Midwestcon

MWC is a relaxacon -- the relaxacon -- which has been run each year since 1949 by the CFG on the last full weekend in June. (The first few Midwestcons were known as the Nth Indian Lake Convention after the site at which they were held.)

Although it has always been held in or near Cincinnati and hosted by the CFG, Midwestcon is considered to be a focal point for Midwest fandom, and regular members take as proprietary an interest in as West Coast fen do in Westercon or Southern fandom in DeepSouthCon, a fact not always appreciated by Cinci fans.

Midwestcon has long been a destination for smofs, and you are apt to see many more ex-Worldcon chairs there than at almost any other con short of Worldcon itself. And woe betide the Worldcon bid that doesn't throw a bid party at Midwestcon.

Some of the early Midwestcons were known as Inlacon:

From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959

The Midwestcon at its earliest location, at Beatley's Hotel on Indian Lake, Ohio.

Name	Date	Location	Notes
Midwestcon 0	September 9-11, 1949	Doc Barrett's livingroom	Sometimes called "Midwestcon Zero" -- It was "an impromptu gathering hastily arranged at the end of Cinvention" and no one knew that it would turn into a continuing convention.
Midwestcon 1	June 1950	Bellefontaine, OH	The first relaxacon ever, anywhere.
Midwestcon 2	May 19-20, 1951	Beatley's on Indian Lake, OH	Attendees included Arthur C. Clarke, Hal Shapiro, Randall Garrett, and Dean Grennell, Howard DeVore, Don Ford, Margaret Ford
Midwestcon 3	May 10-11, 1952	Beatley's on Indian Lake, OH
Midwestcon 4	May 16-18, 1953	Beatley's on Indian Lake, OH	The hotel turned away Bev Clark, an Indiana fan, because because of a Jim Crow policy; Buck Coulson and Gene DeWeese left with her. Harlan Ellison expressed outrage, but remained. Randall Garrett exchanged blows with a hotel detective, who caught him in a compromising situation.
Midwestcon 5	May 22-23, 1954	Hotel Ingalls, Bellefontaine, OH
Midwestcon 6	June 11-12, 1955	Hotel Ingalls, Bellefontaine, OH	This is the con where the door was broken.
Midwestcon 7	May 24-27, 1956	North Plaza Motel, Sharonville, OH
Midwestcon 8	June 28-30, 1957	North Plaza Motel, Sharonville, OH
Midwestcon 9	June 28-29, 1958	North Plaza Motel, Sharonville, OH	First Fandom founded.
Midwestcon X	June 27-28, 1959	North Plaza Motel, Sharonville, OH
Midwestcon 11	June 1960
Midwestcon 12	June 1961
Midwestcon 13	June 1962
Midwestcon 14	June 29-30, 1963	North Plaza Motel, Sharonville, OH	Pat Sims's first Midwestcon
Midwestcon 15	June 26-28, 1964
Midwestcon 16	June 25-27, 1965	Holiday Inn North, Cincinnati
Midwestcon 17	June 24-26, 1966	Carrousel Inn, north side of Cincinnati
Midwestcon 18	June 1967
Midwestcon 19	June 29-30, 1968	North Plaza Motel, Cincinnati
Midwestcon 20	June 28-29, 1969	North Plaza Motel, Cincinnati
Midwestcon 21	June, 1970
Midwestcon 22	June 25-27, 1971	Quality Inn Central, Cincinnati
Midwestcon 23	June, 1972
Midwestcon 24	June, 1973
Midwestcon 25	June 28-30, 1974	Quality Inn Central, Cincinnati
Midwestcon 26	June 27-29, 1975	Quality Inn Central, Cincinnati
Midwestcon 27	June 26-27, 1976		a record 350 members, due in part to the collapse of SF Expo; Bob Tucker was MC.
Midwestcon 28	June 24-26, 1977	Quality Inn Central, Cincinnati
Midwestcon 29	June 23-25, 1978	Holiday Inn North, Cincinnati
Midwestcon 30	June 22-24, 1979	Holiday Inn North, Cincinnati
Midwestcon 31	June 27-29, 1980	Holiday Inn North, Cincinnati
Midwestcon 32	June 26-28, 1981	Drawbridge Motor Inn, Ft. Mitchell, KY
Midwestcon 33	June 25-27, 1982	Drawbridge Motor Inn, Ft. Mitchell, KY
Midwestcon 34	June, 1983
Midwestcon 35	June 22-24, 1984	Midway Motor Lodge, Springdale, OH
Midwestcon 36	June 27 - 30, 1985	Hampshire House Hotel, Springdale, OH
