Minicon (convention in Minnesota)

Convention
Name:	Minicon
Dates:	1968-present
Frequency:	annual
Location:	Minnesota, US
Type:	fan-run
Focus:
Organization:	Minnesota Science Fiction Society
Founder:
Founding Date:
URL:	website here
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Minicon is a science fiction & fantasy convention held annually over the Easter weekend in Minnesota, USA, since 1968.

Minicon 7 (1974)

Minicon 7 (1975): Con Report

THE STREKFAN'S FIRST SF CONVENTION (A MINICON REPORT)

Even though I have been Involved in ST fandom for five years (and a fan longer than that), I had never been to a straight SF convention before. This is probably because my interest in SF is admittedly less than my interest in ST. However, since I am a member of the Minnesota Science Fiction Society, I decided to attend their local SF convention (MINI CON).

As the name implies, it was a small convention. Only about 400 people showed up, compared with the thousands that attended the other two ST cons I went to (in Detroit). Even so, the SF fans seemed to think it was a nice congenial convention. All the ones I ran into thought it was a great con.

What impressed me the most about this convention was the general mood. Most of the participants--guests and fans alike--acted as if they'd known each other for years. Bob Tucker, our fan guest of honor, is supposed to be one of the originators of ST fandom in the late 20's and early 301s. I felt like a rank neophyte.

Our other two guests were Ben Bova, editor of Analog, and Frank Kelley Freas, whose SF artwork I saw at STAR-Con. All of the guests gave interesting and entertaining presentations at the panels where I saw them. The after-banquet speechifying was like a Friar's roast, with the audience adding to the good-natured barbs. I enjoyed the presentations very much, even though once in a while I had to steer around the SF insider jokes.

There was little evidence of ST around, except for me with my STW badge and my table in the huckster's room. I had some good responses to my ST material in the huckster's room, although generally comments about ST were rare.

I didn't attend all of the scheduled activities, but the ones I did attend were interesting. I attended a panel on great fannish myths which dealt more with humorous events (actual) than myths; nonetheless, I enjoyed hearing about Bob Tuckers' plan to build a portable hotel strictly for SF conventions, and all the bricks he got in the mail toward its construction, etc. There was also a panel on black holes which was more science than SF, and a panel on practical plans for a commercial space shuttle. The films included satires on Sherlock Holmes and Flash Gordon movies, plus "The Day the Earth Stood Still."

In total, I thought this was a great educational experience. The SF fans enjoyed it, and I became more acquainted with the subtleties of SF fandom. Aside from the obvious dissimilarity between SF and ST fandoms (we're specialized), I found that SF fans have other differences that ST fans can appreciate. I hope I was able to contribute to them appreciating ours as well.

I was extremely flattered when the chairperson of the North Country Comics and Fantasy Convention approached me at MINICON to be on an ST panel at his convention. I didn't consider my self that much of a Star Trek expert; probably the ST'W badge impressed him. In any case, I accepted, and found myself taking time off from studying for tests to appear on an ST Panel, consisting of Ruth Berman and myself.

As a lead-in to the panel, Ruth gave an ST slide show, using her own collection. I was captivated by her commentary which ranged from ST-as-a-TV-series ("Now this set is used a lot in ST and other shows to get a castle-like effect. To the right is a Paramount sound stage, and to the left is the entrance to a cemetery. The sculpture over the entrance disguises the lettering") to ST-as-the-real-universe ("This gentleman here looks like an Andorian, but actually he's an Orion disguised as an Andorian."). Some of the things she said were ones I didn't know before -- such as her comment that GR actually imagined the Federation as existing long before Earth joined it; in particular, Vulcan has been with the Federation longer than Earth has (which makes me wonder if we discovered Vulcan, or they discovered us?). After the slide, a lot of people left, but enough stayed for the panel to make it worthwhile. The audience seemed largely interested in the fates of Star Trek, Questor, and Genesis 2, Planet Earth. The session ran very smoothly. I was afraid that there would be tough questions on trivia (from my experience at other Star Trek cons), but the questions were more like those of people who didn't know much about Star Trek and ST fandom and wanted to know more. It was a good experience. Fan panel, anyone?

