One Last Time: A Reunion

You may be looking for the Star Trek story, One Last Time.

Convention
Name:	One Last Time: A Reunion
Dates:	May 23-25, 2025
Frequency:
Location:	Grand Rapids, Michigan
Type:	fan-run, no guests
Focus:
Organization:
Founder:	Tam Alexander
Founding Date:
URL:	[1]; archive link (Main Page]
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One Last Time: A Reunion was a 2025 fan-run convention held in Grand Rapids, Michigan over Memorial Day Weekend: May 23-25, 2025.

A fan-run reunion convention for past attendees of the Memorial Day Weekend media convention held in Lansing, Michigan (1981-2019).

One Last Time: A Reunion is not affiliated with the aforementioned past event or its organizers.

The "aforementioned past event or its orgnaizers" is MediaWest*Con and Lori Chapek-Carleton and Gordon Carleton.

The cost of registration was $35, and the con broke even.

There were roughly 90 attendees.

Topics with a slash or gay element (either slash or canon same-sex content were labeled either (“/”-friendly) or "(Note: central canon pairing is m/m.)" While both are warnings for slash, the latter is more direct.

It included:

• Door Decorations
• Room Parties
• selling fanworks out of private rooms
• panels
• hall costumes
• Peter Cooper Memorial Ice Cream Social
• con charity was "Fig & Friends" (animal rescue)
• Saturday Night Banquet: a Southern BBQ Buffet dinner (cost was $25)

Con Com

• Tam (chair)
• Scott Clark (Head of Programming)

Dedications

To Lori Chapek-Carleton and Gordon Carleton, thank you both for giving us MediaWest*Con. We honor you and your vision of a convention run by fans, for fans. Managing a con is a monumental task, and you did it for years — even while battling cancer. With the help of your longtime committee members, you put on an event that spanned several decades and made every year feel like a homecoming for so many of us.

And to the One Last Time: A Reunion Con Comm — thank you for believing in my dream and helping to make it come true. We stood together and kept pushing forward, powered by mutual respect and camaraderie. As a nerdy, neurodivergent kid who had never heard of conventions or fanzines before 1983, I had no idea when I set off for Lansing that Memorial Day Weekend that my life would be forever changed. Now here I am, 40+ years later, planning a celebration with friends who have become family. You are the best and I love you all.

Through fandom, many of us found our people. Our tribe. We found acceptance. We found a place to express ourselves creatively, where we could speak our minds and have our voices heard. We found happiness and experienced heartbreak. We came together annually to reestablish this common bond. We have lost many along the way, but the memories live on within us. Our lives are richer for them.

It continues to be an amazing adventure.

Thank you all for being a part of this wonderful journey. May the Force be with you, may you Live Long and Prosper, and may you always know where your towel is.

Onward and Upward!

FAQ

Will there be an Art Show/Art Auction?

Unfortunately, no. Even before we found our venue, we had received very little response from artists interested in displaying and selling their work. We tried to find ways to work around this; as much as we wanted to recreate those bygone days, we had to accept it would never be the same. Artists in attendance will sell work directly from tables in the Dealers’ Room or as Room Dealers.

Will there be a Costume Competition/Masquerade?

Not in the traditional sense, no. If people want to dress up and show off costumes during the Saturday Night Banquet, they are more than welcome to do so. We also encourage anyone wishing to costume during the day and walk around the con — because, hey, you never know if there might be someone handing out Hall Costume awards…

What is the Peter Cooper Memorial Ice Cream Social?

Peter Cooper had been a longtime attendee of the Lansing convention and a friend to everyone. He would host a Sabbat on Saturday and on Sunday, he could be found in the party suite serving up root beer floats and sundaes along with a lot of laughs. Peter passed in 2017, one month before the con. That year, we decided to honor him with an ice cream shiva. Because this reunion celebrates those we have lost along the way, it seemed only fitting to have one last ice cream social to kick off the weekend. It’s what Peter would have wanted.

Pets

Please remember that the Holiday Inn Grand Rapids Airport has a NO PETS policy, with the exception of documented Service Animals. Emotional Support Animals are excluded. If you travel with your pet, the hotel recommends staying at the neighboring Staybridge Suites. You will have to leave your pet there when attending con functions.