Midwestcon 37	June 26-29, 1986	Cincinnati Marriott, Glendale, OH
Midwestcon 38	June 1987
Midwestcon 39	June 23-26, 1988	Cincinnati Marriott, Glendale, OH
Midwestcon 40	June 22-25, 1989	Cincinnati Marriott, Glendale, OH
Midwestcon 41	June 21-24, 1990	Cincinnati Marriott, Glendale, OH
Midwestcon 42	June 27-30, 1991	Quality Hotel Central, Cincinnati
Midwestcon 43	June, 1992
Midwestcon 44	June, 1993
Midwestcon 45	June 23-26, 1994	Quality Hotel Central, Cincinnati
Midwestcon 46	June 22-26, 1995	Quality Hotel Central, Cincinnati	FanHistoriCon 3 was held in conjunction with Midwestcon 46.
Midwestcon 47	June 27-30, 1996	Quality Hotel Central, Cincinnati
Midwestcon 48	June 26-29, 1997	Blue Ash Hotel, Cincinnati
Midwestcon 49	June 22-25, 1998	Blue Ash Hotel, Cincinnati
Midwestcon 50	June 24-27, 1999	Best Western Blue As, Cincinnatih	FanHistoriCon 9 was held at Midwestcon on June 26.
Midwestcon 51	June 22-25, 2000	Hampshire House Hotel, Springdale, OH
Midwestcon 52	June 21-24, 2001	Ramada Inn - Florence, KY
Midwestcon 53	June 27-30, 2002	Ramada Inn - Florence, KY
Midwestcon 54	June 28-30, 2003	Ramada Inn - Florence, KY
Midwestcon 55	June 24-27, 2004	Sharonville, OH, DoubleTree	Andy Porter published The Daily Degler! for this con.
Midwestcon 56	June 23-26, 2005	Sharonville, OH, DoubleTree
Midwestcon 57	June 22-25, 2006	Sharonville, OH, DoubleTree
Midwestcon 58	June 21-24, 2007	Sharonville, OH, DoubleTree
Midwestcon 59	June 26-29, 2008	Sharonville, OH, DoubleTree
Midwestcon 60	June 25-29, 2009	Sharonville, OH, DoubleTree
Midwestcon 61	June 24-27, 2010	Sharonville, OH, DoubleTree
Midwestcon 62	June 23-26, 2011	Sharonville, OH, DoubleTree
Midwestcon 63	June 21-24, 2012	Sharonville, OH, DoubleTree
Midwestcon 64	June 28-30, 2013	Sharonville, OH, DoubleTree
Midwestcon 65	June 26-29, 2014	Sharonville, OH, DoubleTree
Midwestcon 66	June 25-28, 2015	Sharonville, OH, DoubleTree
Midwestcon 67	June 23-26, 2016	Sharonville, OH, DoubleTree
Midwestcon 68	June 22-25, 2017	Sharonville, OH, DoubleTree
Midwestcon 69	June 21-24, 2018	Sharonville, OH, DoubleTree
Midwestcon 70	June 27-30, 2019	Sharonville, OH, DoubleTree
Midwestcon 71	Cancelled (June 25-28, 2020)	Sharonville, OH, DoubleTree	Cancelled due to COVID-19

See Long-running conventions.

From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959

A weekend affair in the early summer, so far held in Ohio... originally at Beatley's on Indian Lake, later at Bellefontaine, and finally at a giant motel in Cincinnati. Don Ford and Doc Barrett covered themselves with much egoboo by organizing this gathering at which program is kept to a minimum and fangabbing runs rife. It was forced to move its site to Bellefontaine after a rather crude affair in 1954 (the blame for which was laid on the 7th Fandomites, with what justice your Herodotus has been unable to determine), then to Cincinnati when the gathering became too big for Bellfontaine's facilities. It has thus far been an annual event to be sought by all knowing fans. from Fancyclopedia 2 Supplement ca. 1960: The locations were out of order. The first was in Bellefontaine, in 1950; when it became plain that it was to become more than a small gathering of friends in Doc Barrett's living room, larger facilities were sought and found at Beatley's on Indian Lake. In 1954 the convention moved to Bellefontaine, where the door was broken in 1955. in 1956 -- and up to date, -- they've been at the North Plaza Motel in Cincinnati. The organizers of the Midwestcon include not only Doc Barrett and Don Ford, but Stan Skirvin, Lou Tabakow, and Roy Lavender. Dale Tarr later filled the gap vacated by Lavender.

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Convention
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