some different things over the years -- a Fanzine Archive that covers 30+ years and over 30 different fandoms, displays of 'zines on sale at the con, and the SF/Media Fan Fund Charity Auction. The ‘Zine Reading Room will again be located in the Ramada's Waverly Room."

Fan Fund

The fan fund recipient is Elaine Batterby.

From the first progress report: "We are revamping the SF/Media Fan Fund nomination and voting process in the hopes of getting more participation. Nomination deadline has been extended to May 9 and voting will be done AT the con. This will help deadlines better coordinate with MW*C PRs, allow us to raise awareness at the con, and allow the recipient to have a year to plan rather than scramble at the last minute. The silent auction will be held in the ‘Zine Reading Room. Look in the Program Book or for postings for times. Many thanks to all those who donated items."

Acknowledgments

• Membership/Registration (records, data entry, onsite), Transportation — Lori Chapek-Carleton
• Communications (e-mail, publications, website), Data Output (membership badges, lists), Graphics (logo, T'shirt design) — Gordon Carleton
• Art Show -- Art Show Director: Gordon Carleton; Karen Klinck & staff will be running the Art Show under his supervision at the convention itself.
• Plays -- Gordon Carleton
• GoFers -- Jeanne Sullivan, GoFer Captain
• Con Suite/Video -- Jeanne Sullivan
• Programming -- Elyse Dickenson & Dawn McLevy
• Flyers -- Elyse Dickenson & Dawn McLevy
• Party Suite -- Elyse Dickenson & Dawn McLevy
• Fan Quality Awards -- Jan Keeler
• Fanzine Reading Room – Laura Keeler-Britt
• SF/Media Fan Fund -- Laura Keeler-Britt
• Dealers – PRE-CON: Kim Vanderlaan, AT-CON: Sophia Kelly Shultz
• Orphan ‘Zine Table -- Janice St. Clair and Laura Basta-Sandler
• Fannish Video Room -- Sheryl Adsit
• Masquerade — Andre Lieven
• Security — Seth Cutts
• Blood Drive — Kim Dyer
• Hotel Liaison – Carol Lynn
• Lansing Liaison -- Carl Tielking
• Door Decoration Competition – Kath Moonshine
• Game Room -- Ginna Wilcoxen

Programming

Events

• ART AUCTION
• BLOOD DRIVE
• DEAD DOG PANEL
• FAN Q's
• MASQUERADE
• PLAY

Actors

• Sir Christopher Lee: Beyond Dracula. Our Favorite, and Least Liked

Film

• Captain America, Civil War: Which side are you on? Why?
• Disaster Porn: Are disaster movies now all about just destroy-destroy-destroy, and caring about characters surviving just a secondary thought? (i.e, San Andreas)
• Ghostbusters: From the movies to the reboot, to Peter Venkman, the cartoon star from the Real Ghostbusters show. Discuss panel on how the franchise as a whole as grown and how it’s impacted pop culture and fandom
• Independence Day: Resurgence: Will the sequel measure up the original? (open discussion)
• Ironman: Edwin Jarvis - butler, agent or sidekick? What would they do without him? Will he ever get along with Bernard?
• Star Trek Beyond: Discuss the third in the new Star Trek film. (open discussion)
• Star Wars: "Are we grown up enough for Star Wars?"
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens - General Review and Discussion
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Kylo Ren - Good enough villain for the new Trilogy?
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Who is Rey's Daddy? Share your theories about Rey's origins
• The Martian: General discussion of this Matt Damon science fiction movie
• X-Men: Apocalypse: discussion

Fandom

• Bromance vs. Romance: What's the difference from a slash fan's perspective? (/)
• Fandom: How did it begin for you? What show was your gateway?
• Furry and Pop Culture: A brief intro to the furry fandom, and how, through movies and social media, it’s becoming more mainstream
• Star Trek conventions: Down memory lane
• Star Trek fanfiction: What are your favorites?
• Who are the new slash couples and who isn't being slashed who should be?
• My fanzine collection. What do I do with my collection when I have to downsize. Topics to be discussed: Selling on ebay or lists and donating to libraries
• Is the new open communication with producers and visibility of fandom to TPTB a curse or a blessing?
• Why is fandom still a hobby with a stigma? Will that ever change, and if so, how?
• Where do you find your fan fiction? 0
• What happens when the long-awaited movie for your beloved show takes things in a new direction? What do fan artists and writers do?

