So as many of you know, Deconpression, Columbus, Ohio's original Relaxacon (founded by Nick and Linda Winks in 2002), fell on difficult times due to the pandemic. With the rising costs, conversion of convention space to business meeting space, needed pandemic procedures, death or illnesses of board members or their families, storage costs, and, well, life in general, the surviving founder of Deconpression was left with no choice but to sell the convention. It was sold to 3 longtime members of Deconpression that have been there from the start, myself included.

As such, I am the acting voice of the convention. Many of you have approached me over the last few years and inquired when Decon was going to happen again. I kept saying soon, but trying to get a convention up off the ground from nearly scratch was a more daunting task than I had realized. So it has taken much longer than originally anticipated. Both the Board and the Core Concom have been rebuilt by some amazing volunteers and lots of fresh new blood, with some amazing ideas.

With the changing times, Decon may not be exactly what you remember from years past, but it WILL still be a wonderful gathering place to see friends, chosen family, reconnect, have fun, and most importantly, relax, in these hectic times.

Now it's time to go shopping for a venue. We have several good ideas and locations in mind to ask about, but first, we need a budget. That is where YOU come in. The new Owners, Board, and Concom are reaching out to you to help fund getting Deconpression up and running again. The goal is to have it in May of 2026, filling a recent void in the convention season (if a venue is not available next year, then we will push for 2027). That gives us a little over a year to get this done. Also, it means no snow or ice anymore (yea!!!!). The money will cover the venue, storage fees, purchase of new equipment, Guests of Honor expenses, and all the other things needed to fund an all-volunteer convention.

So many people have asked about this convention even after so many years, and even asked what they can do to help. It shows the tremendous amount of love that our fandom has not just for us, but for each other. So I'm asking you to share that love one more time and aid in resurrecting Deconpression.

Thank you

Sincerely,

Chris Henney AKA "Greenie"