Mountain Media Con

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Convention
Name: Mountain Media Con, Rocky Mountain Media Con, "Rocky Mountain Hi! Con"
Dates: 1994-2001
Frequency: annual; now defunct
Location: Colorado, US
Type: media con
Focus: zines, multimedia
Organization:
Founder: Joann McCoy & Cathy Schlein
Founding Date: 1995
URL: Internet Archive Links To Convention Websites
logo from a 1997 flyer
Tote bag, Mountain Media 2000
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Mountain Media Con, or Rocky Mountain Media Con, was a gen and slash multimedia convention held in Colorado (USA) for several years. It billed itself as a fanzine convention (hence the emphasis on "media"). The convention committee consisted of multiple fans, but the main contact was the publisher of Of Dreams and Schemes.

The first con was titled "Rocky Mountain Hi!."

Like some other cons, MMC included a "library" of donated zines [1] that members could borrow and read during the convention. In later years, the convention offered a video "library" of TV shows and song vids.

Programming consisted of fan led panels discussing TV shows and fandom, a video show, and art show and numerous other social activities (see below).

By 1997, the membership reached 120.

1994 Convention

flyer for Rocky Mountain Hi! Con held in 1994

On August 5-7, 1994 the "Rocky Mountain Hi! Con" was held at the Holiday Inn Denver Airport hotel. The organizer was Kari M, the editor of Fruit Press.

From an ad in On the Double #30:

Join us in the Mile High City with a breathtaking view of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The Holiday Inn is located near the new Denver International Airport with free shuttle service to and from the airport. Convention room rates: $65 a night for 1-4 persons.

Planned Con Activities: Dealer's room, art show, panels, Friday Nite Frolic at the indoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi and sauna with cake and ice cream; Saturday Nite Buffet and Costume Cabaret plus an Extra, Extra Special Surprise.

Membership: $35.00, (includes all con activities plus membership packet with "goodies". Dealer tables: $25.00. T-shirts and tote bags will also be available.

Please send age statement with payment.

Make checks payable to Kari Masoner. Please enclose 3 SASE's with each membership.

1995 Convention

This con was held August 11-13, 1995 at the Sheraton Denver West in Denver, Colorado.

The concom was: Kathy Allard, Debi Barbich, Susan Crites, Caro Hedge, Carol Hyland, Jo Ann McCoy, Debbie Roberts, Catherine Schlein, Kathy Snow, Marge Wilbeck, Karen Williamson, Linda Willard, and Kitty Woldow.

1995: Con Reports and Comments

Thanks (?) to Joyce, I've gotten to sample a couple of "/" stories from the OBLAQUE folk, confirming that I really don't want to read any more of those. The one where Avon's amnesiac was so-so, but "Open All Hours" by M. Fae Glasgow, and "The Night Watch" by Erzbet Bathory... nope, never again. I really don't enjoy reading stuff that leaves me feeling grubby and nauseous. It's stories like that which get me thinking, "Y'know, maybe the Anti-Slash Brigade has a point..." A thought recently reinforced by a report on the goings on at Mountain Media con in Denver this summer. A friend told me that while she was looking at the art on display she came across illos someone had done of Brother Cadfael in bed with Hugh Beringar. She was upset seeing them, I was flabbergasted hearing about them. Now there won't be any new Cadfaels I could be interested in seeing the occasional fan story turn up, but if anyone is out there doing Cadfael slash I sincerely hope the ghost of Ellis Peters comes back and haunts them. (Yeah, so, I have a little vindictiveness in me.) Well, I've often been floored, going through Bill Hupe's listings, to see what all the slash addicts are doing, but my goodness you'd think they could keep their horny mitts off a few things. [2]

1996 Convention

flyer for the 1996 con

The second Mountain Media Convention was held July 26-28th, 1996 in Lakewood, CO.

From an email flyer sent to various mailing lists:

"Join us for our *second* fanzine convention in Colorado. We'll have panels (both fan and informational), videos, a hospitality suite, an art show, and *lots* of zines! It will be a fun, friendly con with special events such as Scrambled Stories, Battle of Hunks Panel, and a Birthday party.

Memberships: $35.00 until July 24th. Dealer's Table: $50.00 includes one membership.Supporting Membership: $10.00 includes Program Book and Flyer Service. [Membership address omitted]

Room Rates: 1-4 persons, Friday and Saturday--$72.00 Thursday and Sunday--$82.00. [Hotel contact info omitted]

Contact info

  • General information regarding Mountain Media Con [contact info omitted]
  • Inquiries about the Art Show [contact info omitted]
  • Inquiries about the Dealers' Room and Orphan Zine Table [contact info omitted]
  • Panel suggestions and inquiries [contact info omitted]
  • Videos and music video information -- [contact info omitted]
  • Gophers -- [contact info omitted]. We need gophers and information about what you'd like to see on the panels.

