I've been kicking this around for years and have decided that in 2009 (the 15th anniversary of Monsters from the Vault) I'm finally going to have the first Monsters from the Vault Convention. Having been part of the staff (as a Chairperson) for many of the great FANEX conventions of the 1990s, and having attended 9 of the 10 Monster Bash shows, Wonderfest, Chiller Theatre, Monster Mania, Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors, and the Famous Monsters Con of 1993 I think I have a pretty good idea of what it takes to put on a great show (and I've made lots of connections). I kind of see the MFTV Con as a live version of the magazine and would include the following:

The programming and guests would be from the films of 1930s through mid-70s time period. The convention will be held November 13-15, 2009 (What better day to kick off a classic horror convention than on a Friday the 13th?), at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Baltimore North-Hunt Valley. I had to move from my originally planned dates of early October 2009 to November 2009 since October is now the BIG wedding month and finding affordable space became impossible. The hotel has been totally renovated and looks great and it has tons of function space (I'll only be using about half of it). For those traveling by train or plane the hotel is within a very short walking distance of a Light Rail stop (accessible from both Penn Station and the BWI airport). For those of you who have attended a FANEX Convention in the past at the Sheraton in Towson or the Hunt Valley Inn, this hotel is located approximately half between those two hotels. There are tons of great restaurants near by plus the hotel has a restaurant and bar. Unfortunately, the room rate is higher than I would've liked ($109.00 a night), but that's pretty much the standard rate in the Baltimore Metro area. I hope all of you will seriously think about supporting the show, and I promise you a show you'll never forget! The more room nights I get booked the better my deal so I urge those of you who attend to stay onsite if possible (the hotel has 250 rooms and several suites if the ODCH makes an appearance). If you're like me and you go into a major funk after each year's Bash is over, or you've never attended a convention, in 2009 you'll have two classic horror events to sink your teeth into to get your fix! Look for much more info to follow, but mark your calendars now and come help us celebrate our 15th anniversary in style! Drop me a quick e-mail at editormftv@comcast.net and let me know if you'd consider attending the show. Look for this Web site to be fully operational by the end of April 2008, and keep checking it for the latest updates.