ConstellWiki (Talk | contribs) |
ConstellWiki (Talk | contribs) (→List of Con†Stellations) |
||
| Line 31: | Line 31: | ||
|| Bolgeo and Dorris were billed as "Beauty and the Beast" after they mutually suggested the he was "Beauty" and she was "Beast." | || Bolgeo and Dorris were billed as "Beauty and the Beast" after they mutually suggested the he was "Beauty" and she was "Beast." | ||
|- | |- | ||
| − | | 4 || IV || Aquarius || 11-13 October 1985 || Sheraton (University Drive) || Howard Camp, G. Patrick Molloy || Wilson "Bob" Tucker (Special Guest) || Con†Stellation IV was run as a semi-relaxicon following the sponsorship by NASFA of DeepSouthCon 23 earlier in 1985. | + | | 4 || IV || Aquarius || 11-13 October 1985 || Sheraton (University Drive) || Howard Camp, G. Patrick Molloy || Wilson "Bob" Tucker (Special Guest) || Con†Stellation IV was run as a 3-day semi-relaxicon following the sponsorship by NASFA of DeepSouthCon 23 earlier in 1985. |
|- | |- | ||
| 5 || V || Andromeda || 24-26 October 1986 || Hilton (Downtown) || Rich Garber, Glenn Valentine || Orson Scott Card (GoH), Ron Lindahn (Artist GoH), Val Lakey Lindahn (Artist GoH), Rusty Hevelin (Fan GoH), Marta Randall (MC) || Notes TBD | | 5 || V || Andromeda || 24-26 October 1986 || Hilton (Downtown) || Rich Garber, Glenn Valentine || Orson Scott Card (GoH), Ron Lindahn (Artist GoH), Val Lakey Lindahn (Artist GoH), Rusty Hevelin (Fan GoH), Marta Randall (MC) || Notes TBD | ||
|- | |- | ||
| − | | 6 || VI || Lyra || 9-11 October 1987 || Holiday Inn (Madison Square Mall) || Sunn Hayward, Mike Stone || Julius Schwartz (GoH) || Con†Stellation VI was run as a semi-relaxicon following the sponsorship by NASFA of DeepSouthCon 25 earlier in 1987. | + | | 6 || VI || Lyra || 9-11 October 1987 || Holiday Inn (Madison Square Mall) || Sunn Hayward, Mike Stone || Julius Schwartz (GoH) || Con†Stellation VI was run as a 3-day semi-relaxicon following the sponsorship by NASFA of DeepSouthCon 25 earlier in 1987. |
|- | |- | ||
| 7 || VII || Centaurus || 21-23 October 1988 || Hilton (Downtown) || Mike Kennedy, G. Patrick Molloy || John Varley (GoH), Todd Cameron Hamilton (Artist GoH), Ricia Mainhardt (Fan GoH). Algis Budrys (MC) || Notes TBD | | 7 || VII || Centaurus || 21-23 October 1988 || Hilton (Downtown) || Mike Kennedy, G. Patrick Molloy || John Varley (GoH), Todd Cameron Hamilton (Artist GoH), Ricia Mainhardt (Fan GoH). Algis Budrys (MC) || Notes TBD | ||
Con†Stellation XXXV: Horologium (The Clock)
13–15 October 2017——Huntsville, Alabama
| GoH: Mary Robinette Kowal | Artist GoH: David O. Miller | MC: Toni Weisskopf |
The final Con†Stellation is over 🙁
We will be transforming this into a history site
Please bear with us as that transition will take some time
This page is a work in progress and is not yet completely ready for public consumption but since it will probably remain a work in progress for quite a while—what the heck, read on.
The science fiction/fantasy club NASFA (North Alabama Science Fiction Association) was founded in Huntsville AL circa 1980, partly as a result of local fans meeting at a one-time convention named MidSouthCon, held in Huntsville that year. (That convention is not directly related to the annual convention of the same name in Memphis TN.) NASFA members quickly came up with the idea of starting their own general-interest science fiction & fantasy convention(←What's That?). The first effort toward this was a small, one-day con named ZerCon (planned and executed mostly on the relaxicon(←What's That?) model), in November 1981. During the run-up to ZerCon, the club came up with the name "Con†Stellation" (or "Con*Stellation") for a planned ongoing series of longer (three-day) conventions. Both before and after ZerCon, various NASFAns also worked on other convention around the south to gain experience in how cons were run.
