Reporting Back from MN

[Max Magee]

View Halloo! (it's distant, are you attuned?)

The Notorious Canary-Trainers were well-represented at the Norwegian Explorers' conference this past weekend in the Twin Cities (the major advertised events were all in St. Paul in and around the Minnesota History Center, which is run by the Minnesota Historical Society, and the various hotels nearby). At various points, I know a number of us met up with, went out to eat, or otherwise socialized at different venues, in and around Minneapolis, as well, so we infiltrated the whole area.

Johanna and I stayed overnight Friday, and so were able to participate in more socializing, which was a highlight for me.

On saturday, we found that the combination of a scheduled half-hour for lunch, and almost zero in the way of local offerings within the MNHC meant that we were bound to miss a good portion of one or more presentations, but we were able to enjoy a nice lunch with a local Minneapolitan friend at the Red Cow, which was fair consolation.

Christian and Barry also attended Saturday, and their questions to some of the presenters were some of the better ones I heard that day (they really were good, thought-provoking questions).

I found the first (Daniel Stashower) and last (Jeffrey Hatcher) to be particularly interesting to the general Sherlockian audience, but the others were very specifically interesting (both the talk about the collections at the University of Minnesota and how a Nobel Prize-winner in Medicine for isolating cortisone was one of the founding collectors and donors, as well as the state of forensic investigations talk, of which I wish I hadn't had to miss the first portion, as it was very interesting and gave me an tingle of an idea for an updated Murders on the Rue Morgue involving primative DNA).

After the speakers, we had about an hour and a half to peruse the International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes.

The first stop of the exhibit featured a somewhat spotty (some was disappointing, some was very interesting) array of what you'd expect to find in a museum exhibit: lots of papers, books, videos, etc. There were some strange ones—a section of human skin, bullet-wounds in skulls and bone, etc.—but for the most part the first section was a bit dry.

The second section was a very fun (mostly suitable for children around 8 and up) interactive crime-solving exercise. The brochure that the docents handed out was a little difficult to parse with all that was going on around us, but ended up being quite enjoyable and creatively executed, even if the "crime" to be solved—essentially a pastiche based on the unrecorded "Case of the Remarkable Worm"—was a bit of a dud in my opinion (some details are described well here). (The intent was to make it straightforward enough for a layperson to "solve" the crime, so the storytelling was very much secondary.)

The third section was a well-recreated sitting room that one may enter/peruse with the gimmick (which most of us couldn't resist) of the whole thing being a scavenger hunt, highlighting some of the detail and lengths the organizers put into their labor of canonical love. Bell-pulls, jack-knives, and severed ears were all on full display, and the hearth and mantle were very well-made.

The last stage was an exit hall which contained artifacts, props, and playbills from various productions ranging from The Seven Per-Cent Solution to the latest RDJ films. Some were more interesting than others, but all were clearly linked to Sherlockian fandom.

I found when I returned home, that I had taken a paltry few photographs during the events in question, but such as they are, I've added them to a shared album on Google Photos here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/UeP9uuLKh9h16zjMA

If anyone captured more/better images and would like to share them, I've made the album open to uploads as well.

Max

Max "Magic Jezail Bullet" Magee

"I would sooner face a Martini bullet myself. Are you game for a six-mile trudge, Watson?...Your leg will stand it?"