StellarCon was a general, speculative fiction convention held in the Greater Metro area of Greensboro, North Carolina, and High Point), usually around mid-March. Average attendance at the convention was around 500 people.
Speculative fiction is an umbrella genre encompassing narrative fiction with supernatural or futuristic elements. This includes, but is not limited to, science fiction, fantasy, superhero fiction, science fantasy, horror, utopian and dystopian fiction, supernatural fiction as well as combinations thereof.
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the 3rd-most populous city in North Carolina, the 68th-most populous city in the United States, and the county seat and largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 269,666, and in 2015 the estimated population was 285,342. Three major interstate highways in the Piedmont region of central North Carolina were built to intersect at this city.
High Point is a city located in the Piedmont Triad region of the state of North Carolina. Most of the city is located in Guilford County, with portions spilling into neighboring Randolph, Davidson, and Forsyth counties. High Point is North Carolina's only city that extends into four counties. As of the 2010 census the city had a total population of 104,371, with an estimated population of 108,629 in 2014. High Point is currently the ninth-largest municipality in North Carolina, and the 259th largest city in America.
It hosted a variety of related programming, including guest panel discussions, book readings, demonstrations, workshops, roleplaying games, board games, card games, robot battles, and a costume contest. Guest speakers generally include authors, artists, game designers, costumers, and media celebrities. Additional attendees are vendors, selling a variety of merchandise, and fan groups such as the 501st Legion (Stormtroopers), Klingon Assault Group, Star Fleet, The Browncoats, Stargate:SO-Com, Shadowmoor, and The Buccaneers of the Atlantic Coast. Other conventions host tables such as Dragon*Con, ConCarolinas, RavenCon, and NekoCon.
The 501st Legion is an international fan-based organization dedicated to the construction and wearing of screen-accurate replicas of Imperial Stormtrooper armor, Sith Lords, Clone Troopers, bounty hunters, and other villains from the Star Wars universe. The 501st Legion, called by its nickname Vader’s Fist, is made up entirely of volunteers.
A stormtrooper is a fictional soldier in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. Introduced in Star Wars (1977), the stormtroopers are the main ground force of the Galactic Empire, under the leadership of Emperor Palpatine and his commanders, most notably Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin. In The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017), the upgraded stormtroopers serve the First Order, under the leadership of Supreme Leader Snoke and his commanders, most notably Kylo Ren, General Hux, and Captain Phasma.
Shadowmoor is a Magic: The Gathering block consisting of the expansion sets Shadowmoor and Eventide. It was originally planned as part of the Lorwyn block, but partway into the design of Lorwyn, that block was changed to a two-set block and Shadowmoor was released as the first set of a second two-set block. The two blocks were linked through synergy and rotated through the official tournament formats as a single, four-expansion unit.
StellarCon was produced by The Science Fiction Fantasy Federation of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). The convention staff consisted of volunteers from the UNCG student body, UNCG alumni, and professionals from throughout the southeastern United States.
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), also known as UNC Greensboro, is a public coeducational and Research university in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States and is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina system. However, UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand-alone university and awards its own degrees. UNCG is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, masters, specialist and doctoral degrees.
History
On March 20, 1976, The Science Fiction Fantasy Federation held the first StellarCon as a one-day mini-convention whose main guest was Jack Townsend, then the president of the Walter Koenig Fan Club. Since that date, StellarCon has grown into a full 3-day event. The conventions were initially held in Elliott University Center, on the campus of UNCG, until StellarCon 16 in 1992, when Jeff Smith, the convention manager that year, took it off campus for the first time to a local hotel. It has remained off-campus since that date.
Walter Marvin Koenig is an American actor, writer, teacher and director, known for his roles as Pavel Chekov in Star Trek and Alfred Bester in the Babylon 5 series. He wrote the script for the 2008 science fiction legal thriller InAlienable.
In July 2006, StellarCon was selected to host the 46th annual DeepSouthCon, which took place in March 2008.
The DeepSouthCon (DSC) is an annual science fiction convention, which is hosted in different cities in the Southern United States. Site selection is by vote of the membership of a given DSC, for the convention to be held 2 years in the future. DSC is often, but not always, held in conjunction with an existing annual convention so the time of year varies. Many regular attendees of DeepSouthCon are also members of the Southern Fandom Confederation, but there is no direct relationship between the two organizations.
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Related Research Articles
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