Gaming

• Whose Line Is It Anyway? Our annual audience participation game; join the fun!

Literature

• Andre Norton: The latest news!
• Christine Feehan: Has she jumped the paranormal shark? General discussion
• Cozy Mysteries: Love/loathe: discussion
• Horses: In fantasy and SF: Come talk
• Laurie R. King's Mary Russell: Discussion of her latest book, "The Murder of Mary Russell"
• McCaffrey: Pern - General discussion
• McCaffrey: Talent - General discussion
• W. Farley: Though he wrote horse fiction there's a lot of SF and fantasy in his books. Come explore this.

Television

• 50 Years of Star Trek
• Animated TV: There’s lot of animation with the cartoon channels. What do you recommend?
• Anime: Past and present
• Art of Buddy Shows: What makes a buddy show work?
• Bates Motel: A general discussion of the series
• Big Valley: A blast from the past. Come to celebrate the family saga/rope opera now available on at least two basic cable channels
• British Television Shows: When does it NOT cross the pond well? And what makes some of their shows so much better?
• British Television: Why do they do it better across the pond & it's not just the accents
• Buddy Shows: opposites attract, predictable stereotypes -- which shows had buddies with great chemistry and which ones didn't work
• Castle: General discussion – Stana Kanic is out... can Castle survive without Beckett?
• Colony: General discussion of the sci-fi invasion saga
• Donald Strachey Mysteries: A feel good romance panel to discuss our favorite Donald/Timothy moments. (/)
• Donald Strachey Mysteries: A general overview of the movies and books - new fans welcome! (/)
• Downton Abbey: From the Dowager Countess Lady Violet Crawley to the Evil Butler - who's your favorite?
• Downton Abbey: Upstairs vs Downstairs - Manor vs Townies. Let's talk characters.
• Elementary/BBC Sherlock: Compare and contrast Elementary and BBC Sherlock’s approach to canon. Which has done a better job repositioning A.C. Doyle’s characters to the 21st century?
• Galavant: Do you watch, too? (general discussion and maybe watching)
• Game of Thrones: Now the writers are on their own. How are they doing now that they've gone past the published novels?
• Gotham: Gore, guts and violence. But the villains are oddly enticing.
• Grantchester & Father Brown: Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. Overview and discussion of our favorite clerics.
• Hawaii Five-0: If Steve and Danny finally caught the clue bus and got together, how would it happen? (/)
• Hawaii Five-0: Sixth season in review for McDanno: the good, the bad, and the ugly. (/)
• Hawaii Five-0: What's right, and wrong, about the supporting cast and why?
• Hidden Gems: Favorite obscure movies, books. Bring your list!
• Houdini and Doyle: General discussion – Does this resonate like an early 20th century Mulder and Scully?
• Legions of Tomorrow: What do you think of the cast line-up and plot? Does Rip Hunter come across as whiny to you?
• Librarians: General discussion. Sophomore slump or still swinging?
• Life lessons from Star Trek
• Lucifer: including introducing the amazing Tom Ellis, what are the series' virtues?
• Magnificent 7: Archetype characters work well in Aus. Which AUs worked the best?
• Magnificent 7: Canon vs. fanon.... where did the writer get THAT idea?
• Marvel’s Agent Carter: What time period should the third season of Agent Carter be in?
• Marvel's Agent Carter: Peggy - Lynchpin or token in the Marvel Universe?
• Murder in the UK: British mysteries - for such a smallish group of islands, they sure do love to bump each other off.
• Murdoch Mysteries: George/Henry (/)
• Murdoch Mysteries: History meets fiction
• My Little Pony: the infamous Pony Panel! We’ll discuss Season 6, how the show has grown, and what we love about our favourite characters!
• NCIS: What lies ahead for the show post-Tony? Should they bring back Ziva? What other characters from past episodes could replace him? What qualities do we want in his replacement?
• Nostalgia TV: A return to old shows as 'comfort food' --- Starsky & Hutch, Barney Miller, WKRP ... many shows are being aired on easy access channels. Why do we watch them so much? Aren't they dated?
• Person of Interest: general discussion of Seasons 1-.4 If the show continues, how .should it go - episodic? * Another Big Bad?