Minicon 47

Minicon 47 was held April 6 – 8, 2012 at the DoubleTree Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were author Ted Chiang, fanziner Christopher J Garcia, and artist Frank Wu.

Minicon 46

Minicon 46 was held April 22 – 24, 2011. Our Guests of Honor were author Charles Stross (in absentia), author John Scalzi, and musician Chas Somdahl.

Minicon 45

Minicon 45 was held April 2 – 4, 2010 at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Brandon Sanderson and Dan Dos Santos, with Special Guest Moshe Feder.

Minicon 44

Minicon 44 was held April 10 – 12, 2009 at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Karl Schroeder, Stephan Martinière (who unfortunately could not make it to the convention), and Seth Shostak.

Minicon 43

Minicon 43 was held March 21 – 23, 2008 at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Alastair Reynolds, Nate Bucklin, Shawna McCarthy, and Wayne Barlowe (who unfortunately could not make it to the convention).

Minicon 42

Minicon 42 was April 6 – 8, 2007 at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Charles de Lint and Charles Vess.

Minicon 41

Minicon 41 was April 14 – 16, 2006 at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Harlan Ellison, John Picacio, and Doug Friauf.

Minicon 40

Minicon 40 was March 25 – 27, 2005 at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel (formerly known as the Radisson South) in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Terry Pratchett, Fastner and Larson, and James Young.

Minicon 39

Minicon 39 was April 9 – 11, 2004 at the Millennium Hotel Minneapolis in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Walter Jon Williams, Sharyn November, and Deb Geisler.

Minicon 38

Minicon 38 was April 18 – 20, 2003 at the Millennium Hotel Minneapolis in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Robert J. Sawyer, Carolyn Clink, Sue Mason, and Steve Macdonald.

Minicon 37

Minicon 37 was March 29 – 31, 2002 at the Hilton Minneapolis in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Emma Bull, Will Shetterly, Arthur Hlavaty, and Rick Berry.

Minicon 36

Minicon 36 was April 13 – 15, 2001 at the Hilton Minneapolis & Towers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Ken MacLeod, Jo Walton, and Leslie Fish.

Minicon 35

Minicon 35 was April 21 – 23, 2000 at the Hilton Minneapolis & Towers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Maureen F. McHugh, Lenny Bailes, and John Berkey.

Minicon 34

Minicon 34 was April 2 – 4, 1999 at the Minneapolis Hilton & Towers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Octavia E. Butler, Mark & Priscilla Olson, and David Nee. See also proposals for Minicon 34.

Minicon 33

Minicon 33 was April 10 – 12, 1998 at the Radisson South in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Gardner Dozois, Dave Langford, Phil Proctor, and John M. Ford. See also Minutes from Minicon 33 committee meetings, the accepted bid to run Minicon 33, and opening ceremonies radio shows photos and audio..

Minicon 32

Minicon 32 was March 28 – 30, 1997 at the Radisson South in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Algis Budrys, C.J. Cherryh, Tom Doherty, Tom Lopez, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Teresa Nielsen Hayden, and Michael Swanwick.

Minicon 31

Minicon 31 was April 5 – 7, 1996 at the Radisson South in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Suzette Haden Elgin, Joe Siclari & Edie Stern, David Ossman, and Ed Emshwiller (posthumous).

Minicon 30

Minicon 30 was April 14 – 16, 1995 at the Radisson South in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Vernor Vinge, Robert Forward, Jody Lee, Glen Cook, and the residents of the Bhigg House. Glen Cook was an honored guest. Minicon 30 was the first Minicon to have a web page, at least as far as we can tell.

Minicon 29

Minicon 29 was held in 1994 at the Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Tom Doherty, Jack Williamson, Rusty Hevelin, and Phil Foglio.

Minicon 28

Minicon 28 was held in 1993 at the Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Susan Allison, Diane Duane, Peter Morwood, Kathy Mar, Don Fitch, and John M. Ford.

Minicon 27

Minicon 27 was held in 1992 at the Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Lois McMaster Bujold, Ctein and Dave Van Ronk.

Minicon 26

Minicon 26 was held in 1991 at the Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were George Alec Effinger, David Cherry, Al Kuhfeld, Suzanne V. Tompkins, Jerry Kaufman, and Jon Singer.

