The Sixtieth (!) Balticon took place May 22-25, 2026. The Society had a larger-than-expected turnout this year with Lifetime members surprising us from the West Coast and further north on the East Coast! In person we talked about how to maximize volunteer time, talked to many con-goers about Heinlein’s work and the programs of THS and welcomed new member Dan from Frederick, MD!
The 2026 Heinlein Award winner, Andy Weir, was unable to attend but Dr. Beatrice Kondo, Society Director and member of the selection board for the Award, gave a nice speech formalizing him as this year’s selection.
While there is less and less content about Golden Age writers and pre-1990s work at conventions, we still heard from many people who had read Heinlein. Interestingly enough the Starship Troopers movie now seems to be the thing that younger fans might have heard of, or seen.
Even without an award-winner to fête, Society members still got together on Saturday night to share a meal and swap stories.
The book donation box for Heinlein for Heroes filled up quickly on Friday afternoon and kept getting donations to the end of the convention. This year we collected between five and six boxes of books including some Heinlein stories in nice shape.
If you’ve got a “Home Con” that you’d like to represent the Society at, we can help with materials and a sample script of how to set up a table and talk to con-goers. We would love to expand our presence! Contact gro.yteicosnielnieh@namriahc if you are interested.
