2011 Convention Details -
Updated May 27, 2010

View current convention info--bookmark this page and check back often for updates. Then below, view information on our past conventions. Interested in Attending? Are you a member of the media interested in profiling us? E-mail us here if you want info on the convention or want to be on our e-mail list for updates and information about it.

The Mystery Behind Following in Nancy Drew's Footsteps... Our mission is to walk in Nancy Drew's footsteps each year at our conventions. We select a theme book--one of the classic 56 hardcover Nancy Drew books printed from 1930 to 1979--that is set in a real location and we do things that Nancy Drew and her chums did in the books. This adds that nostalgic flair to our conventions so they're much more special than a generic location! While we may not chase villains down dark alleys or sleuth for secret passageways (yet!), we do manage to mix real-life locations with book hunting and activities based on the mystery in the theme book(s) for a fabulous event of mystery and "mayhem." The convention is a great time for series book collectors to meet, trade books and stories, and hunt for missing books from their collection. Conventions are open to both Sleuth members and non-members, but Sleuth members receive special discounts and perks. This Year's Theme Book - #34 The Hidden Window Mystery First published in 1956 and then revised in 1975, The Hidden Window Mystery finds Nancy Drew and her chums sleuthing in Charlottesville, VA for a missing stained glass window when they stumble upon a mysterious ghost haunting a mansion. They must also contend with some rather sneaky villains and mysterious peacocks. If you attend the convention, be sure to read the book so you can enjoy partaking in trivia and mystery activities based upon the mystery. Real life book locations: Monticello, Ash Lawn-Highland, Seven Oaks Farm.

BOOK HOTEL: HOTEL: Holiday Inn University Area & Conference Center , 1901 Emmet St, Charlottesville, VA 22901. HOTEL RATE: $99.00/nt + tax. HOW TO BOOK HOTEL: Phone: 434-977-7700. Our Group Name is: Nancy Drew Sleuths. DEADLINE TO BOOK HOTEL: Feb.28, 2011 - so book early! AIRPORT SHUTTLE INFO: For those flying into the Charlottesville airport, you receive free airport shuttle to/from the Holiday Inn. Please call the hotel to arrange this. For those driving or renting cars, parking at the hotel is free. Cancellation policy on rooms booked is 48 hours in advance.

CONVENTION LOCALES: Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, Jame's Monroe's Ash Lawn-Highland, Michie Tavern, Tell Me About It Tours: Charlottesville Ghost Tour, and Stained Glass Studio Craft Activity. Plus Downtown Charlottesville, Book Hunting, Shopping, Eateries.

CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS: DATES: March 30 - April 3, 2011 LOCATION: Charlottesville, VA THEMES: Nancy Drew classic #34, The Hidden Window Mystery Tentative Schedule: Wed. Mar. 30 - Meet & Greet Dinner - 7:30PM Thurs. Mar. 31 - Historic Tours to Monticello, Ash Lawn-Highland and lunch/tour at Michie Tavern plus Seven Oaks - Transportation to all events by private chater bus. Dinner location TBD + Nancy Drew Mystery Activity at hotel following. Fri. Apr. 1 - Downtown Charlottesville - Book Hunting, shopping/antiquing, Stained Glass Craft Activity, Dinner location TBD. Evening Ghost Tour. Private charter bus transportation to/from events. Sat. Apr. 2 - Convention Day at hotel 9:00am to 5:00pm with charity raffle for great Nancy Drew prizes to benefit the local library, speakers and acivities on various Nancy Drew and collecting topics. Evening Mystery dinner party and Nancy Drew gift exchange at hotel from 7:30pm to 10:00pm. Sun. Apr. 3 - Breakfast at hotel restaurant at 9:00am - farewells until 2012. A Few Clues To The Mystery: Thurs. Tours: Just as Nancy and her chums did, we will be touring local historic homes--Monticello and Ash Lawn-Highland. Michie Tavern located nearby will provide a fabulous southern lunch and more tours. Garden Week will begin shortly after our convention in Charlottesville, so everything should be in full bloom and beautiful. We will be visiting the inspiration for the Seven Oaks home in the book. Our tour on Thurs. March 31 will run by bus from the early morning to into the evening following dinner. Fri. Activities: As Nancy visited and worked briefly at a stained glass shop in the book, we will visity a crafty shop, The Glass Palette, to create stained glass crafts--whether you choose to do a peacock design like Nancy planned to or the Nancy Drew silhouette or some image of your choosing, this activity will prove to be lots of fun for even those who aren't that crafty. There are numerous bookshops in the downtown Charlottesville area for you to search for those elusive series books you're missing from your collections. Following a day spent in the downtown Charlottesville area, we'll meet for dinner and then take the ghost tour at 8pm (2 hour walking tour with lots of stopping/resting in a 1-mile radius). We will have charter bus transportation to/from the downtown area leaving mid-morning and returning following the ghost tour. Convention Day: Our convention day will benefit the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library. Every year we host a raffle for Nancy Drew prizes that benefits in part the local libraries. We will also have around 5 or 6 speakers/activities throughout the day with a lunch break in between. Speakers will be announced shortly. Mystery Dinner: Our mystery dinner will be a 50s theme to go along with the 1956 setting of the original version of the story (25 chapters if you have that version). Come in 50s garb costumed as your favorite Nancy Drew character! The mystery will focus on The Hidden Window Mystery and the popular mystery game "Clue." Nancy Drew Gift Exchange: If you want to participate in our Nancy Drew gift exchange we have two tables--1 for handcrafted gifts and 1 for storebought gifts. Handcrafted gifts must feature Nancy Drew imagery/etc. Gifts are wrapped anonymously and left on the appropriate table.

