SMOF News, volume 4, issue 30

Norovirus causes health authority to shut convention down, and news in brief.

Wild Wild West Steampunk Convention Shut Down Over Norovirus Outbreak

Wild Wild West Steampunk Convention 13 was scheduled for March 20-23 in Tuscon, Arizona, but was shut down abruptly the afternoon of March 22 due to an outbreak of what was later determined to be norovirus.

The venue, Casino Del Sol, gave a statement to local station KVOA saying in part:

As soon as we were informed of the situation, we took immediate action in coordination with the Tribal Medical Authority to prioritize the health and safety of our guests and team members. While we regret the circumstances that led to the early conclusion of the event, our priority remains the well-being of everyone on our property.

Casino Del Sol is run by the Pascua Yaqui, a federally recognized tribe. Indigenous tribes within the United States which are recognized by the federal government are treated as semi-sovereign nations, with their own government services operating independently of the surrounding states or federal government.

This is hardly the first norovirus outbreak to hit a fan convention, but it may be the first to have caused a local health authority to shut the convention down.

Wild Wild West’s own much lengthier statement emphasizes that it had no say in the matter and feels it was treated poorly:

On Saturday, March 21, at 3:20 p.m, the convention was notified in a brief meeting between [Casino Del Sol] representatives and WWWC owners that the “Tribal Medical Authority” was immediately shutting down the event due to an “ongoing medical situation”. This message was reiterated to the entire WWWC management team within 10 minutes. All guests were required to leave and vendors were given two hours to tear down, pack, and depart. We were informed everyone involved with the convention would need to check out of the hotel Saturday, and no one associated with the convention was permitted to stay the night.

During that meeting, WWWC management inquired about the reason for the shutdown but received no additional details beyond “ongoing medical situation”, despite repeated requests. No assistance was offered for finding lodging for anyone, including out-of-town guests. Guests left very quickly, and the vendors managed to pack up within three hours, with the final departure occurring within five hours due to substantial equipment. The evacuation was orderly and occurred without injury or serious incident despite the fear and confusion caused by the lack of information.

Also according to the statement, Casino Del Sol would later demand that Wild Wild West delete its first Facebook posting alerting attendees to the outbreak.

While testing has confirmed that norovirus was responsible, the size and source of the outbreak was unclear. Wild Wild West first noted the outbreak as several members of its staff and committee fell ill.

While overshadowed by COVID-19 these days, noroviruses have come roaring back as large gatherings have resumed. To keep themselves and others healthy, convention attendees should wash their hands well with soap and water before eating or preparing food. (Alcohol-based hand sanitizers will not kill noroviruses.)

In Brief

• The European Fan Fund has extended its deadline for 2025 nominations to March 30. The winner of the vote will attend this year’s Eurocon, Archipelacon 2 (Mariehamn, Finland, June 26-29). Candidates may be from any European country other than Finland.

• WasabiCon (New Orleans, Louisiana, May 10-11) has added Ian Sinclair.

• Anime Central (Rosemont, Illinois, May 16-18) has added LaTia Jacquise, Keith Baker, Elisa Teague, Damien Haas, Justine Huxley, KAF, Mark Meer, and Johnny Young.

• JAFAX (Grand Rapids, Michigan, June 27-29) has added Jessie James Grelle.

• ATL Comic Convention (Atlanta, Georgia, July 18-20) has added Christopher Wehkamp, David Matranga, Dean Cain, and Bryce Papenbrook.

• Terrificon (Uncasville, Connecticut, August 8-10) has added Joe Jusko and Chris Claremont.

• Miryokucon (Baltimore, Maryland, August 29-31) has added Amanda C. Miller.

• FanX Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, Utah, September 25-27) has added Garrett Hedlund, Sarah Natochenny, John Schneider, and Erica Schroeder.

Event Calendar

Weekend of March 28-30

• AuthorCon 5 (books), Williamsburg, Virginia, USA

• Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival, Pikesville, Maryland, USA

• Motor City Furry Con: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Furry Con, Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA

• Golden State Fur Con: Urban LA (anthropomorphic), Los Angeles, California, USA

• Paradice (gaming), Worthing, UK

• Circle DC (gaming), Washington, DC, USA

• Great Plains Game Festival, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

• Ludinord (gaming), Mons-En-Barœul, France

• Alamo City Game Convention, San Antonio, Texas, USA

• Tennessee Game Days Spring 2025, Franklin, Tennessee, USA

• Scrum Con (wargaming), Silver Spring, Maryland, USA

• Adepticon 2025 (wargaming), Schaumburg, Illinois, USA

• GOBfest (boardgames), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

• Charger Con (video games), Huntsville, Alabama, USA

• LAN All Night Eleven (LAN gaming), Grapevine, Texas, USA

• FreeCon 21 (anime), Tallahassee, Florida, USA

• Anime Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

• Manga-Comic-Con, Leipzig, Germany

• Nadeshicon (anime), Québec City, Québec, Canada

• Anime Detour: Syndicates and Spies, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