• Person of Interest: God in a Box - What's next for the Machine? ? How do you think they should end the series?
• Person of Interest: What's the delay? Canon pairings? Demographics? Or just money issues?
• Professionals: Cold-Blooded or Hot-Blooded? Bodie and Doyle seem able to project an aura of cold-hearted, calculating men, particularly when it comes to their enemies--but their warmer, more human side is hard to keep down. Is the "cold-blooded killer" just an act they put on?(/)
• Professionals: Episode discussions
• Professionals: If Bodie and Doyle were transported to 2016, how would the change in culture have affected their professional and personal lives? In today’s world, could either Bodie or Doyle become Controller of CI5 and, if so, which one? (/)
• Professionals: Secrets, Clues and Decisions - ways the lads cross the line (/)
• PSAs: Do they really work?
• Quirky is as quirky does: Creating unique characters in an ensemble show. Which are innovative but which are just weird? (Examples: Parker in Leverage, Abby in NCIS, The Scorpion Team)
• Real Ghostbusters: Sharing favorite character moments and episodes.
• Sentinel: How does Jim and Blair's relationship compare to other slash pairs past and present? (/) (open discussion)
• Sentinel: If they did an update movie, what kind of plot would you like to see and where would you like the guys to be in their lives? (Gen and Slash-Friendly)
• Series Finales: Which shows wrapped up the loose ends well? Which should have stopped sooner?
• Shadowhunters: Slash as canon! Has there been a TV show in the past few years that has had such openly slashy characters as Alex and Magnus? (/)
• Sherlock Holmes (BBC): "The Abominable Bride" - How, if at all, does it advance the series?
• Sherlock Holmes (BBC): Canon riffs: what and how TPTB have used from Arthur Conan Doyle, and speculations on why.
• Sherlock Holmes (BBC): The Abominable Bride”. Fascinating look at how Sherlock's mind works and how he views the people in his life and himself
• Star Trek: Has the Great Bird of the Galaxy's vision of a peaceful Earth become blurred in the post 9-11 world?
• Starsky & Hutch: If the show were remade today, which episode stories do you think would hold up the best for a reboot?
• Starsky & Hutch: They set the gold standard for h/c and slash. Why was this relationship, forty years ago, a better male romance than most modern shows in what are supposed to be more "tolerant" times? (/)
• Stupidest Deaths Ever (on TV) - Seriously? They couldn't have given him/her/it a better end?
• The Flash: Introduction of the various Rogues Gallery, Earth-2 characters, and who would you still like to see. Is Prof. Zoom his scariest adversary?
• TV Themes Name That Tune!
• TV Tropes: Do you read or submit? Your views.
• Commercials: Jingles!,
• Commercials: Memorable and not so memorable, Sun
• Dinosaurs: From Godzilla to Gorgo. Come discuss your favorite rampaging reptile
• Doctor Who: "One hell of a bird!" Discussion of Series 9 Episode "Heaven Sent"
• Doctor Who: “Mad Man in a Blue Box”: With about 800 episodes, how do you introduce a newcomer to Doctor Who?
• Doctor Who: K-9 and Kitt-10 - Animal Companion Possibilities for New Who?
• Doctor Who: Series 9 "Heaven Sent" was applauded by critics as a landmark episode. Do you agree? What are your favo(u)rite episodes, Classic or Modern/Reboot?
• Doctor Who: The evolution of Twelve - Is he getting nicer? Where is he headed?

Workshops

• Cosplay – Discussion of source material for ideas–“how to cosplay on a budget and still look great”
• Ebook cover design: Apps and Software for writing and researching fan fiction
• Ghost Hunting: How to use ghost-hunting equipment and how to investigate
• Hypnosis Myths and Realities
• MI Shadowchasers takes you on a Ghost Hunt! We’ll be doing an investigation here at the hotel. Limited equipment available for use, so please bring any equipment you may have with you. Evidence review on Saturday night.
• MI Shadowchasers: Want to see if we caught a ghost? Come help us review the evidence from Friday night’s investigation! Didn’t make the Hunt? Join us anyway! For those of you who help review evidence, there will be some goodies for you!

Convention Reports

• Mediawest*Con 2016 trip report :), by wraithfodder
• MediaWest*Con 36 (June 2016) by lizvogel; (archive link)