Programming

From One Last Time: A Reunion -- Programming Sign-Up Instructions: Programming Suggestions for One Last Time: A Reunion (Keep in mind, there were only about 90 attendees so the panels below only give a flavor of topics; this may also way of honoring all the topics as a memorial... )

Panel topics as of 4/20/2025 at close of sign-up

R. Remembering MW*C A. TV B. Movies C. Actors D. Literature (books, magazines, comics, plays, etc.) E. Fandom (fan fiction, fandom) F. Internet (blogs, social media, twitter) G. Games/Gaming (includes boards games, computer games, etc.) H. Creative pursuits (hobbies, videos, costuming, acting, etc.) J. Workshops (can be on nearly anything – you can suggest a workshop and run one)

R001 Tribute Music Video honoring MW*C friends no longer with us (could be shown during Friday Night party)

R002 Memorable Moments From the Sunday Night Art Auctions

R003 Memorial gathering to remember MediaWest*Con friends and fans we’ve lost in recent years – General reminiscing about past years’ conventions and the people who made them memorable (this panel could occur more than once if necessary)

R004 A Retrospective on the History of MW*C

R005 Shop ‘til You Drop – Remembering Our Favorite Dealers and Fannish Goodies From Conventions Past

A – TV

SPECIFIC SHOWS (single series)

A001 Agatha All Along (Disney+): General Discussion

A002 Daredevil: Born Again (Disney+): How does the new Disney+ series compare to the original Netflix series?

A003 Doctor Who (BBC/Disney+): General Discussion of the series as a whole

A004 Doctor Who (BBC/Disney+): General Discussion of the Disney+ era

A005 Elsbeth (CBS): General Discussion of this Columbo for the 2020s

A044 The Expanse (Syfy/Amazon Prime): General Discussion

A006 The FBI family of series (CBS): General Discussion

A007 For All Mankind (Apple+): General Discussion

A008 Foundation (Apple+): General Discussion

A009 Ghosts (CBS/BBC) – comparing the US and UK comedies

A010 Good Omens (Amazon Prime): General Discussion as we await the 90-minute finale (Note: central canon pairing is m/m)

A011 High Potential (ABC): General Discussion

A012 House of the Dragon (HBO): General Discussion

A013 The Last of Us (HBO): General Discussion

A014 Loki (Disney+): General Discussion

A015 Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Amazon Prime): General Discussion

A041 The Magnificent 7 – Canon led to fanon in such a big way! What are your favorites? Where can we get more?

A016 Matlock (2024) (CBS): General Discussion

A017 The NCIS family of series (CBS): General Discussion

A018 NCIS and its Spinoffs (CBS) Still going strong or is it Time to End?

A019 Only Murders in the Building (Hulu): General Discussion

A020 The Orville (Hulu, formerly Fox): General Discussion

A021 Our Flag Means Death (HBO Max): General Discussion Note: central canon pairing is m/m]

A022 Outlander (Starz): General Discussion

A023 Quantum Leap – Leaping Home (NBC): General Discussion

A024 Quantum Leap – the 2022-2024 update (NBC): General Discussion

A025 Resident Alien (Syfy): General Discussion

A026 Schmigadoon (Apple+) – Let’s swoon over both seasons of Schmigadoon. And the stage version too!

A027 The Sentinel (UPN): Reminiscing About the Fandom’s Hot Topics: Sentinel Too, Cassie, Save Our Sentinel, and more (“/”-friendly)

A042* The Sentinel (UPN) – Yes, fanfic made it better! What did you read that just blew you away? What do you go back and read now?

A028 Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+): General Discussion

A043 Star Trek: Spock Through the Ages (various) - Spock has been portrayed by several different actors (TOS, AOS, Discovery, SNW, etc). Which version(s) do you like best?

A029 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+): Boldly Going (Again)

A030 Star Trek: The Original Series (NBC): Classic Star Trek is Having a Moment: Do new fans love it for the same reasons and in the same ways as existing/”mature” fans?

A031 Star Trek: The Original Series (NBC): The Triad

A032 Stranger Things (Netflix): General Discussion while we await the fifth and final season

A045 Supernatural (CW) – When it ended, did you want it to continue or where you ready for it to be done? Was there a place in the series you would have loved to have seen the show go a different direction? Do you have your own version or "the right ending?"

A033 Supernatural (CW): The Show That Launched a Quarter of a Million Plus Fanfics. Was it the writing, the supernatural element, the “buddy show” vibe, or simply the fine Texas scenery?

