Shore Leave (US convention)/1997
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Shore Leave (US convention) |
| Dates: | July 11-13, 1997 |
| 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.
1997: Shore Leave 19
It was held July 11-13, 1997.
1997: Programming
- Showcase: Con Play: Opening sketch: “Riverborg,” Episode MST-ed: TNG: “Justice” by Mystery Trekkie Theater (see for more information on the con's skits in general)
- other unknown
1997: Gallery of Ephemera and Samples from the Program Book
badge, 1997
1997: Con Reports
My very first “real” convention was Shore Leave 13 in 1991, and it’s hard to believe it has been 6 years already. I hadn’t been back to Shore Leave in several years, so it was a little like going home. The people who organize this fan-run convention have been at this for a lot of years now and know what they are doing.
With one exception - they tried doing the autograph line by badge numbers, which is a good idea. However, they neglected to let people know what was going on so when it came time for autographs, it was mass confusion. A lot of trouble could have been avoided if they had just made a few announcements and/or put up some notices explaining to everyone how the autographs would be done. Other than that, everything seemed to go smoothly.
The guests were Mojo, Tony Todd, Jerry Doyle and Ethan Philips.
The dance was a vast improvement over the last few I have been to. The DJ was very good, and actually played music you could dance to, rather than the headbanger stuff that seemed to predominate over the past few years.
The costume contest, as usual, had many entries, some of them quite outstanding. The big winners were the green army men from Toy Story, whose costumes were extremely well-done.
I also very much enjoyed the Boogie Knights, who are a regular Shore Leave attraction. For those of you who have never been, the Boogie Knights are a group of filksingers who dress up in medieval garb and sing parodies of familiar songs (and some originals), such as “Xena” to the tune of “Venus”, or “Jousting” to the tune of The Kinks’ “Come Dancing”.
I have also come to appreciate the Hunt Valley Inn as an excellent place for conventions, not just for the facilities, but for the friendliness and cooperation of the hotel staff. Not all hotels know how to treat the fans.
I had a fun, relaxing weekend. For anyone who has not been to a big convention, I would recommend Shore Leave as an example of how a Star Trek convention should be run. [1]