Of Men and Monsters

Camp Necon, which was my most-anticipated horror convention back in the 1980s and 90s, is still going strong these days. For many years, circumstances frowned on me returning, but a couple of years back, Brugger and I went forth to Lowell, MA, and — apart from some transportation woes — enjoyed ourselves a grand Necon experience. This year, it's July 19–22, in Manchester, New Hampshire, and we were hoping to go, but Ms. B.'s loss of her job put the kibosh on that plan.

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

Dave and LeeAnn left Atlanta yesterday, with several stops planned along their trip northward, including visits with mutual friends Elizabeth Massie & Cortney Skinner in Waynesboro, Virginia, and Chet & Laurie Williamson in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They calculated their arrival in Martinsville 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 the preeminent dining establishments in the area, but it closed down during the height of COVID-19, and it never reopened. However, the Inn is under new management, 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 — and then we returned to Casa di Rodan for some drinks and the shooting of shit. And let me tell you, there was some shit to be shot. Stories about countless con experiences; fun gatherings with wacky mutual friends; favorite books, stories, and writers; Stephen King anecdotes; and lord knows what all.

The Hinchbergers had to get back to their lodgings in Greensboro before their bedtimes, but let me tell you, our evening ran pretty late. Absolutely a delightful time, but it only made me wish all the more that Ms. B. and I would be heading to Necon this year. Maybe... maybe if the stars align... next year.

Thanks, Dave and LeeAnn, for your thoughtfulness, and we look forward to getting together again, hopefully not such a long passage of time as the last!

That's some funny shit, lady!

Okay, yeah, so they look nice and all, but who knows what evil lurks...

Our Motley Crue