This past weekend, for the first time in over twenty years, a dedicated Doctor Who con was held in the Twin Cities (that’s Minneapolis/St Paul, for those unfamiliar with the moniker). I was thrilled to have a con right here in my own town, and I have to say the organizers acquitted themselves well. While it was a very different experience—both on the con floor and off—than I’ve had at Gally, I had a great time, and look forward to next year.

So what was it like? Glad you asked!

Thursday
Since I didn’t have to contend with the expense of airfare or lodging, I felt justified in springing for one of the “extras” available: the Pre-Con Mixer on Thursday night. Not having done any events like it before, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, other than the advertised details: there would be hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar, and the two guests of honor (Deborah “Victoria” Watling and Sophie “Ace” Aldred) were scheduled to attend.

I have to say, the event was a greater success for me personally than I could possibly have imagined. Although awkward at first—none of my friends were attending the con, let alone the mixer—I found my groove eventually. I chatted with someone I’d seen on Twitter, and before long, Deborah Watling herself had moved to our table. We talked about her recovered episodes and what we liked best about them before she moved on to other attendees.

In fact, that transition led directly to my making some new friends. As I stood uncomfortably alone at the table while conversations swirled around me, the eye of a verbal storm, I couldn’t help but notice that one of the two women Deborah was engaged with had a brilliant fandom mashup tattoo. When they parted ways, I felt compelled to follow these other fans, tapping one on the shoulder.

“Excuse me,” I blurted. “I couldn’t help noticing your tattoo. Is that… the Federation of Rassilon?”

I shouldn’t be surprised to find others who are fans of both Star Trek and Doctor Who, especially in the US, but it never ceases to delight me. The fact that I’d correctly identified the significance of the design forged an instant bond, and soon the three of us were throwing around ideas for which alien race each Doctor should be (inspired by the Femme!Klingon!Four at Gally; suddenly Ol’ Sixie’s fashion choices make sense, if one thinks of him as a Ferengi…).

The highlight of the evening, though, was after my new friends and I had all taken our seats to eat some of the cake that Deborah and Sophie had just cut very ceremoniously (and proceeded to serve, like good Midwestern hostesses). Partway through our conversation, Sophie herself came and sat with us, going around the table to listen to each of us in turn tell about ourselves. To date, that was the single largest fangirl moment (well… half hour) of my life. Ace is my all-time favorite Companion, and to have a real, in-depth conversation with Sophie—who was truly engaged with us all, and interested in what we had to say—was an honor I never dreamed I’d have. What a way to start the con.

Friday
Programming on Friday didn’t begin until 3:00pm, so the fact that I needed to be at home to take care of my daughters until my husband could take over meant that I didn’t miss as many panels as I could have. However, family life being what it is, I wasn’t able to get to the con until just before Opening Ceremonies at 7.

Timing—that is, my availability to attend panels—was the one major way in which con-going proved different for an in-town con. Had I left my family to fend for themselves, as I do when I’m halfway across the country for Gally, I’d have seen three more panels (including the live Reality Bomb podcast) on Friday. Further, I’d have stayed for some of the evening programming both Friday and Saturday night. As it was, the pull of sleeping in my own bed and the intrusion of my normal routine prevented me from staying for any of the 9:00 or 10:30 events (which is a shame, because they looked awesome).

Friday night, however, was the one time I was scheduled to be on a panel. After Opening Ceremonies, then, I made my way to Program B (in my Kimono!9 costume) and took my seat. I was pleasantly surprised at how many folks came to hear us natter on about our opinions of post-Hiatus Who in “Doctor Who 2005 – Today (And Beyond!).”

I wish I could give an objective account of the panel, but I’m obviously not qualified. There were a few moments I felt a bit… outnumbered, but I was glad that at least some of the women in the audience seemed to be with me when I went on my “the Doctor should not be a creeper” rant. (I’m thinking particularly of when Robert Smith?, who moderated, extended my point by bringing up the Doctor kissing Jenny in The Crimson Horror. My expression of disapproval (“sexual assault much?”) shocked at least one audience member, by the look on his face.)

However others perceived the panel, I enjoyed doing it, and I hope to do more next year. I’ll be interested to see where they take the panel tracks in the future.

My final event for the evening, if one can call it that, was to stop by the photo booth to have my picture taken for the Hall Costume contest. Cosplayers could pose Friday night, and attendees would vote for their favorites on Saturday. Part of me really wishes I could get recognition from contests like that, but even though I didn’t, the people in the halls who saw (and understood!) my costume were very complimentary. For me, cosplay is still just plain fun, and that’s all that really matters.

Saturday
Once again on Saturday, there were about three hours of programming I missed that I might have attended had I been “at a con” instead of “at home.” I made a point, though, of getting to both interview panels for the guests of honor.

