Of Men and Monsters

Ghost Ship "And All My Days Are Trances..."

Of Men and Monsters

Camp Necon , which was my most-anticipated horror convention back in the1980s and 90s, is still going strong these days. For many years, circumstancesfrowned on me returning, but a couple of years back, Brugger and I went forth toLowell, MA, and — apart from some transportation woes — enjoyed ourselves agrand Necon experience. This year, it's July 19–22, in Manchester, New Hampshire, and wewere hoping to go, but Ms. B.'s loss of her job put the kibosh on that plan.

Alittle while back, horror aficionado, publisher, bookstore owner, and longtimefriend, Dave Hinchberger, gave me a shout and said he and his wife,LeeAnn, were going to Necon — driving fromAtlanta, no less — and wondered whether we might like to get together sincethey'd be passing close by us on their trip. Well, hell, yeah! It's been agessince I've seen Dave. As proprietor of The Overlook Connection , he has always been an invaluable proponent of small press publishers, andback in the days of Deathrealm magazine, he went many extra milesto help me keep it a viable, high-profile publication.

Dave andLeeAnn left Atlanta yesterday, with several stops planned along their tripnorthward, including visits with mutual friends Elizabeth Massie &Cortney Skinner in Waynesboro, Virginia, and Chet &Laurie Williamson in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They calculated their arrival inMartinsville would be around dinnertime, so we decided to meet at the Dutch Inn Restaurant in nearby Collinsville. Back in the days of yore, that restaurant one of thepreeminent dining establishments in the area, but it closed down during theheight of COVID-19, and it never reopened. However, the Inn is under newmanagement, and the restaurant has finally opened its doors for business again.We enjoyed our dinners — I had a burger about the size of North America — andthen we returned to Casa di Rodan for some drinks and the shooting of shit. Andlet me tell you, there was some shit to be shot. Stories about countless conexperiences; fun gatherings with wacky mutual friends; favorite books, stories,and writers; Stephen King anecdotes; and lord knows what all.

TheHinchbergers had to get back to their lodgings in Greensboro before theirbedtimes, but let me tell you, our evening ran pretty late. Absolutely adelightful time, but it only made me wish all the more that Ms. B. and I wouldbe heading to Necon this year. Maybe... maybe if the stars align... nextyear.

Thanks, Dave and LeeAnn, for your thoughtfulness, and we lookforward to getting together again, hopefully not such a long passage of time asthe last!