With a bunch of computer geeks in NASFA, the name ZerCon was a deliberate (if somewhat obscure) pun on "Zero Con" since it would be the "zeroth" convention sponsored by NASFA–so the first Con†Stellation could be numbered "one." ZerCon may hold the record for the coldest video room ever at a convention. The hotel allowed us to use a large-screen TV (then a rare thing) in an unused bar attached to the hotel. However, the one person who knew how to turn on the heat in the bar was out of the hotel that weekend so the temperature as folks huddled around the TV was little higher than that the below-freezing temps outside. At least we had fresh popcorn as the hotel also allowed us to use their commercial popper.
The first Con†Stellation was held 16–18 July 1982, under the full name Con†Stellation I: The Pleiades. The time of year varied a lot over the first few conventions before settling down to roughly the fall season. Each Con†Stellation has been subtitled with an astronomical constellation—usually one of the 88 official modern constellations. The con usually uses the constellation as a theme in its advertising and sometimes as a theme for events at the convention.
| Number | Roman | Constellation | Dates | Venue | Con Chair(s)(1) | Guests of Honor | Notes(2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | The Pleiades | 16-18 July 1982 | Sheraton (University Drive) | Mike Kennedy, Mark Paulk | Phyllis Eisenstein (GoH), Ken Moore (Fan GoH), Lou Moore (Fan GoH), Andrew J. Offutt (MC) | The Pleiades is an asterism in Taurus; to date this is the only "constellation" chosen that is not one of the 88 modern constellations. |
| 2 | II | Gemini | 25-27 March 1983 | Sheraton (University Drive) | Sunn Hayward, Mike Kennedy | Jack C. Haldeman II (GoH), Joe Haldeman (GoH), Kevin Ward (Artist GoH), Charlie Williams (Fan GoH), Frank Kelly Freas (MC) | The Haldeman brothers were chosen as the closest thing we could get to twins (Gemini). Freas was unable to attend. |
| 2.5 | II.V | Ursa Minor | 10-11 December 1983 | Sheraton (University Drive) | Mike Kennedy, Nelda Kennedy | None | 2-day "relaxicon" to break up the long span between Con†Stellations II and III as the convention shifted from spring (1983) to fall (1984). As the convention was already locked into using Roman numerals to number the cons, the nonsense numbering II.V (mixing Roman and Arabic (place) notation in a tongue-in-cheek fashion). |
| 3 | III | Ursa Major | 19-21 October 1984 | Sheraton (University Drive) | Nelda Kennedy, Mark Paulk | Gordon R. Dickson (GoH), Mark Maxwell (Artist GoH), "Uncle Timmy" Bolgeo (Fan GoH), Maurine Dorris (Fan GoH), Frank Kelly Freas (MC) | Bolgeo and Dorris were billed as "Beauty and the Beast" after they mutually suggested the he was "Beauty" and she was "Beast." |
| 4 | IV | Aquarius | 11-13 October 1985 | Sheraton (University Drive) | Howard Camp, G. Patrick Molloy | Wilson "Bob" Tucker (Special Guest) | Con†Stellation IV was run as a 3-day semi-relaxicon following the sponsorship by NASFA of DeepSouthCon 23 earlier in 1985. |
| 5 | V | Andromeda | 24-26 October 1986 | Hilton (Downtown) | Rich Garber, Glenn Valentine | Orson Scott Card (GoH), Ron Lindahn (Artist GoH), Val Lakey Lindahn (Artist GoH), Rusty Hevelin (Fan GoH), Marta Randall (MC) | Notes TBD |