• Triad Anime Convention, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

• Anime New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

• Karoshi-Con (anime), DeKalb, Illinois, USA

• SwampCon 2025: Your Cup of Tea! (anime), Gainesville, Florida, USA

• ZAPP! Con 6 (comics), Wayne, New Jersey, USA

• Fluke 2025 (independent comics and zines), Athens, Georgia, USA

• GalaxyCon Richmond (media), Richmond, Virginia, USA

• ETSU-Con (media), Johnson City, Tennessee, USA

• Island FanCon (media), Langford, British Columbia, Canada

• Atlantic Entertainment Expo (media), Charlottetown, PEI, Canada

• Sci-Fi on the Rock (media), St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada

• PeoriaCon 2025 (media), Peoria, Illinois, USA

• WonderCon 2025 (media), Anaheim, California, USA

• Supanova 2025 – Melbourne (media), Ascot Vale, Australia

• Power On Con (Captain Power), Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

• Vampire Fan Weekend (Vampire Diaries), Allen, Texas, USA

Weekend of April 4-6

• Roscon-2025, Moscow, Russia

• Fandom Fest of Southwest Michigan, Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA

• Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention, Lombard, Illinois, USA

• FilKONtario (music), Markham, Ontario, Canada

• 13 Gears (steampunk), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

• Furry Down Under 2025: Gods & Monsters (anthropomorphic), Surfers Paradise, Australia

• Marmalade Dog 27 (gaming), Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

• FallsCon 25: Journey Into the Cosmos (gaming), Wichita Falls, Kansas, USA

• Play (gaming), Bologna, Italy

• Game On Expo, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

• MEPACON (gaming), Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, USA

• Roll Initiative Con (gaming), Ewijk, Netherlands

• Gondreville est ludique (gaming), Gondreville, France

• Festival Draconis 2025 (gaming), online

• Long Island Tabletop Gaming Expo 2025, Garden City, New York, USA

• FriendCon Spring 2025 (gaming), Portland, Maine, USA

• Havoc XXXIX (miniatures gaming), Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA

• Seven Hills: Generations (RPGs), Sheffield, UK

• Midwest Gaming Classic (video games), Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

• RetroCon Saar Level 14: Childhood Heroes (retro video games), Völklingen, Germany

• OKiCon Tulsa (anime), Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

• Ithacon 48 (comics), Ithaca, New York, USA

• Romics (comics), Rome, Italy

• Angers Geekfest #6 (media), Angers, France

• FACTS (media), Ghent, Belgium

• RodCon (media), Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA

• SC Comicon, Greenville, South Carolina, USA

• Hill Country Comicon, New Braunfels, Texas, USA

• ASU NerdCon (media), Boone, North Carolina, USA

• Fanfaire NYC (media), New York City, New York, USA

• Philip K. Dick Film Festival, New York City, New York, USA

• Armageddon Expo Christchurch (media), Christchurch, New Zealand

• Awesome Con (media), Washington, DC, USA

• Bedford Who Charity Con 10 (Doctor Who), Bedford, UK

Weekend of April 11-13

• Fantaxia/Italcon 51 (Italian national sf convention), Genoa, Italy

• LuxCon 2025 (Luxembourgish national sf con), Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

• Virtual Can*Con, online

• HAL-CON 2025, Kawasaki City, Japan

• Fantasy-Con (fantasy), Vienna, Austria

• Corflu 42 (fanzines), Newbury, UK

• Jack Williamson Lectureship 2025: Worlds Beyond, Portales, New Mexico, USA

• 221B Con (Sherlock Holmes), Atlanta, Georgia, USA

• Woods Flock (anthropomorphic), Spencer, Tennessee, USA

• Texas Furry Fiesta: Murder on the TFF Express (anthropomorphic), Dallas, Texas, USA

• Furcationland 2025: Fuzzytown Fair (anthropomorphic), Portland, Maine, USA

• UBCon XXXIV (gaming), Buffalo, New York, USA

• HandyCon 16 (gaming), Milton Keynes, UK

• Mayhem III: The Mayhem Revolution (gaming), Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA

• Tabletop Utopia 3 (gaming), Hartford, Connecticut, USA

• DayCon (gaming), Kettering, Ohio, USA

• Ratinger Spieletage (gaming), Ratingen, Germany

• Conpulsion 2025 (gaming), Edinburgh, UK

• Keks-Con 8 (RPGs), Hannover, Germany

• Chaosium Con USA (Chaosium games), Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

• VGM Con: Dimensional Riff (videogames/music), Plymouth, Minnesota, USA

• J-Tsoon6 (anime), Talinn, Estonia

• Sekaicon (anime), Newark, Ohio, USA

• Mang’Azur (anime), Toulon, France

• Atlantic Entertainment Expo (media), Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

• El Paso Comic Con, El Paso, Texas, USA

• Comic-Con Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

• Yellow City Comic Con, Amarillo, Texas, USA

• Fangaea (media), Mission Valley, California, USA

• Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, Chicago, Illinois, USA

• Creation Boston (media), Boston, Massachusetts, USA

• CyPhaCon 2025 (media), Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA

• Supanova 2025 – Gold Coast (media), Broadbeach, Australia

• PortmeiriCon (The Prisoner), Portmeirion, UK

• Dairycon 2025 (Transformers), Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA

Mid-week convention: Olamot, Tel Aviv, Israel

Weekend of April 18-20

• Reconnect (UK national sf convention), Belfast, UK

• Minicon 58, Bloomington, Minnesota, USA

• Norwescon 47: Through the Cosmic Telescope, SeaTac, Washington, USA

• ConStellation 13: So Say We All, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

• Pawske Party (anthropomorphic), Oslo, Norway

• Las Vegas Fur Con 2025: Ad Vegastra, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

• Fauntastic: Lati's Mewstery Dungeon (anthropomorphic), Lyon, France

• CODCON XXVIII: Pieces of Twenty-Eight (gaming), Glen Ellyn, Illinois, USA

• Fastaval (gaming), Hobro, Denmark

• GothCon (gaming), Göteborg, Sweden

• Who’s Yer Con (gaming), Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

• EyeCon 2025 (gaming), North Ryde, Australia

• Jeu au Boute (boardgames), Chertsey, Québec, Canada

• TAGCON (boardgames), Pasco, Washington, USA

• Nashville Tabletop Day 2025 (boardgames), Nashville, Tennessee, USA

• Conquest 2025 (RPGs), Melbourne, Australia

• EyeCon 2025 (RPGs), North Ryde, Australia

• CoMo Retro Con (retro video games), Columbia, Missouri, USA

• WeebCon (anime), Irving, Texas, USA

• MTAC Another World! (anime), Nashville, Tennessee, USA

• Kanpai!Con (anime), Omaha, Nebraska, USA

• KokoroCon (anime), Nottingham, UK

• The AniMeet, Lusaka, Zambia

• Anime Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

• Comic- und Manga-Convention Münster, Münster, Germany

• Mobile Bay Anime Festival, Daphne, Alabama, USA

• Sakura-Con 2025 (anime), Seattle, Washington, USA

• ExpOtaku Vitoria-Gasteiz 2025 (anime), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

• Middle East Film & Comic Con, Abu Dhabi, UAE

• My-Con (media), Orlando, Florida, USA

• Armageddon Expo Wellington (media), Wellington, New Zealand

• Puerto Rico Comic Con, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA

• Ratha Con (media), Athens, Ohio, USA

• Sci-Fi Scarborough (media), Scarborough, UK

• Wicked Comic Con, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

• German Film Comic Con, Dortmund, Germany

• HorrorCon Germany (horror media), Rust, Germany

• Star Wars Celebration Japan, Chiba, Japan

• BABSCon 2025 (My Little Pony), Burlingame, California, USA

Weekend of April 25-27

• Concinnity 25, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

• RavenCon 18, Richmond, Virginia, USA

• 3. Science Fiction & Fantasy-Tag, Apensen, Germany

• Les Intergalactiques, Lyon, France

• OmegaCon (relaxacon), Siren, Wisconsin, USA

• JordanCon (fantasy literature), Atlanta, Georgia, USA

• Springmoot 2025 (Tolkien), Cambridge, UK

• Ice and Fire Convention (Song of Ice and Fire series), Mt. Sterling, Ohio, USA

• Malice Domestic 37 (mysteries), Bethesda, Maryland, USA

• Furry Weekend Holland, Baarlo, Netherlands

• Klingen Con LVI (gaming), Remscheid, Germany

• Ragnarok 5.0 (gaming), Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

• DaveCon (gaming), Bloomington, Minnesota, USA

• LexiCon (gaming), Lexington, Kentucky, USA

• Icon (gaming), Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA

• D8 Summit Charity Convention (gaming), Dixon, Illinois, USA

• Rising Phoenix GameCon, Milford, Massachusetts, USA

• Con-tribution (gaming), Peoria, Illinois, USA

• iMagicon (gaming), Minot, North Dakota, USA

• Cheyenne Gaming Convention, Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA

• WizardCon 2025 (gaming), Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

• Puget Con 2025 (gaming), Everett, Washington, USA

• Spring CamasCon (gaming and Christian retreat), Peshastin, Washington, USA

• Jeu au Boute (boardgames), Chertsey, Québec, Canada

• Fun K-Town (boardgames), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

• Little Wars 2025: Shot Heard Round the World (miniatures gaming), Lombard, Illinois, USA

• Recon 2025: Surf and Turf! (miniatures gaming), Orlando, Florida, USA

• LVL UP EXPO (video games), Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

• Final Three Con (social games), McLean, Virginia, USA

• Oz-Con (anime), West Plains, Missouri, USA

• LoboCon (anime), Rohnert Park, California, USA

• aniMUC (anime), Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany

• Overload (anime), Auckland, New Zealand

• Umiko (anime), Koper, Slovenia

• Castle Point Anime Convention, Seacaucus, New Jersey, USA

• Anime St. Louis, St. Charles, Missouri, USA

• FicZone 2025 (anime), Granada, Spain

• Austria Comic Con, Wels, Austria

• Causeacon (media), Beckley, West Virginia, USA

• Fayetteville Comic Con, Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA

• Mortal Hunters 4 Con (Shadowhunters), Düsseldorf, Germany

Coda

• World’s oldest llama (Associated Press)

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