Panels were one of the big hits of MMC 1, thanks to our great moderators and enthusiastic attendees. With your help and participation, we hope to do it again. This year we'll discuss the hottest shows in fandom: The X-Files, Kung Fu: TLC, Highlander, Forever Knight, ST: DS9 and Voyager, Due South, Space: Above and Beyond, as well as enduring favorites like The Professionals and resurgent fandoms like Houston Knights and Wild Wild West. Want to see a panel on another show? Let us know!

Informational panels planned so far are a return of last year's most popular panel, Medical Reality vs. Fantasy, as well as Create Your Own Web Page, From Ideas to the Printed Page, and How to Spruce Up Your Artwork. And we're looking for some lively debates from panels like What Makes a Slash SuperCouple?, Spreading the Gospel of Fandom, Paranoia, and The Net: Good or Bad for Fandom?

flyer for 1996 located in Leather and Blue Jeans 2

If you'd like to be on any of these panels, or would like to give one we haven't thought of yet, e-mail [contact info omitted]. See you there!

New Zines for 1996 available at MountainMedia Con

1997 Convention

The third Mountain Media Con was held in 1997.

It was held at Sheraton Denver West in Lakewood, CO.

The con committee: JoAnn McCoy, Kathy Snow, Carol Hyland, Marilyn Frank, Debi Barbich, and Cathy Schlein.

Cost was #35. A dealer's table (which included one membership) was $50. Supporting membership was $10.

From a flyer:

Come through the doorway into fandom... Join us for our third fanzine convention in Colorado. We have panels (both fan and informational), videos, a hospitality suite, an art show, and lots of zines! It will be a fun, friendly con with special events such as Writing Contests, Hunk Panel, and an evening party! Come meet new people and have fun!

Come join the fun! Here's some of the fun that will go on at the convention!

For your conveiuence you may pick up your registration packets in the Hospitality Suite.

Early arrivals may pick up their packets Thursday night. The suite will open Friday morning at 8 A.M. for registration and will remain open during Hospitality Suite hours.

The Hospitality Suite has drinks and munchies-of all varieties. The room has an outdoor area for fresh air aficionados. We have a reading library and a VCR for viewing that favorite video. It's a great place to come for relaxing and socializing.

The Art Show will be be open Friday and Saturday with the Art Auction Saturday night. A plenitude of nice art to buy and appreciate! The Video Room will have a variety of offerings. We hope to have something for everyone, including series episodes, films, anime, interviews, and bloopers. Videos will be shown in a theater-styled room, which has comfortable tiered seating.

There will be a Dealer's Room with lots of zines and other things for sale, plus a big Orphan Zine Table. There wil be a number of premiering zines, a list wil be on the final pre-con update. If you have orphan zines to sell, please contact us at the convention address. Dealer's tables are $50.00 (which includes a a membership). We're looking for a variety of dealers.

We will have a Panel Room with a variety of scheduled topics. Come discuss the newest fan- doms—and the ones you never quite leave behind! Debate the current hot topics in fandom-con- cerns and changes. Leam new things—writers workshops for beginners to seasoned writers, and other topics.

We'll have contests, hm stuff, and lots and lots of zines, but best off all, we offer a fun, relaxed con with many opportunities for meeting new fans and old friends. If you are new to the world of

zines, or an old fan, come and join us. We'd love to have you!

FYI: *Zines/fanzines: Non-professional publications put out by fans which contain fiction (poetry, stories, vignettes, etc) based on movies or TV shows such as Star Trek, Highlander, Professionals, Star Wars, MacGyver, Simon and Simon , Westerns, etc. Fanzines have their roots in Star Trek fandom, but have travelled through many time periods since then!

1997: Con Reports and Comments

The "Sentinel" Side of the Force -- Mountain Media Con 3 (1997) a report by Jane Mailander:

Or it was the "Methos" side of the Force controlling things at the Denver con this year. The two biggest groups at the 1997 gathering of media-zine fans, slash and gen, were the fans of "The Sentinel," the up-and-coming fandom, and the Methosians who follow the "Highlander" episodes where Peter Wingfield goes head-banging with Duncan, judging from the buttons and T-shirts floating around.