Minicon 25

Minicon 25 was held in 1990 at the Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Jane Yolen, Kim Stanley Robinson, Patrick Price, David Thayer a.k.a. Teddy Harvia, DavE Romm and Earl Joseph. Dave Clement, P.C. Hodgell, Dr. Joseph Romm, and Art Widner were honored guests.

Minicon 24

Minicon 24 was held in 1989 at the Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Harry Harrison, George "Lan" Laskowski, Fritz Leiber and Barry Longyear. Patrick and Teresa Nielsen Hayden, P.C. Hodgell, Larry Niven, and John Sladek were honored guests.

Minicon 23

Minicon 23 was held in 1988 at the Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Eleanor Arnason, Eric Heideman, Frederick Pohl, Crystal Marvig and Richard Feynman (posthumous). Jane Yolen, David Hartwell, and Algis Budrys were honored guests.

Minicon 22

Minicon 22 was held in 1987 at the Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were David Brin, Fred Haskell, Erin McKee, and Jerry Stearns. Diane Duane, Jane Yolen, and Ellen Kushner were honored guests.

Minicon 21

Minicon 21 was held in 1986 at the Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were Damon Knight, Kate Wilhelm, Denny Lien, Ken Fletcher, and Ann Passovoy. Phyllis Eisenstein, Terri Windling, John M. Ford, and P.C. Hodgell were honored guests.

Minicon 20

Minicon 20 was held in 1985 at the Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our Guests of Honor were James P. Hogan, The Permanent Floating Riot Club, The White Women, and Stu Shiffman.

Minicon 19

Minicon 19 was held in 1984 at the Leamington Hotel. Our Guests of Honor were Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Dave Wixon, Steve Hickman, Somtow Sucharitkul, Rusty Hevelin and Bob Tucker.

Minicon 18

Minicon 18 was held in 1983 at the St. Paul Radisson. Our Guests of Honor were Larry Niven, Pamela Dean, David Dyer-Bennet, Dave Sim, Spider John Koerner, Steven K. Zoltan Brust, and Nostradamus.

Minicon 17

Minicon 17 was held in 1981 at the Minneapolis Radisson. Our Guests of Honor were Jack Vance, Jerry Boyajian, Reed Waller and Kathy Marschall.

Minicon 16

Minicon 16 was held in 1980 at the Minneapolis Radisson. Our Guests of Honor were C.J. Cherryh, Jon Singer, Ken Fletcher, Nate Bucklin and Wilson (Bob) Tucker.

Minicon 15

Minicon 15 was held in 1979 at the Minneapolis Radisson. Our Guests of Honor were Theodore Sturgeon, Tom Digby, and Rick Sternbach. Bob Vardeman was an honored guest.

Some photos from 1979 are here.

Minicon 14

Minicon 14 was held in 1982 at the Minneapolis Radisson. Our Guests of Honor were John Varley, Cliff Simak and Spider Robinson.

Minicon 13

Minicon 13 was held in 1978 at the Leamington Hotel. Our Guests of Honor were Samuel R. Delany, Spider Robinson, and Bob Tucker.

Minicon 12

Minicon 12 was held in 1977 at the Leamington Hotel. Our Guests of Honor were Ben Bova, and Buck and Juanita Coulson.

Minicon 11

Minicon 11 was held in 1976 at the Leamington Hotel. Our Guests of Honor were Edmond Hamilton, Leigh Brackett, and Leigh and Norb Couch.

Minicon 10

Minicon 10 was held in 1975 at the Holiday Inn. Our Guests of Honor were Poul Anderson and Gordon Dickson. (Redd Boggs was originally scheduled to be fan GoH, but was forced to cancel.)

Con Reports: Minicon 10

Minicon 10. Without a doubt, the very best con I have ever gone to. There may have been higher points at other cons, but this one had nary a low point; it was only glorious. This is the regional science fiction con Minneapolis fen throw once or twice a year; it is very, very nice. Around 450 registered, maybe 350 there, the con was held at the Downtown Minneapolis Holiday Inn, which had--gasp!--reasonable rates. This was a con everyone could like, even the neofen from Iowa City, who became so impressed, that they are throwing a con of their own next Halloween. And we never even noticed that this was their first con, for they were immediately taken in and cherished. Ah, fandom.

