Heicon Reunion at Anticipation

Thirty-nine summers ago Heidelberg, Germany hosted the 1970 Worldcon, Heicon. An international slate of pro GoHs, Robert Silverberg, E.C. Tubb and Herbert W. Franke, were joined by Elliot Shorter, the TAFF delegate also named fan GoH. Americans knew the town as the place where tenor Mario Lanza, in The Student Prince, agreeably commanded everyone to “Drink, drink!” That order fans happily obeyed, quenching their thirst with Verguzz, a 180-proof drink bottled by German fans that ever after became a legend in its own right.

Scratch Bachrach hopes to pull off a reunion at Anticipation of the fans who attended Heicon. He says there will definitely be a panel, the likely participants being Robert Silverberg (other duties permitting), Uncle Jake Waldman, Ginjer Buchanan, Don Lundry, Bill Burns and himself. He’s also hoping a reunion party will be approved the Committee, though the budget is tight. 

Scratch decided to make the big push during the 39th anniversary, not the 40th, for these reasons: “A lot of the 700-plus attendees are gone, and I do not see many of these people going to Australia. The next time this can happen will be at Reno and it will be a lot smaller. I hope that many of those who are left will attend, just to see old friends. We will be talking about what Fandom was like before the world changed.”

Scratch can be contacted by e-mail at <dedrell [at] epix.net>