MarsCon (Bloomington, Minnesota)
| MarsCon | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Location(s) | Bloomington, Minnesota |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | 1999 |
| Website | marscon.org |
MarsCon is a science fiction convention held in Bloomington, Minnesota. It was first held in February 1999 with the goal of appealing to a diverse audience of fans in Minnesota and the vicinity. It is a mid-sized convention with a wide variety of events including panel discussions, guest of honor presentations, music of many kinds, art show, film room (including anime), science room, dealers room, charity auction, and a masquerade.[1] Past guests have included actors, authors, artists, scientists, musicians, producers, and even the occasional pooka. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune describes MarsCon as "for the sci-fi serious nerds".[2]
Since 2003, MarsCon Minnesota has also included a strong presence of the "Dementia" (comedy/novelty/filk) music genre, making the convention one of the largest events in the country to showcase such music.
Conventions
Past
MarsCon 1999: Celebrating 60 Years of Fandom
- Where: Radisson South Hotel
- When: February 26-28, 1999
- Guests of Honor: Carl David, Jeff Grubb, Kate Novak
MarsCon 2000: Don’t Panic! (Alternate Subversive Theme: M’00)
- Where: Radisson South Hotel
- When: May 12-14, 2000
- Guests of Honor: Mark Allen Shepherd, Lisa Getto, Margaret Weis, Don Perrin, Denise Boie, Jack Borkowski, Donald R. Schmitt, Chesley Bonestell (Posthumous)
MarsCon 2001: A Space Oddity
- Where: Radisson South Hotel
- When: May 11-13, 2001
- Guests of Honor: Jane Yolen, Bill Blair, Carl Talliaferro, Christopher Jones, Michael Liebmann, David Arneson, Stanley Kubrick (Posthumous)
MarsCon 2002: The Magic of Fantasy
- Where: Airport Hilton
- When: March 1-3, 2002
- Guests of Honor: Lyda Morehouse, Peter Woodward, John Levene, Robin Wood, Harvey (See Harvey (play))
MarsCon 2003: No One Here is Exactly What He Appears
- Where: Holiday Inn Select
- When: February 28-March 2, 2003
- Guests of Honor: Sharon Lee, Steve Miller (writer), Julie Caitlin Brown, Lev Mailer, John Garner (artist), David Mendez, Douglas Adams (Posthumous)
MarsCon 2004: Let’s Play Doctor!
- Where: Airport Hilton
- When: March 5-7, 2004
- Guests of Honor: John M. Ford, Richard Biggs, Barry Hansen “Dr. Demento”, Dawn Devine Brown “Davina (costumer)”, Luke Sienkowski “The Great Luke Ski”, David E Romm
MarsCon 2005: Galactic Pirates and Mercenaries
- Where: Airport Marriott
- When: March 4-6, 2005
- Guests of Honor: Richard Herd, Jeremy Bulloch, Stephanie Gannaway-Osborn, Timothy Zahn, Todd Coss, The Great Luke Ski, Ron Ross, Herbert Jefferson, Jr.
MarsCon 2006: Things That Go Bump in the Night
- Where: Holiday Inn Select
- When: March 3-5, 2006
- Guests of Honor: Gigi Edgley, Dean Haglund, Beth Hansen, Walter H. Hunt, Paul Lawrence (producer), Tom Smith (filker), Hugh Gregory
MarsCon 2007
- Where: Holiday Inn Select
- When: March 2-4, 2007
- Guests of Honor: Don S. Davis, Patricia Tallman, Todd Lockwood, Eric Larson, Eleanor Arnason, Ookla the Mok
MarsCon 2008: Press Start To Continue
- Where: Holiday Inn Select
- When: February 29-March 2, 2008
- Guests of Honor: Bill Blair, Jeff Easley, Naomi Kritzer, C. Robert Cargill, Hot Waffles
MarsCon 2009: Invasion!
- Where: Holiday Inn Select
- When: March 6-8, 2009[2]
- Guests of Honor: Musetta Vander, Scott Rosema, Suzanne Hiza-Rezema, Jeanne Cavelos, Wally Pleasant[3]
MarsCon 2010: Dark Lords and Femme Fatales
- Where: Holiday Inn Select
- When: March 5-7, 2010[1]
- Guests of Honor: John Garner, Loretta McKibben, Nick Atoms, Gwynyth Walsh
MarsCon 2011: Days of Magic!
- Where: Holiday Inn Select
- When: March 4-6, 2011[4]
- Guests of Honor: Lois McMaster Bujold, Joe Rheault, Megan Rheault, Bjo Trimble, John Trimble, Worm Quartet
MarsCon 2012: Rockin' the Apocalypse
- Where: Crowne Plaza Hotel and Suites
- When: March 9-12, 2012
- Guests of Honor: Lukas Effinger, Catherine Asaro, Rob Callahan, Consortium of Genius
MarsCon 2013: Ctrl/Alt/Del... Thriving into the future
- Where: Crowne Plaza Hotel and Suites, 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN 55425
- When: March 1-3, 2013
- Guests of Honor: actress Claudia Christian, author Harry Turtledove, science author Gerald Nordley, artist Sarah Clemens, comic artist W.C. Carani, fan/costuming The Thrift Brothers, and music Flat 29.
MarsCon 2014: Time is the Key
- Where: DoubleTree by Hilton, Bloomington-Minneapolis South
- When: March 7-9, 2014
- Guests of Honor: J. G. Hertzler, Esther Friesner, Mickie Erickson, Rae Lundquist, Henry Phillips, Dave Duca, Bridget Landry, and the Klingons of IKV RakeHell.
MarsCon 2015: Heroes & Wizerds & Fae OHhh MYyy!!
- Where: Airport Hilton
- When: March 6-8, 2015
- Guests of Honor: Spice Williams-Crosby, Antoinette Bower, Robert Odegard, Lyda Morehouse, Richard Tatge, Eric Wile, Rob Paravonian, Dave Duca, and Mike Glielmi.
Upcoming
MarsCon 2016: Parallel Dimensions
- Where: Hilton Minneapolis/St Paul Airport/Mall of America, 3800 American Blvd. E., Bloomington, MN 55425
- When: March 4-6, 2016
- Guests of Honor: actor William Morgan Sheppard, artist Christine Mitzuk, author Ruth Berman, filmmaker Christopher R. Mihm, game designer Eric Wile, musician Luke Ski, propmasters Dave Brown, Dave Duca, Michael Glielmi, and Ann Neubauer.
References
- ^ a b Peloquin, Jahna (March 4, 2010). "Weekend events: MarsCon 2010 and Oscar parties". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
- ^ a b "Events". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. November 5, 2009.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "MarsCon in Bloomington, Minneasota Feb 29-Mar 2" (Press release). Isthmus. January 7, 2008. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
{{cite press release}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Item World". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. May 11, 2001.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help)
External links