Karen Eatons sign for Mountain Media Con's art show

This con was my way of testing the... Airport shuttle system from my apartment..... Aside from my taxi not showing up on Thursday morning forcing me to walk the mile to the BART station at 5 a.m., it went off without a hitch...The flight to Denver was frighteningly smooth and uneventful -- no delays, no problems on takeoff or landing, no choppy air (Yeah, I know, I can't believe it either). As the Sheraton Denver West in Lakewood is a good piece from both Denver proper and the airport, this requires paying a pretty stiff fee for shuttle service (I saved $2 by buying a round-trip ticket at the outset) to the con hotel.

At the hotel I ran into Shoshanna, stashed my bags and had lunch at the Red Lobster. When I was finally allowed to check into my room, I decided to try out the hotel's pool, only to be met by water so hot and nasty there was no point in going in. (What, exactly, IS the logic behind blood-hot pools on blistering hot days when you want to cool off with a dip?) I went back to my room for a nap and slept so soundly for 2 hours that I dreamed a full dream. When I was snapped awake by the phone (someone wanting to talk to my roommate Cathy Siebert, who wasn't there yet), I staggered down to the consuite to register and get my MMC packet. I put up my cartoons in the art show (got a sneak preview, including a *lovely* Ann Walton piece of Blair Sandburg (The Sentinel) sprawled on a blue coverlet and wearing only his glasses.

Talked to people in the Con Suite while examining my package, and we all enjoyed the wild lightning storm that raged over Denver that provided splendid entertainment for the early-birds. (Marvelous view of downtown Denver from the hotel, especially from the big glass windows of the con-suite. Cathy finally showed (she'd driven from Long Beach since 2:30 that *morning*) and I tucked her into her bed.

Another friend, Kathy R., showed closer to midnight, having spent a day doing touristy stuff around Denver with other Sentinel fans. She was still wired and we chatted nonstop. Kathy brought shopping lists and packets of money from at least 7 other people, as well as a homemade "Sentinel" T-shirt (the logo in a green aura). Finally she hit the sack, and I turned in early myself (early for fans, about 11:30).

Friday morning I was up at 6 a.m. (5 a.m. my time -- damn internal clock...). Cathy was up soon, and we hiked about a quarter to a half-mile across freeway overpasses and against lights to find an IHOP on the other side of the main road to the hotel. I stoked up on chorizo and eggs, and ate Cathy's toast (she was on a no-wheat diet) as well as my pancakes.

And at 10 a.m. the Feeding Frenzy began -- all three Dealers Rooms opened. Many fans hadn't been to Mediawest this year (including myself), and for a full hour the only sound louder than excited fan chatter was travelers' checks rubbing together. I took away some new Sentinel zines (sigh, yeah. Got a damn new fandom I'm fighting tooth and nail), and some DS, and picked up some stills from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys for my sister and her boys (staunch Herc fans all). The Sentinel was definitely the darling of the zine debutantes -- all the new TS zines sold out by noon Saturday.

Karen Eaton's drawing used as a sign for Mountain Media Con's panels. In it Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock misread the Quantum Leap panel description for a lecture on quantum physics.

Between panels and video treats and the like (details below), I whiled away the day, had dinner with a big group of TS fans, and headed back to the consuite for the South of the Border party, featuring Mexican- style hot appetizers, plenty of cold drinks, and more talk. I wandered off to watch *Jeffrey* and after, go to bed.

Saturday Cathy and I headed in the opposite direction from the IHOP. We passed a grounded flock of Canada geese waddling around, and discovered a delightful breakfast place called Le Peep, where we had big omelets (and where, on Monday, I scarfed some fine blueberry French toast).

More vids, more panels, more wandering around the dealers' rooms (once the confusion about what price to set on Sheila Paulson's TS novel "Families" was cleared up, they disappeared from the table). Robin Hood had her lovely whippet Amy bundled up in her shirt like a faked pregnancy. Once, when the dog growled from inside her shirt, Robin said loudly, "Boy, am I hungry!" Got some good laughs.

The panels were well-attended (at least the ones I attended -- even the Going Pro had a goodly number of people, each with her own story about getting paid for writing and how to go about it). The panel room, with the big conference table around which everyone sat rather than the traditional podium and audience approach, made for intimate and comfortable chat, with very little to designate the difference between panellists and audience.

I didn't attend the Methos panel, but all the Sentinel panels were packed -- even the slash panel had gen lurkers who couldn't get enough of the latest new fandom. Apparently the producers finally figured out that they have a lot of women watching their blow-em-up action-show for the interaction between the two men -- we joked about using positive reinforcement ("Every time Jim hugs Blair, we'll all buy a Ford.").

