DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Quanta, v. 1, issue 3, August 1949

Transcribe
Translate

Quanta, v. 1, issue 3, August 1949

Page 10

10.

CAPICON IN FIFTY!

By Louis E. Garner, Jr.
President WSFA.

It seems somewhat odd that, although six World Science-Fiction Conventions have been held, that though a seventh is soon to start, that one has never been held in the unofficial Capital of the World and the Capital of the Nation.....Washington, D. C.

But this situation is easily corrected....the Washington Science-Fiction  Association is bidding for the Eighth World Science-Fiction Convention to be held in 1950. And what better time to hold a Convention in the Nation's Capital? 1950! Turn of the century... symbolic of progress, of the future.

But let us forget these reasons for holding the next S-F Convention in Washington, D. C., and look at a few plain facts.

Perhaps one of the most important things to consider when choosing a Convention city is location. Can the delegates easily get to the city? From this point of view, Washington is ideal as a Convention site.

First, it is located near the east coast, where the vast majority of fans, authors, pro writers, and publishers are located. Secondly, it is located more than half-way down the coast, closer to the South-east than any Convention city yet selected, and thus in a better position to give those fans in the southeast corner of the nation a chance to see a Convention. Fans, who woke up to this time, have been so far removed from a Convention site as to make attendance a distinct hardship.

How about attractions? Well, there's plenty of these. For fans, there is the library of congress, where some of the really rare S-F and Fantasy items may be seen. There's the Smithsonian Institute, with its wealth of scientific displays....the Smithsonian recently featured, incidentally, a display of Goddard's rocket work, including two full-sized rockets. There's the museum of Natural History, where a built-up full-size model of a giant squid or Kraken may be seen, along with dinosaur skeletons and full-sized dinosaur models, as well as meteorites and other interesting items. There's the Naval Observatory, the Science Building, and many other items of scientific and science-fiction interest.

For non-fans who might attend (wives and children)...and perhaps for some of the fans, there's all the regular attractions which have made Washington so justly famous...the beautiful public buildings, the Pentagon, largest office building in the world, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, the National Gallery of Art, Mount Vernon, Arlington Capitol, the House and Senate - Office Buildings, the supreme court, the Folger Shakespearian Library, with its full-paged reproduction of Shakespeare's theatre, the National Zoological parti[[?]], and other items [[?]] [[?]] t- to list here.

Saving...

10. CAPICON IN FIFTY! By Louis E. Garner, Jr. President WSFA. It seems somewhat odd that, although six World Science-Fiction Conventions have been held, that though a seventh is soon to start, that one has never been held in the unofficial Capital of the World and the Capital of the Nation.....Washington, D. C. But this situation is easily corrected....the Washington Science-Fiction Association is bidding for the Eighth World Science-Fiction Convention to be held in 1950. And what better time to hold a Convention in the Nation's Capital? 1950! Turn of the century... symbolic of progress, of the future. But let us forget these reasons for holding the next S-F Convention in Washington, D. C., and look at a few plain facts. Perhaps one of the most important things to consider when choosing a Convention city is location. Can the delegates easily get to the city? From this point of view, Washington is ideal as a Convention site. First, it is located near the east coast, where the vast majority of fans, authors, pro writers, and publishers are located. Secondly, it is located more than half-way down the coast, closer to the South-east than any Convention city yet selected, and thus in a better position to give those fans in the southeast corner of the nation a chance to see a Convention. Fans, who woke up to this time, have been so far removed from a Convention site as to make attendance a distinct hardship. How about attractions? Well, there's plenty of these. For fans, there is the library of congress, where some of the really rare S-F and Fantasy items may be seen. There's the Smithsonian Institute, with its wealth of scientific displays....the Smithsonian recently featured, incidentally, a display of Goddard's rocket work, including two full-sized rockets. There's the museum of Natural History, where a built-up full-size model of a giant squid or Kraken may be seen, along with dinosaur skeletons and full-sized dinosaur models, as well as meteorites and other interesting items. There's the Naval Observatory, the Science Building, and many other items of scientific and science-fiction interest. For non-fans who might attend (wives and children)...and perhaps for some of the fans, there's all the regular attractions which have made Washington so justly famous...the beautiful public buildings, the Pentagon, largest office building in the world, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, the National Gallery of Art, Mount Vernon, Arlington Capitol, the House and Senate - Office Buildings, the supreme court, the Folger Shakespearian Library, with its full-paged reproduction of Shakespeare's theatre, the National Zoological parti[[?]], and other items [[?]] [[?]] t- to list here.