Saturday Morning in Dayton 2026

 If you get up early enough, if you're not otherwise encumbered with Sherlockian conference duties, and if you hit the hotel lobby at the right time, there are always the 221st Southumberland Waffleers, the society of Sherlockian Waffle House fans. 

Steve Mason typically drafts this volunteer patrol to gather intelligence of local Waffle House breakfasts at the site of Sherlockian events, though there are many others. And among these stalwarts are always a standout hero or two, one of whom is Erica [Full Name Withheld for HIPAA Considerations -- Her Waffle House order is practically a medical condition.]

Ever seen someone eat hash browns with every possible topping? Waffleers have.

Back at the hotel, registration was soon starting at 8:30 and the dealer's tables were open. The BSI and Wessex presses always have their new wares at Dayton if you missed them in New York in January, and there art pieces of art, an array of old books, and even a few baked goods available.

Kyndall Potts, the general manager of the symposium, starts of the program with an intro and the general business of the day. Regina Stinson then gave a short tribute to the late Jacquelynn Morris, whom Regina met online in an AOL chatroom, then first met in person at the Dayton conference in the late nineties. I first met both Jacquelynn and Regina here back then, at which point they introduced me to sushi, a food that was not nearly so omnipresent around the year 2000.

The Susan Rice Mentorship Award, usually presented in New York, wound up being presented here as Ann Andriacco recognized Carolyn Senter's contributions to the Beacon Society.

The first talk of the day brought Kyndall back to the podium to provide a wonderfully comprehensive talk entitled "BBC's Sherlock: Phenomenon and Lasing Impact." Results of a survey of over a thousand Sherlockians were presented both on screen and as a handout, and were fascinating, and a perfect follow-up to conversations that some of us had the evening before. The key to any conference is always that first talk, setting the tone for the day, and Kyndall did good work here.

The Q and A afterwards gave a lot of folks the chance to spout their opinions about BBC Sherlock season four and more, which always gets dicey, as you have to listen to people airing their grievances about something you may have yourself enjoyed. But some good discussion as well, and the attendees are definitely engaged at this point.

You won't believe what came next . . .

Inspector Lestrade marched up to the podium to give new recruits to the police force their indoctrination to Scotland Yard, Sherlock Holmes, and the writings of Doctor Watson for starters. She then went into detail on the uniform and tools of Victorian policework. Did I say "she?" Well, despite the British accent, Lestrade's voice sounded a lot like that of Erica of Waffle House fame. Nightstick use, the needs of extra officers to get the screw-lock darbies around the wrists of a perpetrator, and the riff-raff of criminals one would expect to encounter on the streets of London. An amazing bit.

We get a half hour break after Lestrade/Erica, which is good, because who would want to follow that?

So I will break here as well. More to come.