Midwestcon
Template:Short description Template:Infobox Convention
Midwestcon is a science fiction convention held annually in the Cincinnati, Ohio, area by the Cincinnati Fantasy Group.
Midwestcon is an informal type of convention known as a relaxacon which means that it has no programming. Instead, it is notable as a means for science fiction fans to get together and talk to each other without the distractions of other conventions.
HistoryEdit
The 1949 Worldcon took place in Cincinnati, and the first Midwestcon followed in 1950, and has been held every year since, making it the second longest-running SF convention to be held in the same city, and the third oldest in the U.S.
Many significant figures in science fiction have attended Midwestcon, including Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke.<ref name="MWC2" /><ref name="MWC3" /> Wilson Tucker served as the perennial toastmaster for many years. Other notable Midwestcon attendees have included:
- Robert Bloch<ref name="MWC3" />
- Jack L. Chalker
- Robert Coulson<ref name="MWC19" />
- Harlan Ellison<ref name="MWC3" /><ref name="MWC1" />
- Phyllis Eisenstein
- Lloyd Arthur Eshbach<ref name="MWC3" /><ref name="MWC1" />
- Philip Jose Farmer<ref name="MWC2" />
- Randall Garrett<ref name="MWC2">MidwestCon #2 1951 photos</ref>
- Joe Haldeman
- David H. Keller<ref name="MWC1" />
- Stephen Leigh
- George R.R. Martin
- Bea Mahaffey<ref name="MWC1">MidwestCon #1 1950 photos</ref>
- Julian May<ref name="MWC3">Midwestcon #3 1951 photos</ref>
- Andrew J. Offutt
- Alexei Panshin<ref name="MWC19">Midwestcon #19 1968 photos</ref>
- Mike Resnick
- Frank M. Robinson<ref name="MWC2" /><ref name="MWC3" />
- Dick Smith
- E. E. "Doc" Smith<ref name="MWC1" />
- Ted White
Howard DeVore and Margaret Ford Keifer attended all 56 Midwestcons held from 1950 to 2005.
First Fandom was founded at the 1959 Midwestcon.