HOW TO REGISTER: HOW TO REGISTER: You must pay the fee and fill out and mail in our Registration Forms to be officially registered. Our registration form is a PDF file that is printable: Click here for the form. If you want to download the Word version, fill it out and then e-mail (or snail mail) it to us, click here for the Word version. Send via e-mail or send snail mail to: Nancy Drew Sleuths/Jennifer Fisher, P.O. Box 128, Higley, AZ, 85236-0128. Make checks payable to: Nancy Drew Sleuths. Registrants help pay for the convention costs including but not limited to: transportation and driver gratuities, any provided meals noted, tours provided and entry fees, equipment/room rentals, decorations, printing costs, advertising, goody bag supplies, and DVDs/shipping. REGISTRATION FEE INCLUDES: Depending on whether you attend the whole week or weekend: 11th annual Nancy Drew convention day and mystery dinner on Sat., Bus transportation on Thurs. and Fri., Tickets for Tours: Monticello, Michie Tavern, Ash Lawn- Highland, 2 Meals: Lunch at Michie Tavern on Thurs and Saturday Mystery dinner, Stained glass craft activity session, Ghost Tour on Fri., Goody Bag, and DVD of events and convention speakers/shipping. REGISTRATION FEE: Fees are NON-REFUNDABLE. There are 2 fees listed: one for official Sleuth Members and one for non-members. Join us officially and pay the member rate! To join, you may just add the $10.00 lifetime member fee per each registration for those joining. For those just attending the weekend, we have a special rate for you and that includes the weekend activities and convention plus the goodybag/DVDs/program as noted above in the registration fee description. REGISTER BEFORE DEC. 31, 2010 to pay the lower registration fee! After Dec. 31st, rates go up $15.00 per registration. ATTENDING MOST/ALL OF THE WHOLE WEEK: $250.00 MEMBERS // $275.00 NON-MEMBERS ATTENDING JUST THE WEEKEND: $150.00 MEMBERS // $175.00 NON-MEMBERS HOW TO PAY: We accept checks, money orders, and Pay Pal. Send checks/money orders payable to Nancy Drew Sleuths: Nacy Drew Sleuths/Jennifer Fisher P.O. Box 128 Higley, AZ 85236-0128. Pay Pal to: nancydrewsleuth@aol.com or e-mail us to send you an invoice via Pay Pal. EARLY REGISTRATION DISCOUNT ENDS: Register by Dec. 31, 2010 FINAL DEADLINE TO REGISTER: Feb. 1, 2011.

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2012 - SLEUTH CON - All-Series Book Convention with Nancy Drew Events/Mystery Party - Phoenix, AZ

2013 - Nancy Drew Convention - Boston, MA (The Secret of the Wooden Lady theme)

2014 - SLEUTH CON 2 - All-Series Book Convention with Nancy Drew Events/Mystery Party - Location TBD

2015 - Nancy Drew 85th Anniversary Convention - Hawaii (The Secret of the Golden Pavilion theme)

Other classic locations we'll be visiting in the near future: Florida Keys, Maryland, Maine, New York. Following that we will revisit some classic sites and mix in modern paperback locations.

The original "Carolyn Keene" Mildred Wirt Benson, Toledo, OH, at first annual Sleuth convention March 2001 Photo Copyright 2001, J. Fisher, All Rights Reserved.

Past Conventions & Highlights

March 2001: Toledo, Ohio. Members met the original "Carolyn Keene," Mildred Wirt Benson, and had books signed and asked lots of questions. They toured sites of Toledo, went book hunting, and ate dinner at a haunted restaurant.

April 2002: Iowa City, Iowa. Members visited The University of Iowa to view Mildred Wirt Benson's archives of photographs, outlines, letters, columns, stories, and ephemera. They visted with the organizers of the 1993 Nancy Drew Conference, held at the university, Carolyn Stewart-Dyer and Nancy Tillman Romalov and presentations were given. A trip to Ladora, Mildred's hometown, to view her childhood home and meet her family was a wonderful experience for all who attended.

