Columbus in 1985
Columbus in 1985 is actually a couple of bids for the 1985 NASFiC, one a hoax bid and one real.
It's a bit complicated. It started out as a hoax bid, by one group of fans; later there was a real bid by an entirely different group.
The hoax was begun by Craig Miller, an LA fan, at a Midwestcon around 1981. When he and ten other fen managed to quickly find a place for dinner and get their food ordered, they concluded that they worked together so well they joked that they were destined to run a bid for Columbus. Miller found this amusing, and on returning to LA, he requested information of facilities in Columbus. Genny Dazzo and Seth Breidbart were also involved.
Three days before that year's Octocon, an Ohio relaxacon, Miller learned that a NY fan had reserved a suite at the Octocon hotel which might be made available for a Columbus bid party. Three days later, Miller arrived at Octocon with materials like bid flyers while Genny Dazzo and the other NY fan procured party supplies. They set up a party, displayed the bid literature, opened the suite and then left. Fans found it, read the flyers and wondered.
The next step in the hoax was to arrange for Mike Lawlor, a Cincinnati fan, to call Larry Smith (one of the leading Columbus fans) and asked him why he hadn't invited Mike onto his bid committee. "What bid committee?" Larry asked. Mike: "Columbus in '85." Larry: "But that was supposed to be a secret!" Mike later played the same joke on Bob Hillis.
Rumor has it that Larry, who was trying to organize a Columbus NASFiC bid, was heard to say, "No wonder the hotels wouldn't talk with us!"
Based on an anonymous source, Mike Glyer reported it as a hoax bid in the December 1981 File 770 29, p. 2. In File 770 30, p. 2 p4, he unveiled the whole story.
At the 1982 Octocon, Columbas fans who wanted a real NASFiC bid got together and agreed to bid and formally organized it at ConClave VII that November.
So now there was a real bid to hold the 1985 NASFiC at the Hyatt Regency at Ohio Center and the Sheraton Columbus Plaza in Columbus, OH. It lost to Austin in '85. See 1985 NASFiC Site Selection for details.
It was chaired by Celia Smith and the committee was Jean Airey, Barb Alexander, John Ayotte, Mark Evans, Liz Gross, Bob Hillis, Tom Huff, Sally Kobee-Ludwig, Van Siegling, Larry Smith and Tom Van Horne.
See Celia Smith's letter in File 770 39, p. 18.
Ultimately, the bid committed suicide when Marcon-related feuds spread to the associated bid committee and Celia Smith fired Mark Evans and Liz Gross and "suspended" Bob Hillis. See File 770 42, p. 20 for gory details.
| 1985 NASFiC Site Selection | 1985 |
| This is a page about a convention bid. Please extend it by adding information about who was bidding, officers, committee list, what they were bidding for, who their opponents were, and who won. |