| 6 | VI | Lyra | 9-11 October 1987 | Holiday Inn (Madison Square Mall) | Sunn Hayward, Mike Stone | Julius Schwartz (GoH) | Con†Stellation VI was run as a 3-day semi-relaxicon following the sponsorship by NASFA of DeepSouthCon 25 earlier in 1987. |
| 7 | VII | Centaurus | 21-23 October 1988 | Hilton (Downtown) | Mike Kennedy, G. Patrick Molloy | John Varley (GoH), Todd Cameron Hamilton (Artist GoH), Ricia Mainhardt (Fan GoH). Algis Budrys (MC) | Notes TBD |
| 8 | VIII | Cetus | 13-15 October 1989 | Sheraton (University Drive) | Nelda Kennedy, Karl Sackett | Gary K. Wolf (GoH), Debbie Hughes (Artist GoH). Mark Paulk (Fan GoH), George Alec Effinger (MC) | Notes TBD |
| 9 | IX | Sagittarius | 19-21 October 1990 | University Inn (formerly Sheraton (University Drive)) | Elaine Hinman, Mike Kennedy | Lois McMaster Bujold (GoH), Tom Kidd (Artist GoH), Susan Honeck (Fan GoH), C.J. Cherryh (MC) | Notes TBD |
| 10 | X | Draco | 8-10 November 1991 | Hilton (Downtown) | Nelda Kennedy, Sam Smith | Algis Budrys (GoH), Bob Giadrosich (Artist GoH), Buck Coulson (Fan GoH), Juanita Coulson (Fan GoH), Toni Weisskopf (MC) | Notes TBD |
| 11 | XI | Scorpio | 6-8 November 1992 | Hilton (Downtown) | Jay Johns, Mike Kennedy | Kristine Kathryn Rusch (GoH), Dean Wesley Smith (GoH), Stephen Hickman (Artist GoH), Mike Glicksohn (Fan GoH), Michael Flynn (MC) | Notes TBD |
| 12 | XII | Orion | 12-14 November 1993 | Hilton (Downtown) | Robin Ray, Sam Smith | Jim Baen (GoH), Julius Schwartz ("Super" GoH), David O. Miller (Artist GoH), Marcia McCoy (Fan GoH), James P. Hogan (MC) | Notes TBD |
| 13 | XIII | Musca | 4-6 November 1994 | Tom Bevill Center | Rhett Mitchell, Robin Ray | Spider Robinson (GoH), Alan M. Clark (Artist GoH), Sue Thorn (Fan GoH), Timothy Zahn (MC) | Notes TBD |
| 14 | XIV | Monoceros | 3-5 November 1995 | Tom Bevill Center | Randy Cleary, Sam Smith | Rick Shelley (GoH), Ruth Thompson (Artist GoH), Adrian Washburn (Fan GoH), Roland Castle (MC) | Notes TBD |
| 15 | XV | Aquila | 8-10 November 1996 | Tom Bevill Center | Mike Kennedy | Stanley Schmidt (GoH), Chloie Airoldi (Fan GoH), Rick Cook (MC) | Notes TBD |
| 16 | XVI | Eridanus | 17-19 October 1997 | Sheraton (Airport) | Marcia Illingworth, Sam Smith | Jack L. Chalker (GoH), Randy Cleary (Artist GoH), Sue Toker (Fan GoH), Les Johnson (MC) | Notes TBD |
| 17 | XVII | Hydra | 9-11 October 1998 | Sheraton (Airport) | Pat Brooks, Marie McCormack | Mike Resnick (GoH), Bob Eggleton (Artist GoH), David O. Miller (Fan GoH), Tim Powers (MC) | Notes TBD |
| 18 | XVIII | Lupus | 29-31 October 1999 | Sheraton (Airport) | Pat Brooks, Marie McCormack | Allen Steele (GoH), Charles Keegan (Artist GoH), Anita Feller (Fan GoH), Tom Feller (Fan GoH), David Weber (MC) | Notes TBD |
| 19 | XIX | Virgo | 13-15 October 2000 | Sheraton (Airport) | Mike Cothran, Anita Eisenberg | Debra Doyle (GoH), James D. Macdonald (GoH), Kenneth Waters (Artist GoH), Julie Wall (Fan GoH), Eric Flint (MC) | Notes TBD |
| 20 | XX | Camelopardalis | 19-21 October 2001 | Sheraton (Airport) | Marie McCormack | John Ringo (GoH), David Mattingly (Artist GoH), Steve Francis (Fan GoH), Sue Francis (Fan GoH), Jack McDevitt (MC) | Notes TBD |
