It's hard to believe that Holmes in the Heartland was just last month! So much fun was had and memories were made. For those of you who weren't able to join us in St. Louis last month (or those of you who want to relive a fantast weekend), this blog post is for you!
Thursday
Holmes in the Heartland officially started on Friday, but a few dozen locals and early attendees were able to watch a screening of The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes next door to our conference space on Thursday evening. For some, it was their first time, and others were there to see it because they had enjoyed the film in all of their previous viewings. One thing everyone had in common was that we all had fun as a large group at the theater and were the last ones present at the Q&A at the end of the evening!
Friday
Holmes in the Heartland officially kicked off on Friday evening with our Haunted Happy Hour. The winner of our VIP package, Elaine, received the key to the Sherlock Holmes suite for the weekend as well as her box full of Holmes in the Heartland goodies.
As attendees met up with friends both old and new, our mascot Boolock Holmes made her way around the crowd, distributing spooky Sherlockian trivia to help the conversations kick into a higher gear. Between trivia, drinks, food, and friends, everyone squeezed every minute of fun out of Friday evening!
Saturday
Attendees were eager to visit the vendors area early Saturday morning, and kept a brisk business going for the full hour before our first presentation of the day. Between the vendors and the door prizes, not too many Holmes in the Heartland attendees went home empty handed!
Michael Dirda kicked off the day's presentations with his talk "Pursued by the Hound: How Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson and Arthur Conan Doyle Have Haunted my Life." The Pulitzer Prize winning journalist took us through his life and showed how the Canon was there for major and minor points all along the way.
Up next was our next presentation from Julie McKuras entitled, "The Haunted Holmes." In her talk, Julie discussed just some of the women who haunted Sherlock Holmes's life. From maids to adventuresses, Julie shared a list of characters that she argued should weigh on the Great Detective's conscience for years to come.
Johanna Draper Carlson took us to worlds where fantastical things can happen in her presentation, "Zombies, Vampires, and Monsters in Sherlock Holmes Comics." From Dracula to Frankenstein's Monster, Johanna discussed the many recherche encounters Holmes has had in comic form. The lively Q&A session after her presentation showed a high level of interest for Johanna's area of knowledge.
Lunch was next on the agenda, which gave everyone a chance to stretch their legs, fill their stomachs, and visit with fellow Sherlockians.
Kicking off the afternoon was Scott Monty's presentation, "Sherlock Holmes in Popular Culture: Ghosts of the Past, Present, and Yet to Come." In this wide-ranging talk, Scott took us through examples of how fans have interacted with Sherlock Holmes, all the way from early parodies to favorite media adaptations and fan fiction to the possibilities of the future including artificial intelligence.
Randy Getz shared haunting melodies Holmes and Watson could've heard during their day in his presentation entitled, "The Phantoms of Sherlock's Opera." It's safe to say that everyone in the audience walked away with a deeper understanding and appreciation of classical music and how it would have been appreciated in the Victorian era as well as how we appreciate it today.
A different side of Arthur Conan Doyle was investigated in Ira Matetsky's presentation, "Arthur Conan Doyle, Poet." While not primarily known for his poetry, Ira shared with everyone some of Doyle's prose that tied right into the weekend's theme of "Sherlock Haunts." Not only were some poems chilling, but others brought more than a few audience members to tears.
Everyone's Sherlockian friend, Bob Sharfman, wrapped up the day's presentations with his "A Haunting Refrain." Starting from the lyrics to a Tony Bennett song, Bob was able to ramble through Sherlockian topics like only Bob can. By the end of the talk, audience members were laughing and discussing right along with him.
With an hour of downtime between the day's and evening's programs, some folks took a break in their hotel rooms, while others relaxed in the bar. And then it was back at it for Saturday night! A fantastic dinner was enjoyed before the evening's programming kicked off.
This year's Holmes in the Heartland weekend featured an auction to raise money for The Beacon Society. Scott Monty emceed this event that featured some great donations. After all of the lively bidding ended, we raised more than $1,600 for The Beacon Society!
As if raising all of that money weren't enough to put all of the attendees in good spirits, Max Magee led the evening's entertainment where he tried to conjure up more spirits from the Canon. Channeled through Curtis Armstrong and Ashley Polasek, Sherlock Holmes had to atone for some of his actions as clients from the afterlife finally had their say.
Sunday
Holmes in the Heartland weekends always wrap up with a field trip to a St. Louis location, and this year's event took us to The Missouri History Museum. Attendees got to delve into the history of the 1904 World's Fair and all of the connections it had to the Sherlockian Canon. Visits to other exhibits as well as the gift shop were on the agenda for many folks. A casual lunch on site wrapped up this Holmes in the Heartland weekend, as everyone drifted back to their regular lives, full of stories, laughs, friendships, and looking forward to their next chance to meet us in St. Louis!