The Video Room was a treat as always -- a genuine theatre, with big soft chairs that *rocked* -- and this year it was a tad warmer than the arctic blast that had greeted us last year. Video treats such as episodes and movies were interspersed with music vids based on said video treats, slash and gen alike. Throughout the weekend, you had to figure out the "Six Degrees of Separation" between one video treat and another, or what they had in common. (For example, two video treats -- an episode of "I, Claudius" and the movie *Jeffrey* -- both featured Patrick Stewart in a supporting role.) Two small clumps of time were reserved purely for music videos -- some old favorites and a few new Sentinel ones that were hilarious. Oddly enough, my favorite new one was "Tainted Love" about Mulder & Krycek that finally made me understand WHY people write Mulder/Ratboy slash.

Art show was small but good, neatly displayed -- and with all the explicit stuff behind a half-wall so the gen fans wouldn't have to hunt through naked bodies to look at their faves. I sold ONE cartoon of the ten I brought, but I did sell it for the Quick-Sale Price of $20. Not enough to make me excited about bringing my cartoons again...

Again the concom provided boxes of magnet poetry-words and metallic slates to get the creative juices flowing, as well as a story contest (using clip-art pieces as story inspirations). I created 3 magnet- poems, but skipped out on the readings of said poems (as well as the stories from the contest) in lieu of a greater treat at such gatherings -- yakking till the small hours of the morning with a fan buddy or two. Just judging from the people busy at the table all weekend putting words together, magnet-poetry was more popular this year than last. I'll have to wait for the Post-Con report to read the entries.

The Con-Suite was a joy as always, part food stop (lots of great sandwich fixings, veggies, croissants and munchies for folks who didn't want to waste valuable zine-money on EATING this weekend), part rendezvous place, part secondary video room --somehow people kept a balance between socializing and being quiet enough for people intent on the screen. And the famous MMC buttons were out on a freebie table for the taking (2 a customer, please) with plenty of new ones -- "There's a Methos to my madness!" "My new fandom has a Jim!" "Diefenbaker, I have a feeling we're not in Canada any more" and the like. My favorite generic button: "I'll take the one with the curly hair."

Nicest surprise from my end: a fan who kept giving me little canisters of tiny M&M's all weekend. I popped those li'l critters like uppers.

The Hunk of the Year contest was fought hard and heavy to wrest the crown from last year's winner (Sean Connery, who took it from the previous year's David Duchovny). The winner? In a year of great new fandoms, one of the originals -- Bodie -- took the prize, with Blair Sandburg to place and Methos to show. After the Hunk contest came the Art Auction (I actually spent this time watching the "North" episode of DS and the "Gillian" ep of *Starsky & Hutch* in the Con Suite with a few others.) I reunited with Kathy in the theatre where the auction was wrapping up -- the highest bid going to a gorgeous Lovett, "Blue Harmony," which went home with someone for $325. I gotta figure out how to draw naked men... Kathy and I talked till about 1 a.m.; I went back to my room for a hot bath and a zine before turning in myself.

Again, the high point of the panels was the Buddy vs. Slash -- a NATO conference between gen fans and slash fans to discuss the degrees of friendship and love, the myriad and puzzling ways of human sexuality, and the interpretation of character. Again, no chairs were flung, no nasty words were exchanged; just intelligent people discussing their fandoms and unburdening themselves (gen fans who hate getting automatically labeled as homophobes, slash fans who get tired of defending their preferences). Many gen fans were genuinely surprised to learn about the many degrees of difference WITHIN slash fandom and between slash fans. I explained that it was kind of like being a Baptist -- so many factions within a single faction. A surprisingly full panel, considering it was held during check-out hour of the hotel on Sunday. And a great success, as was last year's. Definitely worth making an annual event. (It helps that the concom is evenly divided between gen fans and slash fans who are buddies with each other.)

The rest of Sunday was the usual sad winding-down as dealers packed up, people checked out of rooms, and fans left one by one. In the Con- suite, episodes of *Mr and Mrs Smith* never aired in the U.S. were shown complete with Norwegian subtitles. (They gave us Ingmar Bergman and we gave them THIS?) The Pros episodes "Backtrack" and "Mixed Doubles" aired -- I'm trying to hook Kathy R. on Pros, to pay her back for hooking me on Sentinel! I went to dinner for the last time with a group of fans, watched Kathy drive off with her friends, and wandered back to the Con Suite that was technically no longer ours. But there were two squatters watching eps of "Alias Smith and Jones" and I joined them cheerfully -- the vid even included footage taken at the Las Vegas restaurant of the same name (before an arsonist hit it). I turned in, reading zines in my empty room before sleeping.

