Winkie Newsletter Convention Report - Day Three

This one was very short, because Sunday was a half-a-day of convention.

Winkie Newsletter Supplement - Con Report Three, 2015
446 e-mail subscribers, 7 by regular post

Check out some local news coverage of this year's Winkie Convention at:
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/aug/01/oz-con-town-country/
http://www.sandiego6.com/san-diego-living/community/The-Return-of-OZ-Con-320307191.html

If anyone has any other news links, please let me know and they will be included in the September newsletter.

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Hello Oz Fans! The annual Oz Winkie Newsletter supplement, aka "Ye Editor Laura Gjovaag's Winkie Convention report" continues with Sunday at the Con.

After Saturday's heavy and relentless schedule, people were a little slow getting up and going, but no less enthusiastic. Indeed, a crowd of early risers still managed to fill the courtyard Sunday morning, chatting and having a good time before the opening program: a viewing of Return to Oz with live commentary from the cast and crew members at the convention this year.

The event was well-attended, but people seemed more interested in watching the movie again than commentary. A moderator with well-timed questions might have helped, but it was apparently enjoyed by all anyway.

Following the movie, there was a short break with autographs in the dealers room before the programming split again. At 1 p.m. people got to choose between John Bell talking about Neill's Oz books or Eric Shanower discussing the connections between Oz and Disney.

At 2 p.m. people were already trickling away from the convention, but the final panel was a standard "onions and roses" type of event, in which attendees at the convention got to speak out about what they enjoyed or disliked about this year's convention and also got to make suggestions to the people running the convention next year. People had plenty to say and the final panel went a little past its allotted time as folks seemed reluctant to let go and head home.

In fact, a great many people participated in helping to pack away Freddy Fogarty's incredible Return to Oz collection, which was on display in the main ballroom for the entire convention. The Oogaboo Room also received some welcome attention as people helped to pack away the amazing decorations provided by next year's co-chair, Karyl Carlson. A few people even bought memberships to next year's con at the advance price (which runs out at midnight PDT Sunday night).

And then it was farewell to Oz for another year...

We hope to see everyone in Portland next year for a new and different convention: leaving California for the first time at age 52 to visit another state. Our little con has grown up and is traveling out into the world! And that will be the theme of next year's convention: traveling. Particularly ocean travel, with the 100th Anniversary of Rinkitink in Oz, 80th Anniversary of Captain Salt in Oz, 90th Anniversary of the Curious Cruise of Captain Santa (by Ruth Plumly Thompson), and the 30th Anniversary of the Ozmapolitan of Oz.

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And that's it for this year's coverage of the 51st Annual Winkie Convention, aka Oz Con International 2015. Congrats to Freddy for a well-run event. I would like a first-time attendee (preferably one who was here all three days) to write up a couple of paragraphs on what you thought of the convention. Please send your writings to winkies at oogaboo dot org for publication in September's newsletter. If no one steps forward to write something up, I will cry.

Unless there is vital news about this year's convention that everyone needs to know about, plan on receiving your next newsletter sometime in September.

****OZ Con 2016 Tickets on Sale NOW****

Tickets for Oz Con International 2016 (aka the 52nd Winkie Con) are available at http://ozcon2016.brownpapertickets.com.

Next year's convention will be held July 15-17 in Portland, Oregon. The chairs are Karyl Carlson and Eric Gjovaag. Volunteers will be needed. If you have suggestions or comments on next year's convention, feel free to simply respond to this newsletter.