1978 – (May 26-28) – VCON 6:

Guest of Honour: A.E. VAN VOGT. Fan Guest of Honour: SUSAN WOOD.

Venue: Gage Residence, UBC, Vancouver.

Attending: 500.

CONCOM: Chairperson – Fran Skene; Programming – Fran Skene; Treasurer – David Greer; Secretary – Cara Elrod; Security – John Fraser; BCSFA Liaison – Ed Beauregard; Computer Services – Tom Balabanov; Registrars – Helene Flanders & Steve Forty; Publicity – Helene Flanders & Ken Wong; Costume Bacchanal – Jo-Anne McBride; Art Show – Debra Simms; Audio & Video – Alan R. Betz; Films – Ed Hutchings; Hucksters – Ken Wong & Jim Johnston; Publications – Barb Dryer; Hotel Liaison – Ed Hutchings; Trivia Quiz – Holly Fraser, Ed Beauregard & Alan R. Betz; Chief Go-fer – Paul Simms; Elron Awards – John Thomson; Bar – Kat Ferguson; Elron Awards – John Thomson & Ed Beauregard.

Sponsored: by BCSFA, the British Columbia Science Fiction Association. Three days of double-track programming with separate rooms for films, art show, hucksters, gaming & hospitality, plus Student Union Building Cafeteria for banquet.

FIRST VCON to feature a “Dead Authors” panel, FIRST to present a trivia quiz with teams competing for prizes, FIRST to have a Regency period dance, FIRST to have two dances, FIRST to feature Filksong programming, and FIRST — in addition to audio recording — to have selected program events recorded on video tape by Al Betz.

FRIDAY (May 26/78 – Vcon 6) events included:

–          A ROOM OF OUR OWN drop-in centre “for members interested in liberation issues”;

–          THE NEOFAN SLIDE AND TALK SHOW by John Thomson;

–          YOUR FIRST TIME: CHILDREN’S SF & FANTASY panel with Susan Wood, Fran Skene & Lesleigh Luttrell;

–          THE GREAT TRIVIA QUIZ COMPETITION with Quiz Master Ed Beauregard;

–          FILKSINGING hosted by Vera Johnson;

–          a GoH ADDRESS by A.E. van Vogt;

–          and a MEET THE AUTHORS Reception.

SATURDAY (May 27/78 – Vcon 6) featured:

–          CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND: THE ROLE OF FLYING CREATURES IN S&SF with moderator Julian Reid & panelists A.E. van Vogt, H. Warner Munn & Ted Collins;

–          ALTERNATE FANNISH WORLDS moderated by Ed Beauregard with panelists Elinor Busby, Lari Davidson, Barb Dryer & Gary Stevens;

–          a SPACE COLONIES slide show & talk by Greg Bennett;

–          The USES AND ABUSES OF SF talk by Crawford Kilian;

–          a WRITERS WORKSHOP;

–          the REGENCY DANCE;

–          an ALTERNATIVES TO PATRIARCHY: ENVISIONING NEW FUTURES panel moderated by Susan Wood with F.M. Busby & Paul Novitsky;

–          THE FUTURE OF COMICS with moderator Terry Hamilton & Rand Holmes, Peter Green & Brent Boates;

–          GODZILLA, THE REPTILE’S ROLE talk by Michel Walsh;

–          DEAD AUTHORS PANEL with moderator Chuck Davis & Hugo Gernsback ( Al Betz ), H.P. Lovecraft ( Mason Harris ), Mary W. Shelly ( Elinor Busby ), and H. G. Wells ( Ed Hutchings );

–          FGoH ADDRESS by Susan Wood;

–          COSTUME BACCHANAL with halftime entertainment by Vera Johnson FILKSINGING;

–          followed by a DANCE

–          and an ART AUCTION.

SUNDAY (May 28/78 – Vcon 6) had:

–          a STAR TREK panel with Barb Dryer moderating & panelists Robert Earl Day, Adrian

Fischer, Cat Middlemiss & David Schmidt;

–          a panel on REVIEWING & LITERARY CRITICISM moderated by Susan Wood with Frank

–          Denton, Jeanne Gomoll and William Gibson;

–          BANQUET with SPEECHES by A.E. van Vogt & Susan Wood & ELRON AWARDS presented by John Thomson;

–          the HELMET BASH SCA MEDIEVAL TOURNEY ” ( held outside ),

–          panel ON COLLECTING moderated by Ed Beauregard with Mike Bailey, Chuck Garvin & Bill Trojan;

–          Panel on ECTOPIA: HOW TO MODERATE with John Berry ( mod ) & Loren MacGregor & Paul Novitsky;

–          CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH HELL, HEAVEN, AND THE FEMALE: EXTRATERRESTRIAL RACES IN LOVECRAFT, LE GUIN, & OTHERS talk by Mason Harris;

–          and a FANZINE WORKSHOP with Denys Howard ( Mod ) & Vaughn Fraser, Jo-Anne McBride & Dave Vereschagrin.