Having been now to three years’ worth of Gally—two of which included Deborah—I found myself having that strange “con deja vu” in which I knew the ending to all her anecdotes. I’d heard about the phenomenon, of course, but given that I still think of myself as a recent fan, I hadn’t expected to experience it any time soon. Despite the cognitive dissonance, I enjoyed the panel.

In contrast, this was my first time getting to know Sophie. I really can’t say enough nice things about her; I find her to be utterly charming, and just enough like Ace to make my fangirl heart go pitter-pat. If life were different, I can definitely imagine being friends with her.

Before the dinner break, I also watched Sophie’s live commentary on Dragonfire, Part 1 (her first-ever episode to film) and on Ghost Light, Part 3 (her last). I loved hearing the stories about her bookend experiences of her time on the show. Plus, when is it not fun to watch some Who in a room full of fans?

The two-hour break between this last afternoon panel and the Masquerade allowed me plenty of time to go home and change out of my TARDIS costume (which may be pretty and garner cosplay attention in the halls, but is not overly comfy) and get some dinner. Once the festivities got underway, I was suitably impressed with the number and range of entries, from the “young fans” category (the winning TARDIS dress was my personal favorite, as well) to the artisan-level costumes. There were twenty-eight entries (a ridiculously high number for a first con, I’m led to understand), and all seemed to have fun.

My only complaint with it (and I’ll admit that (a) I don’t know costuming like the judges do, and (b) perhaps I’m being nitpicky or suffering from sour grapes) was that the same costume (not just the same cosplayer, but the exact costume) won both the Masquerade and the Hall Costume contest. While I don’t begrudge him his wins on general principle—it was a great Weeping Angel, and he was charismatic & fun on stage; and yes, one of my Hall Costume contest votes was for him—it seems a little unfair from a “just for fun,” hall-only cosplayer’s perspective.

I’d have loved to stay for the evening programming—the Mystery Theater 337 showing of The Greatest Show in the Galaxy at 9 and “The Eighth Doctor Returns” panel at 10:30 were both on my wish list—but familial duty and my aging body thwarted me once again.

Sunday
My best efforts got me to the second panel block of the day on Sunday morning at 11:30, so I was able to sit in on the “Women in Who” panel. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation (there was a lot of audience participation throughout), the panel took a somewhat different direction than I’d envisioned by the description in the program. Most of the hour was spent talking about how various “strong female characters”—both Companions and guests—fit the bill, and what made any character in general and these in particular “strong.” I love singing the praises of the show as much as anyone, but I felt like we missed an opportunity for a broader, more important conversation about what isn’t going right with the representation of women in the show and our thoughts on how to address those problems.

By the 1:00 “Who’s Women” panel with both guests of honor, I started to feel that “it’s the beginning of the end” vibe I always get on the last day of a con. Deborah and Sophie did not disappoint, though. Moderator Lars Pearson evoked enough new stories and asked such inventive questions that it all felt fresh.

My favorite example was when he asked, “If you could choose any one of the Doctors—Eccleston, Tennant, Smith, or Capaldi—to whisk you off, who would it be?” Without a second thought, Deborah declared “Capaldi!” and began fanning herself. (And some folks claim he isn’t sexy – ha!)

Sophie took a little longer to come to her conclusion. After eliminating Matt and David as too energetic (or similar; my phrasing may be off) and Eccleston as too “moody,” especially with Ace, she said, “I think it has to be Capaldi for me, too.”

“I’ll fight you for him!” Deborah instantly countered.

What could possibly top an interview like that? Luckily nothing really had to try, as Closing Ceremonies were next. I’m proud to have been a part of this first con, even just as one of its 535 attendees. It was quite successful, and had fewer birthing pains than I’d feared. Sure, there were plenty of small things that could have been improved, but overall it ran smoothly and was fun for everyone. The con was “closed,” and then it was time to go (except for two last panel tracks, neither of which I attended).

I simply couldn’t walk away from a con featuring my all-time favorite Companion without getting an autograph (I felt a little bad about not giving Deborah more fan business, but I’ve already got her autograph from Gally), so before saying my final farewells, I got in line for just that. When I got to the front and had Sophie sign my DVD sleeve for Remembrance of the Daleks next to Sylvester McCoy’s autograph, I mentioned how we’d met at the mixer on Thursday. “Right. Astrophysics! Writing!” I was stunned—she’s met hundreds of new people this weekend; that she would remember that much detail about one from three days ago boggled me.

Stuttering through my fan-heart palpitations, I managed to tell her that Seven and Ace remain my favorite TARDIS team. I’m sure she hears that kind of thing all the time (fans wouldn’t bother to come see her if they didn’t like her character), but getting the chance to tell your favorites in person that they are your favorites is a special experience.

Thanks, CONsole Room, for giving me that opportunity. Here’s to many more years!