I had my last breakfast at Le Peep, checked out of the room, and took the shuttle back to DIA for my 11:47 flight. I was stunned -- another eventless flight, smooth as silk, that took off on time! Shuttled and BARTed my way back...., and walked the mile back to my apartment, still towing my single suitcase. It was all over but the zine-reading." [3]

1998 Convention

1998 Flyer, back
1998 Flyer

Art Show. "Our fourth Art Show was by far the best. We increased our participation by 50% over 1997. This year we had over 300 pieces by 18 artists, ten of whom were new to our show. Suzan Lovett, Warren Oddsson, Betsy Mott, Jane Mailander, Oneta and other returning artists were joined this year by Jean Kluge, James Wappel, Mike Cole, Leah Rosenthal, KOZ, TACS and others."[1]

A flyer:

MountainMedia Con 4: July 24, 25, and 26th, 1998: Sheraton Denver West, Lakewood, CO

MountainMedia Con, PO Box 740553, Arvada, Colorado 80006-0553 E-mail address: [email protected]

We're doing it again! Come join us for the fourth MountainMedia Con! We'll have panels, art show, videos, fun, and of course, lots of zines! Come join the fun! The con is adult-oriented (no kids, please), with zines and activities for a variety of fannish interests.

The Sheraton Hotel ranks among the Denver Area's finest with tastefully furnished rooms, fine convention facilities, and quality service. Happy Hour features free appetizers. It is located at the foot of the Rocky Mountains and is one of the most beautiful venues in fandom. On one side you have the mountains and on the other a view of Denver from above the city that is spectacular at night.

Room Rates: 1-4 Persons: Friday and Saturday--$76; Thursday and Sunday--$92

Membership--$35 until July 20, 1998 Dealer's Table (includes one membership) $50 Supporting Membership (includes Program Book and Flyer Service) $10

ORPHAN ZINES: [email protected]: MountainMedia Con runs a full service Orphan zine table. We give zine editors quick service and take only a 10% service charge. If you have orphan zines to sell please contact us at the convention address or the above e-mail address.

Dealer's Rooms, Art Show, Video Room (tiered seats in room set up as a theater),

The CON SUITE has drinks and munchies of all varieties. The room has an outdoor area for fresh air aficionados. We have a reading library (a separate room this year) and a VCR for viewing that favorite video. It's a great place to come for relaxing and socializing.

We'll have contests, fun stuff, and lots and lots of zines, but best of all - we offer a fun, relaxed con with many opportunities for meeting new fans and old friends in surroundings that are unparalleled for their beauty and comfort. There are numerous restaurants within a couple of blocks to fit all price ranges, from fast food to delis to fine restaurants. And all are within easy walking distance.

ACTIVITIES IN AND AROUND DENVER: Colorado is one of the world's great vacation destinations. Plan to come early or stay after the Con. One-day trips based from Denver include: Rocky Mountain National Park; Estes Park and the historic Stanley Hotel; world-famous resorts such as Vail and Aspen; and numerous mining towns, complete with gambling casinos. An hour to the South is Colorado Springs. Here you will find the Air Force Academy; U.S. Olympic Training Center and World Figure-Skating Hall of Fame; Garden of the Gods; and Pikes Peak (ride the tram up 14,110 feet.) Farther destinations might include Royal Gorge and the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings. Or perhaps your choice would be one of the numerous dude ranches throughout the area to enjoy horseback riding, hiking and nature studies. Overlaying all, though, are the magnificent Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Join us this Summer in Colorado. The Concommittee -- Cathy Schlein, Marilyn Frank, Kathy Snow, Carol Hyland, Debi Barbich, and Jo Ann McCoy. [4]

1998: Con Reports and Comments

SEN-CON 2: A REPORT ON THE 1998 MOUNTAIN MEDIA CON by Jane Mailander [5]: If this year's Escapade was a thinly-wiled Methos Con (Methos of course being the 2000-year-old-man-times-25 from Highlander) this year's Mountain Media Con was given over to The Sentinel. Other fandoms were strongly represented - Pros and MUNCLE as always, Due South, Highlander and X-Files certainly, the sundry Treks, and some cool new ones like the Canadian series Once a Thief (due to the presence of Nicholas 'Ratboy' Lea) and Stargate-SG l (with Richard Dean "MacGyver' Anderson and some cute guy with glasses). But the test is the zines and the art - and here, Senseman and Phoneboy ruled the weekend. (Speaking as a cartoonist, I sold out of all but one of my Sen-themed 'toons, one of which made it to auction, and didn't even budge any of my DS 'toons.) But I'm ahead of myself here.

