DobeyCon

DobeyCon was a Starsky & Hutch convention held in the UK in the early 1980s. 
According to the letterzine S and H it was "as far as we know, the nearest thing to an officially organized S&H con to be held in Britain."
There were five all together. The sixth one, planned for October 1984 in Darlington, was canceled due to controversy and fannish squabbling. 
In 1985, DobeyCon's organizers planned a con to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the show, called Bullet. This con did not occur, and instead, a tenth anniversary celebration was held in the UK was organized by different group of fans. That con was called Ten Years On.
==General Comments==
==Stresses and Eventual Cancellation: The "Soul Mates Weekend" Spike==
The long-running and popular DobeyCons were attended by fans who had a variety of views regarding David Starsky and Kenneth Hutchinson, and as a result, while the con was not billed as a slash con, it was mostly welcoming to those fans who supported a sexual or physically intimate relationship the two characters.
However, a schism among fans regarding slash had intensified during 1984-85. DobeyCon was caught in the flack regarding views on fans' slash, as well as differing views about what it meant to be a "good" fan and how that related to being a fan of a specific celebrity (in this case David Soul) as opposed to being a fan of the characters. 
The tensions among these fans can be seen in the comments in Shootout, Between Friends, and APB.
In a bit of a power-play, some out-spoken and staunch gen-only fans organized a fan gathering for Soul fans called Soul Mates Weekend. This was something that drew a line in the sand, causing fans to demonstrate their fealty (and their time and money) to "their side." As a result, the sixth DobeyCon (which tolerated slash) suffered a lack of support. DobeyCon was canceled at the last minute due to lack of support, something that frustrated and angered many fans who'd heartily enjoyed the con in the past.
See many comments at here.
This anger caused two fans on the "slash" team to plan another con in 1985, one to commemorate the ten year anniversary of the show. That con, Bullet, also did not occur.
Some examples of discussion the year after DobeyCon was cancelled:
 
==DobeyCon 1 (1980)==
The first convention was held over Easter weekend in 1980.
It was held in Janet Hunt's "front room." comment in Shootout #10 
From a fan in anticipation: 
==DobeyCon 2 (1981)==
The second convention was held February 1981 at the Ashcroft Hotel. 
===DobyCon 2: Con Reports===
 
 
==DobeyCon 3 (1982)==
The third con was held February 1982 in Swansea, South Wales.
At first, the founder of DobeyCon, Sandi Chapman, said in S and H #20 that there would not be a third one: 
Two fans, Lyndy Harding and Stephanie "Tiger" Jones, did step up and took on the lion's share of the planning and organization and Sandi remained as advisor. 
===DobyCon 3: Con Reports===
 
==DobeyCon 4 (1983)==
It was February 25-27, 1983.
Jan Daniels was the main organizer.
The first locale announced was The Park Hotel Ilford Essex. A later locale listed was The Raglan Hall Hotel on Queens Avenue in London. 
There was an art competition, a fiction competition, and a poetry competition.
From a flyer in APB #16: 
==DobeyCon 5 (1983)==
October 28, 1983, Maidstone, Kent, England.
The main con coordinator was again Sandi Chapman, with much help from other fans. 
In January 1984, Chapman wrote: 
===DobeyCon 5: Con Reports===
 
==DobeyCon 6: Proposed, Then Cancelled==
It was proposed for October 1984. It was to have taken place in Darlington. 
The organizers were Lynne Dolan, Jill Ripley, and Chris Ripley.
From a progress report in Shootout :
===DobeyCon 6: Fan Comments Regarding Its Cancellation===
==References==
Category:Starsky & Hutch Conventions
Category:1980 Conventions
Category:1981 Conventions
Category:1982 Conventions
Category:1983 ConventionsCategory:Conventions in United Kingdom