Stellarcon
Encyclopedia
Stellarcon is a general, speculative fiction
convention held in the Greater Metro area of Greensboro, North Carolina
(aka. The Triad – Greensboro, Winston-Salem
and High Point
), usually around mid-March. Average attendance at the convention is around 500 people.
It hosts 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
.
(UNCG). The convention staff consists of volunteers from the UNCG student body, UNCG alumni, and professionals from throughout the southeastern United States.
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.
In July 2006, Stellarcon was selected to host the 46th annual DeepSouthCon
, which took place in March 2008.
StellarCon 35 will be held March 4-6, 2011.
Speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature as well as...
convention held in the Greater Metro area of Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
(aka. The Triad – Greensboro, Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
and High Point
High Point, North Carolina
High Point is a city located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina. As of 2010 the city had a total population of 104,371, according to the US Census Bureau. High Point is currently the eighth-largest municipality in North Carolina....
), usually around mid-March. Average attendance at the convention is around 500 people.
It hosts 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
501st Legion
The 501st Legion is an international fan-based organization dedicated to the construction and wearing of screen-accurate replicas of Imperial Stormtrooper armor, Imperial officer uniforms, Clone Troopers and other villains and nefarious characters from the Star Wars universe...
(Stormtroopers), Klingon Assault Group, Star Fleet, The Browncoats
Browncoat
Browncoat is a term with two meanings. One is a nickname for the Independence fighters in the television series Firefly. The other refers to fans of the series.-Fictional meaning:...
, Stargate:SO-Com, Shadowmoor
Shadowmoor
Shadowmoor is an expansion set, codenamed "Jelly", from the trading card game Magic: The Gathering. It was released on May 2, 2008. The pre-release events for this set were held on April 19-20, 2008.-Set Details:...
, and The Buccaneers of the Atlantic Coast. Other conventions host tables such as Dragon*Con, ConCarolinas
ConCarolinas
ConCarolinas is a three day long science fiction convention held once each year in Charlotte, North Carolina, hosted by ConCarolinas, Inc., a non-profit corporation....
, RavenCon
RavenCon
RavenCon is an annual American science fiction convention founded in 2006 and held in Richmond, Virginia. The name "RavenCon" was chosen as a tribute to author Edgar Allan Poe.-Past events:...
, and NekoCon
Nekocon
Nekocon is an anime convention held annually in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, traditionally on the first weekend in November. The word 'Nekocon' comes from a combination of the Japanese word 'neko' meaning cat and 'con' as an abbreviation of 'convention', and was chosen for the common...
.
Who runs it?
Stellarcon is produced by The Science Fiction Fantasy Federation of the University of North Carolina at GreensboroUniversity of North Carolina at Greensboro
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro , also known as UNC Greensboro, is a public university in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States and is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina system. The university offers more than 100 undergraduate, 61 master's and 26...
(UNCG). The convention staff consists of volunteers from the UNCG student body, UNCG alumni, and professionals from throughout the southeastern United States.
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 KoenigWalter Koenig
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 Babylon 5. He wrote the script for the 2008 science fiction legal thriller InAlienable.-Early life:...
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.
In July 2006, Stellarcon was selected to host the 46th annual DeepSouthCon
DeepSouthCon
The DeepSouthCon 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...
, which took place in March 2008.
StellarCon 35 will be held March 4-6, 2011.