About Minicon 59
What is Minicon and who is running it.
Minicon is Minneapolis's longest running science fiction convention! We hope you'll join us this year. You'll be in the company of about 500 other fans of not only science fiction, but fantasy, horror, anime, gaming, music, and many other pursuits.
Minicon features panel discussions, readings, signings, costuming, films, gaming, an art show, a dealers' room, kids' programming, a teen lounge and teen programming, a science room, music, a consuite and bar, room parties, and various other special events. For all that, most people say they don't come for what we have scheduled, but because they want to hang out with others like them in a place that feels like home.
If you haven't been to Minicon before, you might not be familiar with our breed of convention. This is not a "show" where you are paying to get in and then paying again to get autographs, and again for food, etc. Our registration fee covers all of the con features … once you're in, you're in. (Ok, we'll admit that the t-shirts are extra.) It is primarily a participatory event where fans bring the fun to each other, not one where we primarily line up events to entertain you. Sure, there will be entertainment, but with the exception of the guests of honor, it is all fans (who have paid the same as you for their membership) entertaining fans because they enjoy it.
Minicon 59 will be April 2½ – 5, 2026, which, as usual, is Easter weekend.
Convention Committee
The convention committee (or concom) are the people that organize and run the convention. Anybody can help out on the committee as long as you're willing to put in the work to put on a great convention. If you'd like to help, please email chaREMOVEir@miniconTHIS59.mnstf.org.
- Art show
- Rachel Traynham (head), Jacob Black
- Badges
- Bill Christ (departmental badges), Build-a-Blinkie (member badges)
- Bar
- Susan Philbrook and Brian Lundgren (co-heads), LillySong Watson (dead dog)
- BBT
- Thorin Tatge
- Chair
- Matt Strait, Stacey Strait (co-chair)
- Consuite
- Paul Ference (head), Drew Jensen
- Cosplay
- Tyler Bloom
- Dealer's Room
- Jean Mlynczak (head), Natasha Krentz
- Easels
- Delia Ihinger
- Film Room
- Greg Larsen
- Gaming
- Clay Harris
- Hotel
- Stacey Strait (head), Aaron Vander Giessen
- Info desk
- Mara DeMers
- Logistics
- Jim Porter (head), Hershey Harris
- Medallion Hunt
- J Spitzer
- Merchandising
- Stacey Strait
- Music
- Beth Kinderman
- Outreach
- LillySong Watson, Evie Bogie
- Parties
- Corin Dennison
- Photography
- David Dyer-Bennet (head), Ben Huset
- Programming
- Crystal Therese (head), Mara DeMers, Lisa Freitag, Edison Jensen, Sharon Kahn, Anna Waltz
- Publications
- Susan Philbrook (head), David Dyer-Bennet, Vic Stremski
- Registration
- Clay Harris (pre-registration), Andy Exley and Ethan Sommer (co-heads; at-con registration)
- Restaurant Guide
- Crystal Therese
- Rumpus Room
- John Wardale, Nora Strait (co-heads)
- Science Room
- Ben Huset
- Social media
- Aaron Vander Giessen
- Teen Room
- Rebecca Strait, Dani Sommer (co-heads)
- Treasurer
- Andra St Arnauld
- Volunteers
- Sybil Smith, Sharon Kahn (co-heads)
- Webmaster
- Christopher Weiss