By John Hertz: At Westercon LXIV (West Coast S-F Con, this year 1-4 July. Fairmont Hotel, San Jose, California) the news of the weekend was site selection.  Seattle for 2012 was voted last year.  Portland, Oregon, was the only Westercon LXVI bid to file in time for this year’s voting.  Its committee lacked many known Portland veterans and its proposals struck many voters as vague.  A bid for Granzella’s Inn amidst the California olive country which did not file, apparently on purpose, and seemed to be presented as both a joke and a protest, outdrew the Portland bid 42-41.  This threw site selection to the Business Meeting.  After three heated hours, ably chaired by Kevin Standlee, the Portland committee still had not enough support and the Business Meeting, attended by far more than cast votes before, voted the 2013 Westercon to the Granzella’s committee, which under the By-Laws is not bound by its original proposal but may settle on any site in the west of North America.  Gene Anderson of the Portland committee, and Kevin Roche & Andrew Trembley of the Granzella’s committee, were seen in conference.  At one point Roche spoke opposing his own bid urging voters to consider in earnest.

Hugo nominee Maurine Starkey exhibited in the Art Show for the first time I remember.  She noted with pleasure work by Stu Shepherd who had long drawn for Revell.  I moderated Chris Garcia and Randy Smith at the annual Westercon Last-Minute Hugo Nominees Review, managing somehow to go over the entire ballot in one hour-and-a-half session.  Regency dancing had been hosted by me on Friday; Alan Winston, who was otherwise unable to attend the con, came on Sunday to host a second evening, for which I borrowed a costume from Roche to dress as Vanamonde Von Mekkhan from Guest of Honor Phil Foglio’s Girl Genius.  As noted here earlier I led discussion of three S-F classics, Leinster’s “Ethical Equations”, Anderson’s Brain Wave, and Dick’s Man in the High Castle.  Watching the Masquerade costume competition, which was short but sweet, I sat with two Sikhs, one of whom was at his first s-f con and had many accurate remarks.  A Spokane bid for the 2015 Worldcon emerged.  In the Fanzine Lounge, John O’Halloran talked of taiko drumming.  At filking, our home-made music, Barry Gold sang his wife Lee’s “No More Need to Pray” of Asimov’s Mule, and Kate Gladstone’s “Waldo” of Heinlein’s Waldo Jones.  Round about midnight Monday with hotel restaurants all closed I left to eat, upon returning found the Dead Dog party (until the last dog is –) closed too, and reluctantly slept.