221B Con 2023: Afterthoughts

So tonight I had a nice little reminder that "Oh, yes, I had one more blog post about 221B Con that I hadn't tied a bow on and published!" and after a workday whose anger-producing moments weren't leaving my head, I had remembered that doing something for those you love can clear away that frustration sometimes. So I took some pumpkin chili over to one family member, piled up some special books for another kinfolk, and then got a nice note that brought me back to all my Sherlockian con-cousins.

So back to that blog post, already in progress . . .  

There's nothing like getting the most out of your time off work, and this year's little spring break down to Atlanta for 221B Con, has really felt like I did get the most out of it. Still catching up on sleep, but doing well at it. So what was this year like?

First, as anxious as I was about road issues with a fully packed rental car leading up to the trip, I found that final drive from Nashville to Atlanta something akin to inner peace. The spring greenery that we hadn't quite gotten in Illinois yet combined with the certain knowledge that that interstates 24 and 75 had only ever taken me to that Sherlockian Shangri-La which only appears for three days each year . . . well that combination seemed to just set my mind at ease. No worries, no thoughts of the job or daily chores. Just a beautiful trail to a special place, kinda magical in its way, for interstate.

Second, going the vendor route this year and missing most of the programming proved one point that I'd always suspected: I don't go to Sherlockian weekends for the programs. Sure, I enjoy a good panel discussion, a good talk, learning new things. But I wouldn't travel twelve hours, eight hours, or even three, just for that. It's the chance to hang with Sherlockians enjoying themselves. And we do enjoy ourselves at 221B Con, even if you spend your whole day at a vendor's table just people-watching and chatting up passersby.

Third, Paul Thomas Miller is real, and just the pleasant company you thought he was, even when being abused by a podcast microphone.

Fourth, I think Sherlockian karaoke is the trend of the 2020s. Sure, 221B Con has had it for years, but after Dayton and Atlanta both had good shows with some surprise Sherlockians at the mike for such very different weekends, it seems to be on the rise.

Fifth, 221B Con has existed for ten years and has, at this point, definitely built a community. A community with its own customs, lore, and personality. You can ask what "floor bacon" has to do with Sherlock Holmes, but you'd basically be asking what the song "We Always Mention Aunt Clara" has to do with Sherlock Holmes in earlier times. We can certainly justify it as a stone memorial to Altamont who was "bringing home the bacon" in "His Last Bow," just as Aunt Clara was justified as being Irene Adler way back when, but really it's just another part of the lore of a specific Sherlockian community. And the con is a specific Sherlockian community.

I usually get a few more blog posts in about the content of the con each year, but I got a little sidetracked this time around as I decided to experience a different side of 221B Con in the vendors room. I hear they always need volunteers, so I may go that route at a future con to try that side as well. Did you ever just enjoy being a part of something so much that you wanted to sample all the parts? If not, I hope you get there one day. I hear there's a loneliness epidemic out there, and for a few days a year, it's good to get a booster shot against it. 2024 can't come soon enough!