Atlanta Fantasy Fair facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Atlanta Fantasy Fair |
|
|---|---|
| Status | Defunct |
| Genre | Multi-genre |
| Venue | Dunfey's Royal Coach (1977–1978, 1980–1981) Omni Hotel & Georgia World Congress Center (1982–1987, 1990) Atlanta Hilton & Towers (1988–1989, 1991) Hyatt Atlanta Airport (1992–1993) |
| Location(s) | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | 1975 |
| Founders | Gary Cook and Lamar Waldron |
| Most recent | 1995 |
| Attendance | 4,000 (1989) |
| Organized by | A.C.F.F., Ltd. |
| Filing status | Non-profit |
The Atlanta Fantasy Fair (AFF) was a big convention that happened once every summer in Atlanta, Georgia. It ran for twenty years, from 1975 to 1995.
This convention was organized by a group called A.C.F.F., Ltd. It was a non-profit event, meaning it wasn't trying to make money. Its main goal was to celebrate and promote the fantasy genre in the American Southeast.
Over the years, the AFF welcomed hundreds of special guests. It used several hotels in downtown Atlanta. Thousands of hours of activities were planned for fans of science fiction, fantasy, comic books, and other cool interests.
Most Atlanta Fantasy Fairs lasted for three days, from Friday to Sunday. The convention featured many parts of pop culture. It focused mostly on comic books. But it also included science fiction/fantasy, movies/TV shows, animation, anime, manga, toys, horror, and collectible card games.
Besides talks, workshops, and panels with experts, the AFF often showed sneak peeks of upcoming movies. Evening events like costume contests were also popular. The convention had a huge area for sellers. These included comic book dealers and people selling collectibles.
The Atlanta Fantasy Fair was a friendly event for families. You could buy a "membership" to get into the show for the whole weekend. The show was also known for its program booklet, called Visions. Each year, it also gave out the Atlanta Fantasy Fair Award for Outstanding Achievement.
Contents
History of the Atlanta Fantasy Fair
The Atlanta Comics & Fantasy Fair started in 1975. It was founded by Harley Anton, Lamar Waldron, and Gary Cook. The very first convention took place from July 22–24, 1975. It was held at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center in Atlanta.
The special guest of honor at the first event was Stan Lee. He was a very famous person from Marvel Comics. The main offices for the convention were first in Morrow, Georgia.
A local artist and professor named Dr. Kenneth Smith was a guest at almost every show. He attended from 1975 until 1988.
By 1977, Harley Anton, Gary Cook, and Lamar Waldron were leading the convention together. In 1982, the convention became officially organized as a non-profit group. This was done through the Atlanta Comics & Fantasy Fair, Ltd. By 1984, the main office was in Marietta, Georgia.
Lamar Waldron stopped being the convention chair after the 1986 event. Terry Loggins became the convention president from 1986 to 1989. In 1989, the main office moved to Norcross, Georgia.
The Atlanta Fantasy Fair, Inc. officially registered as a non-profit company on August 12, 1991. Their office was in Stockbridge, Georgia. Wayne Loggins was listed as the CEO, and David Denton as the CFO.
In the early 1990s, fewer people started coming to the AFF. This was partly because of a new convention in Atlanta called Dragon Con, which started in 1987. Also, the market for collecting comic books became less popular. The quality of guests at the AFF started to go down, and the show eventually ended in 1995.
Wayne Loggins, one of the former organizers, tried to start a new convention the next year. It was called Atlanta StarCon & Comics. This show happened from November 1–3, 1996. It was held at the Atlanta Marriott North Central Hotel.
Guests at this new show included George Pérez, Michael O'Hare, and Kane Hodder. There were also movie producers like Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy. The event had a party, a costume contest, and a room for sellers. But the show wasn't successful enough to continue in later years.
Convention Dates and Locations
Here is a list of the Atlanta Fantasy Fair events, including where they were held and some of their special guests.
| Dates | Location | Official guests | A.F.F. Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 22–24, 1975 | Ramada Inn | Stan Lee, Kenneth Smith, and collector Mike Curtis | A membership cost $3.50 if bought early, or $4.50 at the door. | |
| 1976 | Marriott Downtown | Frank Brunner, Steve Gerber, Dick Giordano, and Kenneth Smith | ||
| August 12–14, 1977 | Dunfey's Royal Coach (Castlegate) | Jenette Kahn, Dick Giordano, Kenneth Smith, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko. | A van with a Conan the Barbarian theme was parked inside the hall. | |
| 1978 | Dunfey's Royal Coach | Stan Lee, Jim Starlin, Howard Chaykin, Jim Steranko | Robert Conrad was seen in the hotel lobby. | |
| 1979 | Downtown Atlanta Sheraton | John Byrne, Dave Sim | ||
| July 25–27, 1980 | Dunfey's Royal Coach | Robert Bloch | Gil Kane was supposed to be a guest but didn't make it. | |
| 1981 | Dunfey's Royal Coach | Al Williamson, Michael Whelan, Bob Burden, Mike Jittlov Dave Cockrum | ||
| August 13–15, 1982 | Omni Hotel & Georgia World Congress Center | Frank Miller, Ray Harryhausen, Will Eisner, Philip Jose Farmer, Forrest J Ackerman, Bob Burden, Mike W. Barr, Dick Giordano, Brad Linaweaver, Somtow Sucharitkul, Len Wein, musical guests "Axis" | Forrest J Ackerman | |