| 21 | XXI | Pavo | 18-20 October 2002 | Holiday Inn Express (University Drive) | Marie McCormack | Eric Flint (GoH), Darrell K. Sweet (Artist GoH), Sandy McDade (Fan GoH). K.D. Wentworth (MC) | Notes TBD |
| 22 | XXII | Pegasus | 10-12 October 2003 | Holiday Inn Express (University Drive) | Mike Kennedy | Mercedes Lackey (GoH), Don Maitz (Artist GoH). Guy H. Lillian III (Fan GoH), Rosy Lillian (Fan GoH), Larry Dixon (MC) | Notes TBD |
| 23 | XXIII | Delphinus | 15-17 October 2004 | Holiday Inn Express (University Drive) | Mike Kennedy | Lawrence Watt-Evans (GoH), Kinuko Y. Craft (Artist GoH), Grant Kruger (Fan GoH) | Notes TBD |
| 24 | XIV | Lepus | 7-9 October 2005 | Holiday Inn Express (University Drive) | Anita Eisenberg, Marie McCormack | James P. Hogan (GoH), Guy Gordon (Fan GoH), Eric Flint (MC) | Also Attending: John Ackerman, Lou Anders, Julie Cochrane, Robert Freese, Dr. Travis S. Taylor, and T.K.F. Weisskopf. |
| 25 | XV | Cygnus | 20-22 October 2006 | Holiday Inn Express (University Drive) | Doug Lampert, Mary Lampert (née Ortwerth) | David Drake (GoH), Theresa Mather (Artist GoH), Stephen Hickman (MC), Glen Cook (Special Guest) | Also Attending: Julie Cochrane, Eric Flint, Sarah A. Hoyt, Jack McDevitt, Dr. Travis Taylor, and T.K.F. Weisskopf. |
| 26 | XVI | Ophiuchus | 12-14 October 2007 | Holiday Inn Express (University Drive) | Marie McCormack | Mike Shepherd Moscoe (GoH), Pat McAdams (Fan GoH), Dr. Travis S. Taylor (MC) | Also Attending: Lou Anders, Julie Cochrane, Les Johnson, and William Drinkard. |
| 27 | XVII | Cassiopeia | 17-19 October 2008 | Holiday Inn Express (University Drive) | Doug Lampert, Mary Lampert (née Ortwerth) | Diane Duane (GoH), Mike Resnick (MC). Bill Holbrook (Special Guest) | Also Attending: Lou Anders, Julie Cochrane, William Drinkard, Allan Gilbreath, Les Johnson, Peter Morwood, Stephanie Osborn, Laura Resnick, Bill Snodgrass, and Dr. Travis S. Taylor, and Jeff Ugly Shoes & the Cemetery Surfers. |
| 28 | XVIII | Vulpecula | 18-20 September 2009 | Holiday Inn Express (University Drive) | Mike Kennedy, Sam Smith | David Weber (GoH), John Picacio (Artist GoH), Gary Shelton (Fan GoH), Jack McDevitt (MC) | Also Attending: Lou Anders, David Drake, William Drinkard, Sarah Hoyt, Les Johnson, Stephanie Osborn, Dr. Travis S. Taylor, and Toni Weisskopf. |
| 29 | XIX | Leo | 17-19 September 2010 | Holiday Inn Express (University Drive) | Doug Lampert, Mary Lampert (née Ortwerth) | Wen Spencer (GoH), Vincent DiFate (Artist GoH), Warren Buff (Fan GoH), Steve Jackson (MC) | Also Attending: Lou Anders, Chris Berman, Mark Fitzgerald, Allan Gilbreath, Les Johnson, Darrel Osborn, Stephanie Osborn, Kimberly Richardson, Steve White, and Jeff Ugly Shoes & the Cemetery Surfers. |
| 30 | XXX | Corona Borealis | 16-18 September 2011 | Holiday Inn Express (University Drive) | Anita Eisenberg | Gene Wolfe (GoH), Lubov (Artist GoH), Gay Haldeman (Fan GoH), Stephanie Osborn (MC), Joe Haldeman (Special Guest) | Also Attending: Chris Berman, David Drake, Allan Gilbreath, Les Johnson, Darrell Osborn, Kimberly Richardson, Toni Weisskopf, and Karen Zimmerman. |
| (1) Where multiple co-chairs are listed, they are of equal rank and are listed alphabetically. (2) Guests listed as "Also Attending" were scheduled to appear as of the start of the convention. A few were no shows but records of that are spotty so all are listed. | |||||||