Shore Leave (US convention)/1991
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Shore Leave (US convention) |
| Dates: | July 12-14, 1991 |
| Frequency: | |
| Location: | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Type: | |
| Focus: | multi-fandom |
| Organization: | |
| Founder: | |
| Founding Date: | |
| URL: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Shore Leave is an annual fan-run convention that takes place in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
It was founded by the Star Trek Association of Towson which continues to run it. The first convention took place in 1979; the con was still running as of 2025.
The con's focus was initially on Star Trek, but it has since broadened to include other science fiction media.
1991: Shore Leave 13
July 12-14 at Marriot's Hunt Valley Inn.
Guests were George Takei, Ann Crispin, Howard Weinstein, Michael Dorn, Lisa White, Bob Greenberger, Brad Ferguson, Bob Pinaha, Carmen Carter, Dennis Bailey, Arne Starr, and Margaret Bonanno.
1991: Programming
- Temple of Trek
- unknown con play (see for more information on the con's skits in general)
- other unknown
1991: Gallery of Ephemera and Samples from the Program Book
flyer for 1991
flyer for 1991
1991: Con Reports
I have just returned from my first Shore Leave, and first major convention, and I have to say I don't know where to start. I had the maximum amount of fun allowed by law.
[...]
We got up about 8:30 and after registration and breakfast, we hit the dealer room. I think we all restrained ourselves reasonably well. Friday was kind of a slow day. There was not much scheduled that was really interesting until late in the day. We saw some blooper and satire videos. We sat in on the Filksinging for a while and that was mostly enjoyable. We heard rumors that our infamous captain was to be kidnapped and held for ransom by Klingons, but the Klingons didn't seem to be organized enough to carry it off. They did finally confront him and a peace conference of sorts took place.
Saturday offered a lot more activities of interest. The costume contest was very entertaining. The Temple of Trek was funny. Michael Dorn's talk was very entertaining. (He has a career in stand up comedy if he ever decides to quit acting.) I was very impressed with George Takei. He is a sweetheart of a man. (Can I take him home and keep him?) I very much enjoyed his talk. The only disappointment was that just before he finished, they announced that the autograph line was already closed, so those of us in the auditorium listening to the talk could not get autographs. Debbie had found a place in line, but Larry and I did not. However, they were having another autograph line on Sunday so we tried again and this time were successful. I got a chance to talk to him briefly after the costume contest, as well. Another highlight for me was the 10 Forward dance on Saturday night.
Of course, the Kitty Hawk contingent (at least some of us) upheld our reputation and closed Ten Forward at 3:00 a.m. and headed for the traditional breakfast at IHOP (that's Intergalactic House of Pancakes, of course). Sunday was spent mostly waiting in line, which was about all we could handle by this point. Sleep deprivation was taking it's toll... We were getting pretty punchy by this time. Finally, I would have to say the biggest thrill was when Larry and I were invited to George's room after his second talk to pick up the signed "Wright Stuff" covers. (Yes, we let Debbie come too, after an appropriate amount of begging.) George was gracious and friendly, spoke to us for several minutes about the importance of our educational activities, and shook our hands. This certainly ended the con on a high note for me. Since nothing could top that, we left immediately and headed back to the Triangle and reality. Overall, I felt the con was well run. We missed a few things due to scheduling conflicts, but that is inevitable, I suppose. To sum up.... Sign me up for next year! [1]