New York Star Trek '76

New York Star Trek '76 was a for-profit Star Trek con, the second one staged by Lisa Boynton. The first Boynton con was Star Trek Chicago.
It was over-sold, and by many fans' accounts, a chaotic convention. In con reports, fans dubbed it "Disastercon," "Riotcon," and "Heartbreak Hotel."
 
An estimated 20,000 to 50,000 fans showed up. A fan wrote that: 
This con, unlike the New York Star Trek conventions, was for profit and paid its guests to attend, making it more difficult for fan run conventions to compete with. This convention and its predecessor, Star Trek Chicago, were hailed by many fans as the end of the era of fan run conventions with actor guests.
The convention was scheduled a few weeks after Al Schuster's 1976 Star Trek convention and a few weeks before the Committee con also in New York. The timing was not accidental and cut into both convention's attendance. The organizer's focus on profits also rankled many fans: 
 
==Similar Disaster Cons==
* New York Star Trek '76 (1976)
* Con of Wrath aka Houstoncon, (part of a series, the 1982 one collapsed)
* Slanted Fedora (part of a series; the 2003 collapsed)
* Tentmoot (2003)
* Flanvention II (2006)
* JumpCon (2008)
* FedConUSA (2008)
* DashCon (2014)
==Speaking of Disasters: Did William Shatner Get a Pie in the Face?==
From a fan in A Piece of the Action: 
From a fan in Warped Space: 
==Con Staff==
* Lisa Boynton (president, Talos IV)
* Ralph Carnes (convention manager)
* Valerie Carnes (program manager)
* Curt Clemmer (security, dealer's room, communication)
* Dee Breslan ("coordinator for the stars")
* Mike Short aka "Story-Teller" (deputy for communications, dealers' coordinator)
* Yang of the KDC (deputy director for security)
* Sharon Ferraro (gofer commander)
* Bob Asprin (Ambassador Extraordinary, Klingon Diplomatic Corps)
* Elizabeth Pearse (art show director)
==Guests of Honor==
William Shatner | Leonard Nimoy | DeForest Kelley | James Doohan | Nichelle Nichols | George Takei | Mark Lenard
Isaac Asimov | Frank Kelly Freas | Hal Clement | Harry Harrison | David Gerrold | Harlan Ellison | Jesco von Puttkamer | James McDivitt | J. Allen Hynek | Gordon Dickson | Ben Bova 
Jeff Maynard | Susan Sackett | Sharon Black | Louise Stange | Sam Moskowitz
At one point, Shirley Maiewski was to be a guest, but this did not occur.
==Video==
* 1976 THROWBACK: "STAR TREK CONVENTION" (includes remarks by Lisa Boynton, a somewhat testy Leonard Nimoy, and more)
* Star Trek convention 1975 or 1976 (Nimoy reads from I Am Not Spock, more)
==Some Press Articles==
 File:Star Trek 1976 convention investigation Utica Daily Press.png| The 1976 Utica Daily Press article about the New York attorney general's investigation into the 1976 convention: "Sale of Star Trek Tickets to be Probed" Read a PDF article about tickets being oversold and the New York State Attorney General's investigation, from The Utica Daily Press, January 27, 1976 
 
 File:StarTrekPromotersgrey.jpg| Star Trek Promoters Out To Make A Fast Buck in the Lakeland Ledger dated Feb 22, 1976. Click twice to read. reference link; reference link 
==Gallery of Flyers and Program Books==
File:NYStarTrekCon76.jpg|flyer for the convention
File:Stcon76.jpg|first page of the 1976 program book
File:Startreknyprogram2.jpg|1976 program book - convention organizers
File:StarTrek1976con1.jpeg|January 1976 programming
File:1976conventionprogram3.jpg|January 1976 programming
File:Startrek1976con3.jpg|January 1976 programming
File:Startreknyprogram.jpg|Jan 1976 Guests
== Fanwork Commentaries== 
===A Fanzine Parody===
A fanzine was published with cartoons illustrating the two disastrous conventions organized by Lisa Boynton. The zine, The New York and Chicago Strektaculars! is 27-pages in comic book about a gofer behind the scenes at two large "Strektacular" cons. 
The narration and art are by Phil Foglio, with lyrics by Anne Passovoy and "ritzy lettering" by Doug Rice. 
It is listed in Menagerie #10: "Phil Foglio reports in cartoons from behind the scenes at two of the biggest disasters Trek cons ever-Chicago 1975 and New York 1976. See even more than you bargained for." 
The comic lists the following con report: "The New York Report, New York, 1976. "Live Coverage of the 1976 New York Star Trek Convention, with P. Foglio, the What Newz team." 
And there's a sequence in which Lisa Boynton is named. (She authorized quiet polite wakeup calls for guests and loud raucous ones for the concom.) It ends with this section: "All in favor of this being the last Star Trek con we cover, say Aye!" "Aye!" "Aye!" "Aye!" "Aye!" "Aye!" "Aye!" "Aye!" "Aye!" "Aye!" "Aye!" "Aye!" "Aye!" "Aye!" Two Star Trek cons in NYC in 1975? posted in rec.arts.sf.fandom Feb 2007; reference link.
===Filks===
Several filk songs were inspired by the event:
==Comments by a Fan Who Was Involved in Both of the Boynton Cons==
Sharon Ferraro was the head of gofers at the first Boynton con. In early 1976, she had an explanation for her fellow fans regarding the problems of the first con in Chicago, and her decision to volunteer for the New York Con. 
==Convention Reports==
===1976===
===1979===
===2005===
===2008===
===2020===
==References==
Category:Star Trek Conventions
Category:Scandals
Category:1976 Conventions
Category:Conventions in United States