Locals
Cons[edit]
Most commonly today alocal refers to a localconvention, typically smaller than aregional, which drawsfans from only a short distance around the convention city, rarely attractingtraveling jiants.
Often, area fans do not book hotel rooms but commute from home. Sometimes, they areone-day cons. These conventions may attract manyghosts. With the proliferation ofconventions, some cons that used to beregionals have devolved into local cons.
Clubs[edit]
Today, a localclub is usually simply called a "club".
In the old sense, that aclub waslocal was important in the 1930s and early ’40s whenfannish dreams were still about all-encompassing nationalgeneral fan organizations or even internationalfannish organizations and groups likeFAPA, theN3F and theSFL were seen as the defining force infandom.
| FromFancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959 |
| Fans living in the same city or metropolitan area usually form some kind of organization at whose meetings they may get together, tho in some cases, like theWashington Worry-Warts and theWindy City Wampires, there is no formal setup. Of old many locals had titular links with one or more regional or general fan organizations (the main advantage of which was publicity of the fact that they existed, so that other interested people nearby might join) but the absence of such inclusive groups today means that modern locals must be independent. In many cases, like the oldLASFS, a local group might be a branch of several organizations. Occasionally strong active locals are found in small communities, like theDecker Dillies, but the longer-lived ones are in metropolitan areas.New York andLos Angeles are the only cities that have supported more than one local for any considerable length of time. Even in the large cities, likeChicago andWashington, there have been periods when there was no activefandom, and in smaller places periods of nothingness have been more frequent because of the weakness of locals, which have a way of folding up with the loss of one or two activefans. In spite of this, they are the strongest type offan organization, because they present an opportunity forfangabbing, cooperative publishing, visiting, and similarfan activity, which in larger organizations (where contacts are chiefly by mail) can be had only atfan gatherings. |
| FromFancyclopedia 1, ca. 1944 |
| Fans living in the same city or metropolitan area usually from some kind of organization at whose regular meetings they may get together, tho in some cases, like theWashington Worry-Warts and theWindy City Wampires, there is no formal setup. These locals may be independent, but more often have a titular link with one or more regional orgeneral fan organizations, the main advantage of which is publicity of the fact that they exist so that other interested people nearby may join. In many cases a local will be a branch of several general organizations; theLASFS and thePSFS are the outstanding examples. Occasionally strong and active locals are found in comparatively small communities, like theLiterature Science and Hobbies Club of Decker Indiana, but the longer-lived ones are usually in metropolitan areas.Leeds,New York, and for a brief timeChicago andLA, are the only cities that have supported more than one local at a time. Even in the large cities, such asChicago andWashington, there have been periods when there was no activefandom, and in smaller places periods of nothingness have been oftener because of the weakness of all locals that they may fold up with the loss of one or two very activefans. In spite of this, they are the strongest type offanorganization because they present an opportunity forfangabbing, cooperative publishing, visiting, and similarfan activity, which in a larger organization, where contacts are mainly by mail, can be had only atfan gatherings. |
| Fanspeak |
| This is afanspeak page. Please extend it by adding information about when and by whom it was coined, whether it’s still in use, etc. |
