William Shatner and the Star Trek gang may have handed Iowa a disappointment lately by “punking” the town of Riverside but a genuine sci-fi adventure’s on for this weekend. The word fan, after all, is derived from the noun “fanatic,” and nobody loves their literature like fans of science fiction. They’ve been chronicling the future for decades now, and every year since 1975 some avid fans have gathered for a convention in eastern Iowa. Nigel Ray’s served several times as organizer and host for the Iowa convention, known as ICON. People who talk about science fiction, watch movies and even dress up in costumes may seem to be going a bit overboard, but Ray that’s just a sign that they’re really sincere about their pursuit. They hold WorldCon, a traveling sci-fi fest that may be the most famous, but fans of certain authors or local groups also hold WisCon, DragonCon, Callahanicon, ConQuest, and dozens of others large and small. Ray says they’re not the bad kind of fanatics. Friday through Sunday fans of what’s new in the future will gather in Cedar Rapids for ICON 29. See more of its history and details of the convention at http://www.mindbridge.org/icon/