A034 Tracker (CBS): General Discussion

A035 Watson (CBS): Reimagining Holmes’ sidekick in a modern era

A036 Wednesday (Netflix): General Discussion

A037 What We Do in the Shadows (FX): General Discussion now that this series has ended

A038 The Wheel of Time (Amazon Prime): General Discussion

A039 Whose Line is it Anyway? (CW formerly ABC): General Discussion as this series airs its final season

A040 The Witcher (Netflix): General Discussion

GENERAL TV TOPICS

A101 The Arrowverse (CW): CW’s interrelated DC comics shows

A114* Asian Dramas – What’s the appeal of Asian dramas? Is it the look into the intriguing (and gorgeous) costume dramas or the peek at everyday life in a different culture? Or could it just be all the crazily attractive actors? Join us for an introduction to the new and excellent acting and writing of Asian movies and series. (“/”-friendly)

A119* Best Violence – What show or movie scratches your "punch them in the kidney" itch?

A120* The Cannell Canon – A retrospective look back at the 43 TV series (and over two dozen failed pilots) from 70s/80s/90s super producer Stephen J. Cannell – both the hits and the obscure shows

A102 The Earliest Fandoms and Why They Grabbed Us

A103 Fandoms by Decades

A118 Guilty Pleasures – What show is awful, but you like that ONE thing about it that makes you watch it again and again?

A115 Historical Series – Do they have to be accurate or just entertaining? And if inaccurate, are they creating a false history for the ignorant?

A104 How Do You Watch "TV" Today? With so many different platforms and delivery methods, including network, cable, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock, straight-to-DVD, and many more in non-US markets, how do you choose to watch "television shows"?

A116 Limited Series/Mini-Series – Does having a beginning and end already planned cause better story telling?

A105 New TV Shows for 2024-2025 – What did you get into? What did you really hate? Which shows do you want to get a second season? Any recommendations for shows not in the mainstream, i.e. Netflix, Amazon, smaller cable or internet channels?

A106 Nostalgia/MeTV/Heroes & Icons/PlutoTV – What shows are you enjoying on these channels dedicated to classic TV from days gone by? On what other venues are you watching classic TV?

A107 Remember One Season Wonders? – Let's talk about shows that were here and gone.

A108 Say Goodbye Already – What TV shows are still hanging on that really need to go? Did those cast changes make you abandon ship? Or was it the storylines that went nowhere?

A117 Streaming and the Audience – So many fantastic shows are on streaming services now, and it appears to be making tribes of who has what service and so who can be a fan of whatever show. What's your pleasure?

A109 TV Tunes (TV/Movie Themes) 2 hour interactive panel of music clips with audience feedback. Contributions and suggestions welcome.

A110 Where are Today’s TV or Streaming Male Couples (canon or slash-worthy)? ( / )

A111 Where Do We Go From Here? Remembering Michelle Trachtenberg – Our First Death in the Buffy Universe

A112 Why Murder and Medicine Are Still Popular Fandoms

A113 The Works of Gerry Anderson

B – MOVIES

SPECIFIC MOVIES/FILM SERIES

B001 Captain America: Brave New World: General Discussion

B002 Deadpool and Wolverine: General Discussion

B003 Dune and Dune: Part Two: General Discussion

B004 Flow – General Discussion – What Did It Mean to You? Was it the Best Animated Film of 2024?

B005 Frozen III and IV – Is This an Adult Fandom? What Do We Want to See in the Next Two Installments?

B006 Harry Potter – How Do We Feel About J.K. Rowling’s LGBTQ Position, and What Are We Doing About It?

B007 Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – Open Discussion. Did Indy Go Out With a Bang or a Bust?

B008 National Theatre Live – Seeing British plays at our local movie theater or streamed at home – as NT Live celebrates its 100th production (Michael Sheen’s “Nye”) let’s get together to talk about our favorite plays and performances

B009 Star Trek vs. Star Wars: General Discussion

B012* Star Wars – For better or worse the original 9 movies planned are done. How does that affect our feelings about the original 3?

B010 The State of the MCU: General Discussion

B011 Superman (2025) and the Rebooting of the DC Extended Film Universe

GENERAL MOVIE TOPICS

B101 Do you prefer 'real' or CGI/AI special effects? Or does it just depend on the film?

