Trekland in Vegas—and a blast from the past

As if this wasn't enough to get you in the mood for Vegas Khhaaan—and don't forget: this year you can pay-stream the big acts if you can't make it—I thought I'd toss out another goodie... and let you know where to track me down and bend an ear, if you are so inclined.

First the goodie: here's Keep on Trekkin' .... one of the dozen cloth patches officially licensed by Paramount to the old Star Trek Welcommittee as a fundraiser for the non-profit info service. Pretty groovy in all its mid-70s glory, eh? The Welcommittee was how hungry new Trekfans got info in the pre-Internet days... by mail...!  (more below the fold*).

Meanwhile, truck on into Vegas this weekend and catch what just might be the biggest annual Star Trek blowout Creation Vegas ever—and in new digs, at the Rio. Here's one clue to our curiosity: To meet huge demand, dealers and signers were advised that their area would open up an HOUR EARLIER both Saturday and Sunday—to 7:20 a.m.!

TREKLAND THURSDAY:
—2:50 pm: "1986: The Lost Anniversary"—World premiere topic—and I actually do a real "show" for Creation at Vegas.
—7-11 pm, McFadden's Bar: "Spockstar Party" meetup, co-sponsored by Trekland with Treknews.com and DVDGeeks—we'll have prizes, games, trivia and you get your own tab—ordering old-time Quark's specials at prices cheaper than the Hilton's!

TREKLAND FRIDAY:
—2:45 pm: "Rapid-Fire Trivia," for the third year, my tribute to our old startrek.com event
—5:15 pm: "Captains Smack-down" panelist on startrek.com's panel

TREKLAND SATURDAY & SUNDAY:
— Table times and party/events TBA: I will UPDATE here and Facebook/Twitter with daily tentative table times, since as usual I will not be there 24/7... just out and about. Unless I'm on a mission with a bullet at the moment, stop and say hi when you see me. But I do look forward to meeting all the new fans, seeing you oldsters, offering my works and telling you all about The Con of Wrath this year and our fan-donor opportunity for a credit and gift package. 

It's gonna be a whole new feel this year—fans, staff, actors, handlers, dealers, EVERYBODY will be busy "learning" all the ins and outs of the Rio... much less looking to see what the numbers, and the makeup of vets/rookies, will turn out to be... how the economy affects sales ... how many fans at home try the live streaming ... and if the recent TOS era in costuming  trends still pushes on, or if ST09 makes any inroads. Plus— just what kind of Trekkers will Shatner latch onto for his new film Fan Addicts with Creation about Trek fandom? And just what will author Dayton Ward think of his FIRST Trek trip to Vegas—with co-writer Kevin Dilmore in tow. Among the many fine special events, DON'T MISS Jeff Combs' free performance of his Edgar Allan Poe one-man show, either—catch our original Trekland preview here.

As usual... I just hope we all survive it again. Vegas KHHAAAAN, indeed!

*BTW, back to this mid-70s phrase and groovy font are not just a creation of Trekfen: it plays off the iconic 1968 R. Crumb comic book illo and catchphrase "Keep on Truckin' "—pirated famously for years on posters and T-shirts—that, crazily, in turn inspired two totally different hit same-named singles: soul-funk from Eddie Kendricks, and trucker-country from Dave Dudley. (And to think its roots are as a jazz-underground phrase from the '20s!).