I flew into Denver early Thursday morning - to my shock, the plane took off on time and actually arrived a little early. [K S] picked me up at the airport, escorted by her two-year-old son [K]. We spent a morning and early afternoon watching vids, listening to music, watching Pros, watching homoerotic film clips, talking up a storm - SOP for fannish get-togethers. Eventually she drove me over to the hotel... I settled into my room and then went out for a late-lunch early-dinner bite. I wound up at Pitchers, a local sports bar, I found a quiet, smoke-free comer and scarfed a huge delicious burger and a fishbowl mug of Anchors beer - definitely Purina Guy Chow. I reeled back to the hotel under a drizzle and made it back to my room where I promptly fell into the bed for a three-hour nap. I awoke with half an hour to get my art into Setup; I admired others' art (see Art, below) and generally wandered around, dazed after waking up. The rest of the evening was a writeoff until I got back to bed.

ART: Piles and piles of art, hundreds of pieces, at least a hundred more than last year; when I brought my work in on Thursday night I was afraid I wouldn't get room for my work! Lots of gorgeous erotic Sentinel work by Suzi Lovett, safely stowed in the 'slash' niche where strictly-gen fans wouldn't accidentally wander into them. One piece, 'Aloft,' could almost be an illo for one of Legion's sizzling "Black Fire* series; another, Dream Guardian', of the two men sleeping, pushes all my 'awww' buttons. KOZ had some good work here, including a gorgeous one of Blair decked out like a belly-dancer.

On the gen side of the Force, Leah Rosenthal's Methos cartoons were hilarious, especially the one entitled 'Comes a Whuppin", where Kronos offers Methos a 'nice, quiet' slave who turns out to be Gabrielle - neither Horseman sees the furious Xena coming up on them. James Wappel's portraits were stunning; his Babylon 5 work was amusing and powerful by turns, and his spacescapes impressive. (I especially loved the Borg-like rendition of the frames around his Trek work, including a nice Seven of Nine pic) Warren Oddsson's work as always was amazing, Sherlock's portraiture has definitely improved, and my own 'spirit guides' Sentinel 'toon (a furious panther treed by an annoying, longhaired wolf) got a lot of laughs. One artist did lots of prints of paintings she does on feathers - amazing. Lots of good head-shots of Hunks and Their Sidekicks/ Partners (Xena is so a Hunk!) \ DEALERS: Naturally no one was thinking of panels or vids when the Dealers' Rooms opened Friday morning. (Smart concom didn't even pretend to schedule a panel for the opening hour). People went in rustling their travelers' checks together and staggered out under armloads of zines of all types. Again, Sentinel zines, slash and gen, mopped the floor with the other fandoms. Professionals did respectably, hardy British perennial that it is, with the praiseworthy Keynote Press leaping into the aching void left this year by the folding of both Oblique and Manacles Presses. (Now there's a death story I can't take any pleasure in). Other goods offered for sale were artists' prints, videotapes, decorated pillows, orphan zines and jewelry boxes. I blew three-quarters of my take-along dough in three hours.

PANELS: As usual, the main panel room's large oval board-meeting table gave an air of elegance to the usual trivial 'n' tawdry talk at a media con. Topics included specific shows from both gen and slash points of view; specific fanfic genres (hurt/comfort, slash, death stories); editing; legal and ethical debates; the annual Medical Reality panel (how to realistically hurt your characters); and writing. Unfortunately, due to the scheduling of my flight, I was forced to miss the Slash & Gen meeting of the minds that has also become a Mountain MediaCon tradition (no Jerry Springer chair-throwing here, just civilized talking and listening from both camps); someone else will have to report on that discussion. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer panel discussed the show's plethora of possible taboo relationships; the Due South panel discussed the wildly divergent tones of the past seasons and their possible explanations; both Hurt/Comfort and Death panels discussed why we like to hurt (or kill) the fictional ones we love.

VIDEOS: The Video Room for MMC is a genuine theatre, with comfortable seats that can be adjusted like movie seats. This year the room was actually near human temperature (for a few years you'd swear the room doubled as the hotel's walk-in fridge). Angst-riddled episodes (BTVS Passion,' 'Sentinel Too/ Highlanders 'Methuselah's Gift') vied with songvids, interesting bits and pieces, and even a couple of South Park eps (including the award-nominated 'Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride').