B102 Favorite SF/Fantasy movies that are also some of the Best in their genre in re Filmmaking in general

B108* Horror/Thriller – Do the special effects take over the story and suspense? Should some things be left to the imagination?

B103 Movie Series -- Is the first one The Best, or was a subsequent installment even better?

B104 Movie Soundtracks – Come discuss your favorite soundtrack albums and composers and listen to samples from film scores, both classic and obscure. [possibly 2 hour?]

B105 The Movies of 2025 – General Discussion of all the big films scheduled for this Spring, Summer and Fall.

B106 The Nostalgia of Movie Theme Songs

B107 Our Favorite Cartoons/Animated Films

B109* Remakes – ust because you can, does it mean you should? Does new technology for better effects justify remaking movies/shows that were great the first time around?

C – ACTORS

C001 In Memoriam: A look back at the actors, directors, writers, and other genre/industry noteworthies we've lost in the past 12 months. It's been another really tough year – let's discuss!

C008* Actors in Real Life vs. Their Work – Can an actor’s personal behavior (politics/religion/spouse/arrest record/environmental stance/rumors/convictions of sexual assault) affect the way you feel about the character they play or once played? Or are they separate in your mind?

C002 Harrison Ford – General Discussion – Are We Seeing Too Much, Too Little, or Just Right?

C003 James McAvoy – A Discussion of His Career and Roles

C004 David Tennant – General Discussion

C005 Mad About the Brits! What makes British actors so timelessly appealing? From Alan Rickman in Die Hard and David Warner in Time Bandits, to David Tennant in Doctor Who and Michael Sheen in Good Omens.

C006 Where Are They Now? Actors Who Once Dominated Fannish Interests but Have Since Disappeared (not dead)

C007 Who are today's "classic actors"? Who are the modern replacements for such acting legends as Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, Humphrey Bogart, Katherine Hepburn, Bette Davis, etc.? Which performances of today will fans 40 and 50 years from now look back on with that level of respect?

C009* Who’s Pretty Now? – Who we think is pretty in what show for people who are looking for more eye candy to fantasize write about.

D – LITERATURE (books, magazines, comics, plays, etc.)

D010* Comics – DC has its own all access channel and is launching a new film line. Plus CW was essentially all DC characters. Marvel Comics characters are in movie after movie after movie and Disney+ series. Yet at the same time comic book sales are slumping and “the neighborhood comic store” is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Discuss why.

D011* Depictions of "other" sexuality in fiction – Not just Straight and gay anymore. pan, ace, demi, poly. There's a spectrum out there and they're all having sex (or not)!

D001 Doc Savage and The Shadow – General discussion of James Patterson’s reinventions of these classic characters

D002 Favorite Comics

D003 Is Dracula Still Sexy?

D004 The Last Dangerous Visions – Did J. Michael Straczynski Remain True to Harlan Ellison’s Vision in this Final Anthology?

D009* Literary Detectives to the Small or Large Screen – Which adaptations work and which ones didn't read the book closely enough to truly capture the character.

D005 Paranormal Women’s (Midlife) Fiction

D006 Phantom of the Opera – is it truly over now, the music of the night? Was it only of its 1980s time, or does it stand among musical “greats”? With 1980s Lloyd Webber musicals such as Sunset Boulevard and Starlight Express getting a re-think and a re-do, do we want to see the same for Phantom?

D007 Recommending Books and Especially Genres People Enjoy and/or Are Tired of Seeing – General Discussion

D008 Which Fantasy Series Have Held Up and Which Haven’t

E – FANDOM/FANNISH INTERESTS & HOBBIES (fan fiction, fandom)

E015* Beloved yet not fannish – We all have 'em, don't we? Shows that we love so much we never miss an episode ... and yet we don't feel any inclination toward fanac based on them. What's that extra step between shows we love and shows we feel fannish about?

E001 The changing ways we get fannish content: We used to watch TV, go to the movies, read zines, and call our friends on our landline phones. Now we don't! What are your favorite ways to connect with fandom? What do you think the next wave will be?

E009* Crossovers – Crossovers (in media or fanfic) that you'd like to see and why?

E002 Fandom in Canada

E010* Fanon and Canon – Here's the big question: Do we all agree on the definitions of Fanon and Canon? When does a story get so far off into “authors vision” that they should just call it original fiction? Opinions and examples!

