(no subject)

[sraun]

iraunink and I are dropping Convergence, and thinking about going to one or two out-of-town (to us, Minneapolis, MN) cons.

We have already committed to Minicon and Convivial (local relaxacon, Oct 19-21, 2007).

We've already decided we're willing to drive as far as Chicago. We're not certain about Detroit, so somewhere in the 7-12 hours (call it 600 miles driving?) looks to be our limit.

Anyone care to suggest alternatives? No, flying is not an option - if it was, Boskone would be on the list! Alternatively, any politicking for or against any of these?

2007 SF Conventions

Dates	Convention	Location	Notes
Already Bought Memberships
Apr 6-8	Minicon	Twin Cities, MN	Minn-StF's big convention
Oct 19-21	Convivial	Twin Cities, MN	Minn-StF's relaxacon
Potential Others
Jan 19-21	ConFusion	Troy, MI – Detroit Suburb
Feb 8-11	Capricon	Chicago, IL	GoH LMB, Erin McKee [prereg deadline 12/31/06]
Mar ?	Congenial	Racine, WI	Largish relaxacon
Apr 13-15	Odyssey Con	Madison, WI
Apr 20-22	Penguicon	Troy, MI – Detroit Suburb	GoH's Bruce Schneier, John Kovalic, Elizabeth Bear, Charlie Stross
May 4-6	Bacon	Brooklyn Center, MN	kalmn is helping run
May 18-20	Demicon	Des Moines, IA
May 25-28	WisCon	Madison, WI
Jun ?	Duckon	Naperville, IL – Chicago Suburb
Aug ?	Diversicon	Twin Cities, MN
(Oct ?)	Icon	Cedar Rapids, IA	2007 canceled – may be resurrected
Oct ?	ValleyCon	Fargo, ND
Nov ?	WindyCon	Chicago, IL

Comments

[ckd]

I'm being tempted by Penguicon, though doing that and Minicon so close together might be tough.

[mizzlaurajean.livejournal.com]

I had a great time at Confusion and taking the train was a hoot. I've also really enjoyed Capricon and Wiscon. we are already planning on going to Wiscon.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Why is the 2007 Icon not happening?

K.

[sraun]

Short form - it's been loosing money for the last several years, and they've been running out of volunteers.

Per http://www.mindbridge.org/icon/

ICON will not be held in 2007, for more details on why this is not happening, please read this post. However, Dennis Lynch is putting out a call to save ICON; if you’ve enjoyed attending ICON over the years and would like to see the convention continue, then you should read what he has to say.

[adina-atl.livejournal.com]

Penguicon was a great deal of fun last year, though for me it was more about seeing people I hadn't seen in ages than the panels. ConFusion was a great con fifteen years ago or so (and presumably still is), but I haven't been since. I'm thinking of going this year, though.

[sraun]

Ooh, you've been to ConFusion more recently than I have! My last ConFusion in either 1981 or 1982. I had fun then - then again, I was a college student going with The Permanent Floating Riot Club from MTU.

[adina-atl.livejournal.com]

Mine was 1991 or 1992, so I have a decade more recent experience.

[brashley46.livejournal.com]

Too bad you have that driving limit, I'd suggest Ad Astra (http://www.ad-astra.org/). But even if you came through the UP and the Sault, or crossed Lake Michigan on the Maniwotoc - Ludington ferry and crossed Michigan to Port Huron, it's about double the distance.

[sraun]

That's the Canadian con that Steve Miller and Sharon Lee make frequently, isn't it? That's another one on the list for 'when we can fly'.

[brashley46.livejournal.com]

I don't recall Miller and Lee here, but CJ Cherryh was GoH a couple years ago, and the Southern Ontario SF writers are regulars, in particular Julie Czerneda, Robert Sawyer, Tanya Huff, Michelle Sagara West ...

My first two pics

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

Would be Wiscon and Capricon. Then probably Confusion, WindyCon or Duckon.

[magentamn.livejournal.com]

I would recommend Wiscon, the only out of town con I go to regularly. The best run con I know of, emphasis on written word SF/F, lots of authors attend. Irene might want to participate in the writer's workshop. The parties are all on one floor, which I like much better than chasing all over for them. Also, the hotel is great. The location is at one end of State Street, so there are many excellent restaurants for meals, and many interesting shops for side trips, though not as many bookstores as there used to be.

5 hours drive if you go the speed limit.

What is Bacon, listed for May?

[sraun]

The major point against Wiscon is timing - we'd prefer something farther from what we're already going to. I'm not certain how significant a point that actually is.

As I Understand It, Bacon is a relaxacon being put on Betsy (kalmn), et al, AKA the Contrary Fat Girls Cabal.

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

I haven't been in a few years, but Keycon up in Winnipeg has always been a lot of fun.

I'm sorry to hear about Icon -- we decided to do Convivial rather than Icon this year ourselves.

It's quite out of date, but I liked Capricon better than Windycon last time I was there.

It's so out of date as to nearly be irrelevant, but I had fun at Ad Astra for some years.

An option for planning some air travel later is to pick a couple of writers and look where they're being guests, and pick a con to try (after some research, so it's not a completely random poke). On that basis (well, and also because Lydy lived in Pittsburgh for a while) we went to Confluence and had a great time in 2000.

[orangemike.livejournal.com]

I've been to cons from the Netherlands to Los Angeles, and WisCon is the single most fun con of them all, for me, planetwide, bar none. Others off that list I've enjoyed include ConFusion and WindyCon.

[jennlk]

I'd pick CapriCon over WindyCon. Duckon is a tech-geeky con, very heavy on the GT brand of tech-geek. ConFusion is a nice fannish con -- good guests, members from all over. 'Fusion and Cap are my cons of choice, despite being scheduled so close together. When the HS football season and health allow I try to make it to WindyCon. Chicago is about as far as I like to go, largely because I'm driving solo (I have passengers, but they're of the non-driving variety).

[jrittenhouse.livejournal.com]

Congenial, if you're looking for fun and a easy con. Lots of folks up your way go to it, and I'm fond of it. Of course, I'm predjudiced - I started the durn thing.

Windy, Duck and Wiscon for the best programming.

Confusion is good, but at a rotten time of year.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

None of those conventions are in Mishalak territory. So I have no opinion.

And you better appreciate having a choice. If I drew such a circle for the same time frame I'd have a choice between three or four conventions. Six if I included trek conventions and anime conventions.

[sraun]

I try to be appreciative of such things - just like I try to be appreciative of Uncle Hugo's & Dreamhaven. Having been living here for 25 years, I sometimes have a hard time appreciating just how spoiled I am.

[laurel]

I've really enjoyed Congenial, but haven't been to it in a few years (in part because it moved farther away from here, in part because it's been opposite Marscon or very close to Minicon). I wouldn't call it "largeish" though (I think these days it's fewer than 50 people). Not nearly as many folks from MN go as used to. And they don't seem to have the great music parties they once did, or so my spies tell me. I'm told that it's likely that Steve Brust will make the next one though (haven't confirmed that with Steve). Perhaps there'll be more music again.

I haven't been to Capricon in a few years and haven't been to Wiscon in a lot of years so my info on them is out of date.

Rick Gellman is chairing the next Diversicon and it's going to be a combo of Diversicon and CONsume (but still in late summer).

You left Supercon off the list, which is in Rochester, MN the first weekend in Feb or something like that.

Kevin has been to every single DemiCon and likes it a lot; I've enjoyed it as well.

[davidwilford.livejournal.com]

I would recommend DemiCon also as being well worth the short trip to Des Moines from Minneapolis.