Archon is a

multigenre convention Fan convention (also known as con or fan meeting), a term that predates 1942, is an event in which fans of a particular topic gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and each other. Some ...

that has been held annually in Collinsville, Illinois and is hosted by St. Louis Science Fiction, Ltd. It is the largest convention of its type in the

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

area, bringing a few thousand fans of science fiction, fantasy and horror each year. Archon is held at the beginning of October.

Past highlights

Th
first Archon
in 1977 drew a crowd of 253 and was held at Stouffer's Riverfront Towers (now the Millennium) in downtown St. Louis. In 198

brought author

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

and attracted 1,750 participants to the

Chase Park Plaza Hotel The Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta St. Louis is a historic hotel and apartment complex located at 212 N. Kingshighway Boulevard in the Central West End, St. Louis, Missouri. It consists of two buildings - the Chase Hotel, built in 1922 by develope ...

. The convention had a ten-year run at the now-defunct Henry VIII Hotel near

Lambert Airport St. Louis Lambert International Airport is the primary commercial airport serving Greater St. Louis, metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Commonly referred to as Lambert Field or simply Lambert, it is the largest and List of the b ...

. In 1993, it settled in its current home at the Gateway Center in Collinsville
Archon 20's
guest of honor, author

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...

, attracted record attendance of more than 2,500 convention-goers in 1996. In 2003 Archon 27 expanded from three days to four
Archon 30
attracted nearly 2,800 convention-goers in 2006, a record for the convention. In 2007 in place of Archon, convention organizers hosted

Tuckercon Tuckercon, also known as Archon31, was the ninth North American Science Fiction Convention, held in Collinsville, Illinois, on August 2–5, 2007, at the Gateway Center and Collinsville Holiday Inn. Collinsville is just across the Mississippi ...

, the 9th

North American Science Fiction Convention NASFiC, a.k.a. the North American Science Fiction Convention, is a science fiction convention scheduled only during years where the Worldcon is being held outside the North American continent. NASFiC bids are voted on by the membership of the Wor ...

. The convention was held two months earlier than the normal Archon, on August 2–5, 2007. Guests of honor included Barbara Hambly,

Darrell K. Sweet Darrell K. Sweet (August 15, 1934 – December 5, 2011) was a professional illustrator best known for providing cover art for science fiction and fantasy novels, in which capacity he was nominated for a Hugo Award in 1983. Life and career Sweet ...

, and ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...

'' personalities Kevin Murphy and

Bill Corbett William Daniel Corbett (born March 30, 1960) is an American writer and performer for television, film and theatre. He was a writer and performer on the cult television show ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K''), for which he voiced the r ...

(replacing Mira Furlan, who had to cancel).

Masquerade

Archon hosts one of the best known

masquerade Masquerade or Masquerader may refer to: Events * Masquerade ball, a costumed dance event * Masquerade ceremony, a rite or cultural event in many parts of the world, especially the Caribbean and Africa * Masqueraders, the performers in the West ...

competitions in the country. In 2005, over 50 entries were presented in four separate classes, Junior, Novice, Journeyman and Master. These costumers represent a wide range of fandom, presenting recreations of favorite cinema and literary characters along with original creations. Until his passing, author

Vic Milan Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense): ...

was the emcee of the Archon Masquerade for many years. Kevin Dulle was chosen by Vic Milan as his successor after having worked as the Archon Stage Manager for 20 years. The masquerade is unique for its team of professional light and sound engineers who volunteer their time working with the presenters for the show. The Archon Masquerade rules are compatible with the

International Costumers' Guild International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

guidelines for competition, which means that any major awards won at Archon are included in standings at other ICG convention competitions.

Gaming

Archon features extensive gaming. Among some of the many attractions at Archon gaming are the LARP vampire games run by the St. Louis Underground Gaming Society, Battletech games, Science Fiction RPGs ran yearly, D&D games and CCG tournaments.

Tax ruling

In 1985, St. Louis Science Fiction Ltd. was subject to an adverse court tax court ruling that denied it non-profit

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

status, on the basis that it was not "operated exclusively for exempt purposes", but instead "in part, for the private benefit of artists and dealers", and "in furtherance of substantial nonexempt commercial, and social and entertainment purposes".

References

External links