CON SUITE: The Con Suite offered its usual goodies - croissants, fruit and juices for breakfast, sandwich fixin's for lunch, and snack foods and sodas for in-between- The Friday Night party offered hot hors d'oeuvres as welL The cold drinks were kept in a small portable fridge rather than in the bathtub-full-of-ice; a civilized touch. This is an excellent service to offer people who'd rather spend every sou they brought on zines and who would live on crackers without the free chow. As usual the Con Suite offered a perfect view of the traditional summer lightning storm over Denver, and Caro's new collection of free buttons and magnets, featuring slogans such as 'Spike - Move to Dawson's Creek'. Friday night's party in the consuite held the theme "Flights of Fantasy' and was as always a great mixer for people unwinding from their flights of honor (well, if they took Northwest).

FOOD: In addition to the Con Suite's spread and the hotel's quick-n-cheap breakfast buffet, the local eateries were kept busy during the weekend - the nearby IHOP and Le Peep breakfast cafe, the Mexican restaurant and the Black Angus directly across the street Despite an El Nino-sized downpour Saturday night, I managed to swim across the street with [L F] to dine at the Angus - and if you think eating out in the pouring rain is a challenge at a con, try eating out at a steak house with a vegetarian. It can be done, and we both had a good time even if [L] got soaked to the skin...

HUNKS: The annual Battle of the Hunks went unwitnessed by this reporter (I have yet to witness the glorious spectacle) but last year's winner, The Professionals' Bodie, passed on the crown to this year's winner, The Sentinel's Jim Ellison.

MAGNETS: This year MMC featured a separate Zine Reading Room loaded with plenty of fanfic, as well as the boards for the infamous Magnet Poetry Contest The poetry was read aloud Saturday night, in between entries for the Fiction Contest (story had to be set in the woods or in standing stones); the two funniest stories were BTVS offerings by [C H] . (That visual picture of Giles' red silk boxers ..)! tried to get enough people together to do some filking, but few were interested in starting something at eleven p.m. I eventually wound up watching a few MUNCLE vids and then going to bed.

ART AUCTION: The Saturday night Art Auction is not a gathering place to buy pretty pictures; it is a competitive blood-sport at which only the strong of heart and thick of wallet survive. Lovett's Sentinel pieces vanished only after hundreds of dollars had changed hands (one piece was purchased in a stunned silence after one bidder doubled the $200 bid). I sat back and cackled to see one of my Sentinel cartoons go for $40 -1 wound up netting $72 for my art pieces. Painted feathers, naked men, silly cartoons all went home with new owners.

As Sunday limped toward its melancholy conclusion, more and more people gathered in the one place left whole and functioning, and stared at whatever was playing in the Con Suite. I was able to catch half of the Quantum Leap tearjerker episode 'Shock Theater" (I didn't know Bruce A. Young played Butch!) before I headed off with [D] and Shoshanna to the airport. [D] didn't just drop us off, either - she parked and followed us in, which kept the con from ending that much earlier. My return flight was only twenty minutes delayed, and I finally made my goodbyes, clutching my in-flight magazine. [6]

1999 Convention

Video Show. The following vidders submitted vids to the show: Cody Nelson, Morgan Dawn, Stacy Doyle, Media Cannibals, Randym, Chicago Loop, Space Monkey JJunkies, Pony Girl Productions, and Cultural Revolutionaries.

  • flyer for the sixth con, 1999

  • page one of another flyer for 1999

  • page two of another flyer for 1999

1996: Proposed Panels

Panels The list of panels can be found here.

  • History of Pros Fandom
  • Smarm
  • The Elvish Connection (Elves Across Fandom)
  • Historical accuracy
  • Real World Fannish Books #3
  • Fan Ethics
  • Medical Reality
  • Forensic Medical Reality
  • Editing & Critiquing (How-to on each)
  • Writing Gen
  • Writing Slash
  • Going professional
  • Significant Others and Slash Fandom: How on earth do you explain it?
  • Canon and fanon (is fanon valid?)
  • Romantic Myth and Fanfic
  • Writing original character (OC) slash (i.e., mainstream gay writing vs OC slash)
  • Sentinel Gen, Sentinel Slash
  • Phantom Menace Slash
  • Buffy--All encompassing
  • Forever Angel
  • Stargate Gen, Stargate Slash
  • New Emerging Fandoms
  • X-Files Gen, X-Files Slash
  • Meet MMC
  • Legal Reality (Law and Fanfic)
  • The DIY (Do It Yourself) Panels
  • Vidding
  • Filking
  • Email Lists--being on them; listmomming them
  • Anime
  • When fandom meets reality: protocol for dealing with stars
  • Homicide
  • Emergency Gen
  • History of Fandom
  • Printfic & Netfic


2000 Convention

July 21-23, 2000. Lakewood, CO

In addition to the fan-led panels (a list which can be found here, there were several group activities:

