#tricon

We'll be at TRICON, held at THEMUSEUM in Kitchener, Ontario! Catch us on Saturday and Sunday, May 2nd and 3rd. Stop by and check out the other awesome vendors!

What did Star Trek fans do before there were Star Trek conventions? Actually, there were (and still are) a number of science fiction conventions out there. In the years before Star Trek conventions were organized, Trek fans could usually find an appearance by one or more Trek celebrity at one of these cons. One of the biggest and oldest ones is World Science Fiction Convention, more commonly known as WorldCon. It started in 1939 and has been hosted yearly since then (except during WWII).

In early September 1966, the convention was hosted by three cities - Cincinnati, Cleveland and Detroit. For that reason it became known as Tricon, even though it was actually held at the Sheraton in Cleveland.

Many new science fiction TV shows and movies jostled for attention, such as Fantastic Voyage and Lost World. But Gene was a consummate showman. Not only did he show selections from both pilots, but he also hired several models to wear costumes that were featured on the show. Above is model Sheree North dressed in Sherry Jackson’s daring costume from “What Are Little Girls Made From?”  And yes, that is Gene on the stage with her in one of the uniforms from “Balance of Power.” But that isn’t the most fun part of this story.

Originally these young ladies were not part of the Futuristic Fashion Show organized by one of Bjo Trimble’s friends. However, this person came down with appendicitis and Bjo was asked to handle this show in addition to working with her husband John Trimble on the Art Show. The fashion show had been worked on for months. Fans had been asked to send in their designs and the ones selected were constructed also by fans. Even the models were carefully selected fans. Unknown to Bjo, someone had suggested to Gene that he enter some of the costumes from his new show into the contest. So he takes two costumes from “Mudd’s Women” and one from “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” and hires several young Cleveland models to wear them. In the meantime, Bjo was approached by some of the committee who asked that she allow these three costumes (sight unseen, no less) to be entered in the fashion show. Immediately, she bristled and refused. The show was already tightly timed and she had no idea who this big Hollywood producer person was, much less why she should have to find room for three last minute additions. Luckily, one of the committee members contacted Gene to see if he wanted to see if he use some of his charm on Bjo. And she admitted it worked. Not only were the three models allowed to be part of the Futuristic Fashion Show that year but Bjo was also talked into mentioning Gene’s new show as the models walked across the floor.

And for the ladies, William Shatner evidently put in an appearance. This was part of a collection of photos taken at Tricon.

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