Didn't hit a one of the panels or movies, but bov, the talks we did have. At the Friday night rehearsal for the Saturday Dorsai Party, some of us trektypes discussed, between filksings, the probable course of T-Negative in the next few months, and touched on religion vis-a-vis trek-fen and fic.

Saturday, Joan Verba and I shared the STW table, hawking that and the only current fanzines there, Menageries and the Babels given to me to push. We weren't the only obvious Trekkies there; but we all were treated as fen, likely because we acted as fen. Piddled away the afternoon in the hucksters' room, talking with anybody who came by (like Harry Harrison, Phil Farmer, Poul Anderson...). The costume ball that night had a most skillfully rendered Frankenstein's Monster; the kid really had the gestures, the attitude down exactly. Boris Karloff lives.

Now, you must know that Minneapolis has been bidding for the privilege of holding the World Science Fiction Convention in 1973 for the past four years. It hasn't made it yet. But for the last several years, most every midwest regional and every Worldcon with a sufficient number of Minneapolis fen have seen a "Minneapolis in '73" bidding party. Fan traditions die hard, and in some cases, hardly.

The bidding party was subdivided, like Caul, into three parts, with a lot of unaffiliated counties on the side: the main, or booze, section, the no-smoking area, and the floor I don't remember that party too well, much beyond the point when we tore out the bathtub and threw it, 11 stories, into street. Then after we set fire to the con administration assistant's jeans--he wasn't in them at the time-- I left for the Dorsai party upstairs (taking the fire escape).

Well, we talked and we drank, and we bossed the artists looking for local color and we drank some more. Filksongs started up at about midnight; we skipped the Kipling songs, but little else. We sang faan songs, SCA songs, Dorsai songs, Juanita songs, traditional songs, not so traditional songs, downright dirty songs, and the Limerick Song for 4 and a half hours. I rendered a few of Auntie Paula's Favorite Filthy Limericks before hitting the sack at 4 ayem.

Sunday was for recovery and the art auction. Finally I came to the end of the day, and climbed to the top of the parking ramp and jumped off fill to view the skyline of the city (about which there is a most interesting dirty, hut unfortunately visual, joke). Minneapolis is a truly nice, nice town. Nice!

But we weren't, even then, quite thru. About half 'o dozen of us, it turned out, were taking the same plane as far as Chicago, so naturally... I do hope they were able to glue the wing back on.

Minicon 9

Minicon 9 was held in 1974 at the Minneapolis Public Library and Dyckman Hotel. (Minicon 8 was also in 1974.) Our Guests of Honor were Judy Lynn and Lester del Rey.

Minicon 8

Minicon 8 was held in 1974 at the Dyckman Hotel. Our Guests of Honor were Kelly Freas and Bob Tucker.

Minicon 7

Minicon 7 was held in 1973 at the Hyatt Lodge. Our Guests of Honor were Larry Niven and Rusty Hevelin.

Minicon 6

Minicon 6 was held in 1972 at the Hyatt Lodge in Minneapolis. Our Guest of Honor was Ruth Berman.

Minicon 5

Minicon 5 was held in 1971 at the Andrews Hotel. (Minicon 4 was also in 1971.) There was no Guest of Honor (as far as we can tell), but traditionally Volsted Gridban is listed as such.

Minicon 4

Minicon 4 was held in 1971 at the Curtis Hotel. Our Guest of Honor was Lin Carter.

Minicon 3

Minicon 3 was held in 1970 at the Dyckman Hotel. Our Guests of Honor were Poul Anderson, Gordon Dickson and Clifford Simak.

Minicon 2

Minicon 2 was held in 1969 at the Andrews Hotel. Our Guests of Honor were Gordon Dickson, Charles De Vet and Clifford Simak. As with Minicon 1, Carl Jacobi was also advertised as a GoH, but didn't make it.

Minicon 1

Minicon 1 was held in 1968 in the University of Minnesota's Coffman Union, Men's Lounge. Our Guests of Honor were Gordon Dickson, Charles De Vet and Clifford Simak. Carl Jacobi was also advertised as a GoH, but didn't make it.