This last weekend we were at ICON, Iowa’s longest running science fiction convention. We have gone every year we could since at least 2001.

ICON was started in 1975. I found this page that talks about the long history of ICON. It was started by a group of writing students and teacher. It has long had an emphasis on writing and authors.

We and our friends attended while we were in college. There were a few years after we left Iowa City that we didn’t make it back.

There are always fun things to do and see. Music, panels, games, a dealer room. We’ve run a few panels there ourselves. We especially enjoy seeing all of our friends and the Sunday tradition of brunch with Walt’s brother and his wife.

One of our favorite things to look for in the dealer hall is books. We picked up a book by one of the author guests. There is usually a couple of people with older books and we scored big this year!

We make a few stops on our way home, often hitting a few places around New London, Lowell, and West Point. We also grab some Sterzings Potato Chips to enjoy. They are made in southeast Iowa. The company started in 1930s and still makes their chips the same way.

ICON is the second convention we attend every year. Hopefully you all can find a good book to read, whether classic science fiction on not.