| August 5–7, 1983 | Omni Hotel & Georgia World Congress Center | Chuck Jones, Theodore Sturgeon, Chris Claremont, Wendy & Richard Pini, Forrest Ackerman, Mike Grell, Ted White, and Bob MacLeod, Gerald W. Page, Bob Burden | Chuck Jones | Membership cost $19, rooms were $44 a night. |
| August 3–5, 1984 | Omni Hotel & Georgia World Congress Center | Larry Niven, Forrest J Ackerman, Robert Bloch, Sharon Webb, Richard Pini, Peter Laird, Kevin Eastman, Fred Hembeck | Robert Bloch | Membership cost $25. |
| August 2–4, 1985 | Omni Hotel & Georgia World Congress Center | Newt Gingrich, Will Eisner, Frederik Pohl, Theodore Sturgeon, Gerald W. Page, Ted White, Forrest J Ackerman | Will Eisner | |
| August 2–4, 1986 | Omni Hotel & World Congress Center | Comics guests included Chris Claremont, Denny O'Neil, Stan Lee, Ralph Bakshi, Matt Feazell, Kelly Freas, Dave Gibbons, Greg Hildebrandt, Jim Starlin, John Romita, Sr., Boris Vallejo, and Bob Burden. Science fiction/fantasy writers included Robert Asprin, John Varley, Brad Strickland, and Diane Duane. Media guests included Carl Macek, Don Kennedy, and Steve Jackson. | Stan Lee | About 5,000 people attended. |
| July 31–August 2, 1987 | Omni Hotel & Georgia World Congress Center | Adam West, Caroline Munro, Robert Bloch, Boris Vallejo, Kelly Freas, Jennifer Roberson, and Tom Savini | Tom Savini | |
| June 24–26, 1988 | Atlanta Hilton & Towers | Guest of honor was Stan Lee; other guests included Mark Gruenwald, Archie Goodwin, Steven Grant, Bob Burden, Kevin Maguire, Julius Schwartz, and Chris Claremont. | Julius Schwartz | The convention moved because of the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta. About 4,000 people attended. |
| July 21–23, 1989 | Atlanta Hilton & Towers | George Pérez, Michael Dorn, Jerry Robinson, Gary Gygax, Todd Bryant, June Chadwick, Marc Singer, and Marina Sirtis | George Pérez | Membership cost $27 if bought early, or $30 at the door. About 4,000 people attended. Bob Kane and Tom Savini had to cancel. |
| August 17–19, 1990 | Omni Hotel & Georgia World Congress Center | Jack Kirby, John de Lancie, Sandahl Bergman, Catherine Hicks, Julius Schwartz, Sharon Green, Linda Thorson, Martin Caidin, Greg Theakston, Boris Vallejo, Bobbie Chase, Danny Fingeroth, and Carl Macek | ||
| July 26–28, 1991 | Atlanta Hilton & Towers | Marina Sirtis, Dean Stockwell, Marc Singer, Matt Wagner, Julius Schwartz, Greg Bear | Greg Bear | Attendees got a special early look at the movie Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time. |
| June 20–21, 1992 | Hyatt Atlanta Airport | Peter David, Stephen R. Donaldson | Stephen R. Donaldson | |
| June 25–27, 1993 | Hyatt Atlanta Airport | David Prowse, Grace Lee Whitney, Caroline Munro, Monique Gabrielle, Jeff Rector, Gunnar Hanson, Irish McCalla | Membership cost $27 if bought early, or $30 at the door. | |
| June 17–19, 1994 | Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza | Sarah Douglas, Bruce Campbell, Jeff Rector, Geraint Wyn Davies, John A. Russo, Ted V. Mikels | Membership cost $27 if bought early, or $30 at the door. Rooms were $79 for one or two people, and $99 for three or four. | |
| June 23–25, 1995 | Castlegate Hotel | Claudia Christian, Dirk Benedict, Dwight Schultz, Jeff Pittarelli, Don Hillsman II, Wayne Vansant, Joe Phillips | Membership cost $35 for 3 days. Rooms were $69. |
Visions Program Booklet
From 1979 to 1987, the convention created a special program booklet called Visions. This booklet was given to everyone who attended the convention. Each issue of this zine (a small, self-published magazine) featured the special guests of that year. It included their life stories and lists of their work.
Each issue also had cool illustrations from both professional and amateur artists. Visions was first published by Gary Cook and Lamar Waldron. Later, starting with issue #4 in 1982, it was published under the name Atlanta Comics & Fantasy Fair, Ltd. Lamar Waldron was the editor, and the booklets were usually 12 inches by 9 inches in size.
Visions #1 (1979) was the first place where Bob Burden's character, Flaming Carrot, ever appeared. Visions #3 (1981) has a very rare early story about Flaming Carrot by Burden.
The AFF printed 4,000 copies of Visions #4 (1982). This issue included a Batman drawing by Frank Miller. It also had a list of Miller's work, an article about Forrest J Ackerman written by Robert Bloch, and artwork by Ray Harryhausen and Will Eisner. It also featured the fourth appearance of Burden's Flaming Carrot.
Visions #5 had lists of books by Robert Bloch and Larry Niven. It also included an article called "Remembering Boris Karloff" by Forrest J Ackerman. The cover showed a model named Susan Barrow.
Atlanta Fantasy Fair Awards
In 1982, the Atlanta Fantasy Fair Award for Outstanding Achievement was created. This award honored people for their amazing work over a lifetime. It recognized achievements in science fiction, fantasy, horror, comics, and related fields.
The award itself was a beautiful sterling silver statuette (a small statue). It was sculpted by Edward Knox. The statue was of "Miss Fantasy Fair," and she had a fancy headdress and a diamond in one eye.
To receive the award, winners had to be there in person. If they weren't, the award would go to the next chosen person. The very first person to receive this award was Forrest J Ackerman. He was a big fan, spokesperson, and promoter of science fiction and fantasy.
See Also
- [1] at the Grand Comics Database