E003 Fanzines – Is anyone in the post-MediaWest*Con crowd still publishing old-style paper fanzines, or has everything migrated to online formats? Where can you find them? What’s your favorite online zine?

E004 How to deal with personal collections (fanzines, toys, etc.) when you have to downsize.

E016* Hurt Comfort in Fan Fiction – Why do we like to hurt the ones we love?

E005 Late Night Filking – Anyone up for gathering in the Lobby or one of the function rooms for one or more sessions of Late Night Filking? Bring an instrument to perform live. Or play some of your favorites from sources online. Let's have some filking sing-a-longs!

E018* The Maquis - Resistance to Injustice and Authoritarianism. Needed now? E006 Minstrels of Fandom - The Art of Filking – Many songs have been written about our favorite movies, TV shows and books. Some are original compositions while others are set to popular tunes. Some are canon while others are pure fan fiction. Discuss how filking has impacted fandom culture as well as some of your favorite filk songs.

E017* One Does Not Simply Walk Into Morder: Fandom, Fitness and Fun – An introduction to The Conqueror Challenges, focused on licensed properties like LoTR, SW, ST, GoT, etc. A motivational tool for fitness that can be applied to accomplishing other goals, like knitting or writing.

E007 Sherlock Holmes, the first fandom. Deep roots to this one. JM Barrie (Peter Pan) wrote the first fanfic / pastiche / parody.

E012* Slash Pairings to Ships – Slash pairings enervated fandom and, in some cases, split it. Now, there is no such thing, it's all Ship! Agree, or agree to disagree! ( / )

E014* Things Learned Through Fandom or Fannish TV Shows or Movies – Stuff like we know what absinthe is (and how to spell it correctly) because of Highlander.

E019* 35mm Film Clip Game - Doctor Beth shows 35mm Film clip frames from TV shows like Star Trek TOS and Starsky and Hutch with a set of quotes from the episode and the players have to guess which is correct. This is followed by a short presentation highlighting film clips which are from deleted scenes, trimmed scenes and unusual takes from Star Trek and other shows.

E008 What do long-time fans want to pass on to the upcoming generation? And what do new fans want from the earlier generations (if anything?). Are they the same or different things?

E013* What’s the Latest “Thing”? – Are pirates still a thing? Vikings? Scotsmen? Vampires? Cowboys? Or is there a new group of jollies that's our fix?

E011* What’s Your Story? – Were you doing “fanfiction” before you ever knew what it was? How did you find out? What about cons? And, what about the friends fandom brought you?

F – INTERNET/ONLINE FANDOM (blogs, social media, twitter)

F001 An Archive of Our Own (AO3)

F002 FanFiction.net

F003 Fanlore

F004 What are the Best Online Fan Discussion options today? Missing the Old Days of Yahoo Groups! And Email Discussion Lists: General Discussion on Where to Find Most Active Fans - Tumblr, Facebook, Slack, Dreamwidth, Snap, AO3? What are you using and where are you hanging out?

G – GAMES/GAMING (board games, computer games, RPGs, etc.)

G001 Board Games have gotten so complex!

G002 Discussing live games – streaming, multiplayer online gaming servers, etc.

G003 Does/Did anyone else still play text based computer games?

G004 Fandom Game Show – compete with fellow fans in a variety of fannish game show challenges, including TV/Movie trivia, factoids about MW*C history, and remembering past fans

G005 Is it still D&D or is it something else?

G006 The Tabletop Gaming Renaissance

H – CREATIVE PURSUITS (hobbies, vids, etc.)

H001 Bookmaking

H002 Costuming/Cosplaying? Who’s still doing this? When and Where Are You Doing It? Does Disney Bounding Count? What costumes have you been thinking of creating?

H003 Filking – Are any of the MW*C veterans still filking?

H004 Junk Journaling

H005 Scrapbooking

H006 Vidding – Are People Still Creating MW*C-style Fannish Music Videos? Where Can They Be Found?

J – WORKSHOPS (can be on nearly anything – you suggest a workshop and run one)

J001 Getting into Improv and/or Acting (amateur or pro) – (recommended panelists include Dave Gold, Spenser Coates, Scott Clark – can we get them to participate?)

J002 Storytelling/Writer’s Workshop – Anyone willing to do this for One Last Time?

J003 Whose Line is it Anyway – 2 hour live improv show – Sunday afternoon