  • Cancelled Series Wake (Friday night). "A casual gathering of fans to chat and get to know each while we eat and commiserate the passing of our favorite TV shows."
  • MMC "Flea Market" (Saturday evening). "We are providing two hours on Saturday evening for a "flea market," with the intention of encouraging those who bring items to sell but who do not wish to purchase a table nor to sit a table for any length of time to hawk their wares at no expense to themselves"
  • "Saturday Evening Events" . Following the flea market, Hunk Mania will be held from 8pm to 9pm in the Theatre followed at 9pm by the Art Auction.
  • "Bus Tour" (Sunday afternoon) tour of the City of Denver.
  • "Art Show"

The 2000 online flyer:

"MountainMedia Con 6

July 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, 2000 Denver, Colorado

And the fun goes on!

We're doing it again! Come join us for the sixth MountainMedia Con! We'll have panels, art show and auction, videos, a flea market, a fan-guided tour at the end of the con, and of course, lots of zines! And, of course, the Battle of the Hunks. Who will topple Ray Doyle from his throne?

The Sheraton West Hotel in suburban Lakewood ranks among the Denver area's finest with tastefully furnished rooms, fine convention facilities, and quality service. It is located at the foot of the Rocky Mountains and is one of the most beautiful venues in fandom. Call (303) [redacted] for reservations. Be sure to tell them you are with MountainMedia Con to guarantee the con rates.

Membership--$35 until July 20, 2000
Dealer's Table (includes one membership)--$50
Supporting Membership (includes Program Book & Flyer Service)--$10
Supporting Membership (includes Program Book, Flyer Service, and Tote with Suzi Lovett Artwork)--$15
Make checks payable to MountainMedia Con

ACTIVITIES IN AND AROUND DENVER: Colorado is one of the world's great vacation destinations. Plan to come early or stay after the con. We have arranged a fan-guided tour of the mountains for Sunday afternoon. (If you're interested, please sign up as soon as possible. Cost is $17.50, payable to MountainMedia Con. We must have all monies for this special feature 10 days before the con begins to ensure our guide and coach.) One-day trips based from Denver include: Rocky Mountain National Park; Estes Park and the historic Stanley Hotel; world-famous resorts such as Vail and Aspen; and numerous mining towns, complete with gambling casinos. An hour to the south is Colorado Springs. Here you will find the Air Force Academy; U.S. Olympic Training Center and World Figure-Skating Hall of Fame; Garden of the Gods; and Pikes Peak (ride the tram up 14,110 feet). Farther destinations might include Royal Gorge and the Mesa Verda Cliff Dwellings. Or perhaps your choice would be one of the numerous dude ranches throughout the area to enjoy horseback riding, hiking and nature studies. Looming over all, though, are the magnificent Colorado Rocky Mountains. Note: New Address and contact information:

MountainMedia Con
[address redacted]
General Con Information
We're on the web: http://members.aol.com/ranebird/mmc/

We have an Art Show with an Art Auction Saturday night and Video Room with a variety of offerings, including series episodes, films, music vids, interviews, and bloopers. Dealers' Rooms will have zines and other things for sale, plus a big Orphan Zine Table. There will be a number of premiering and new-for-2000 zines. Our Panel Room is arranged conference-style around a big table to facilitate interaction. Come discuss the newest fandoms and the ones you never quite left behind! Debate the current hot topics in fandom concerns and changes. Learn new things: writers workshops for beginners to seasoned veterans, and other topics. We also have a Do It Yourself Panel Room for extra panels and member-initiated discussions. The Con Suite is open to all convention participants with a video set up to watch special episodes (bring your own or choose from ours), and *lots* of *free* munchies and drinks. The Reading Library is across the hall in a quiet room, with a growing collection of vintage (and newer) zines to read.

Along with everything else we offer, best of all, we provide a fun, relaxed con with many opportunities for meeting new fans and old friends. If you are new to the world of zines, or a long-time fan, come and join us. We'd love to have you! The con has panels and zines reflecting the wide scope of fannish interests.

Due to the adult nature of some of these interests, this convention is not appropriate for fans under the age of eighteen.

No pets will be allowed in the con area because of our contractual agreement with the hotel."

References

  1. ^ This collection was bought by Dr. Beth sometime in the mid-2000s and sold on eBay.
  2. ^ from Rallying Call #16
  3. ^ Jane Mailander, review to the Virgule mailing list. It is reposted on Fanlore with permission
  4. ^ posted to Lysator, April 1998
  5. ^ quoted with permissio
  6. ^ from DIAL #7
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