April/May 2003: New York City, New York. Members spent a week touring sites of New York including Stratemeyer themed sites. Visits to the New York Public Library Stratemeyer archives were met with enthusiasm of members who got to delve into Stratemeyer Syndicate lore. Highlighting the week's activities and book hunting was a visit to a book dealer's home with thousands of series books and a local collector's huge Nancy Drew® collection spanning books, collectibles, and artwork. Capping off the week was a successful day of presentations from the Stratemeyer family, the Russell H. Tandy family, Simon & Schuster, Applewood Books, and Sharon Reid Harris.

March 2004: New Orleans, Lousiana. Members spent the week visiting historic and haunted sites in the French Quarter and outerlying areas, Nancy Drew® theme sites mentioned in the books set in New Orleans, went book and antique hunting, joined in on a crawfish boil and BBQ at a local collector's home, visited a historic plantation, attended a Nancy Drew® murder mystery party aboard a "haunted showboat" on its dinner and jazz cruise, and attended a day of presentations from Sleuth members Sharon Reid Harris, Todd Latoski, Meredith Jaffe, Rachel Smith, and presentations by Simon & Schuster and Gumshoe Girls.

October 2005: Phoenix, AZ. Members were treated to a Shadow Ranch and Kachina Doll Nancy Drew® theme during their week in Phoenix, AZ. Highlights include: Meet and Greet Dinner, Ghost Town tour and Dirk Valentine Treasure Hunt, Western Dinner, Kachina Doll collection tour, book hunting, Kachina Doll dinner and mystery hunt at "hacienda", tour of Jenn Fisher's collection, day of presentations from: Garrett Lothe, Renee Walker, Jenn Fisher, and Dean Burcham, book dealers set up. Game play of lifesize version of Nancy Drew® Mystery Game from the 1950s. Lots of prizes given out and trivia contests. 3 Goody Bags given out.

The Nancy Drew 75th & Stratemeyer Syndicate 100th Anniversary Conference was held June 16-19, 2005 in NYC, with a few Sleuth events. For details on the conference, click here.

October: 2006: Chicago, IL. Members toured "River Heights Country" while solving mysteries at Red Gate Farm and found a Hollow Oak treasure! Activities included: All Day Bus trip of book hunting, antiquing, visit to a real life Red Gate Farm, Hollow Oak treasure hunt, Sleuth Madonna's Red Gate Farm party, Chicago sightseeing, visit to the American Girl Store to view Nancy Drew® book on display, Danger on the Great Lakes dinner cruise on Lake Michigan, presentations at the Chicago Children's Museum, a Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza dinner, a Joker's Revenge game, and a fun Nancy Drew® theme gift exchange.

June: 2007: Pasadena, CA. The Sleuths had their first movie & TV theme convention, timed to the release of the Warner Brothers movie, Nancy Drew. Members toured the Huntington Library and viewed some sights where the Nancy Drew® movie was filmed, went book hunting, and played a Nancy Drew® cover art game. On the day of the movie's release, members held a Nancy Drew® 101 event at the Burbank Public Library, toured Warner Brothers Studios, and saw the Nancy Drew® movie. The Sleuths held their big convention day at the Pasadena Hilton and featured 7 speakers on a variety of topics, had book and merchandise sales, and that evening held a special 1930s Nancy Drew® murder mystery party complete with skits, a prize, and a fun Nancy Drew® theme gift exchange. A tour of Dave Farah's collection and BBQ was a highlight!

Sept-Oct: 2008: Bird-in-Hand, PA. The Sleuths headed to Witch Tree Country for a fun-filled convention! Members visited Hershey, PA and had their photos printed on chocolate bars, went book hunting and antiquing and found a few goodies, toured Amish farms, quilt shops, and went on a Witch Tree Clues Hunt. A hayride and a ghost tour were especially fun! Members spent a day in historic Philadelphia touring sights around Independence Square and those that Nancy visited in the SuperMystery, A Question of Guilt. A dinner at City Tavern complete with Revolutionary War era costumed servers was a treat. The Sleuths held their convention day at the Bird-in-Hand Family Inn complete with speakers: Author Jennifer Fisher, Nancy Drew Files Artist Tricia Zimic, Author Penny Warner, Crafty Sleuth Lea Fox, and Author and Professor Michael G. Cornelius. Dinner was a special smorgasbord and that was followed by a "barn dance" complete with our crafty Nancy Drew gift exchange, some singing, and a raffle for neat Nancy Drew prizes. And no one was hexed or accused of being a witch like Nancy in The Witch Tree Symbol!

Sept-Oct: 2009: Las Vegas, NV. Nancy Drew Sleuths followed in Nancy Drew's footsteps in Las Vegas and around the Valley of Fire State Park where the classic Nancy Drew book, #52 The Secret of the Forgotten City was set. A 70s disco style Nancy Drew meet and greet party was held to kick off the convention. Members bused to the Valley of Fire to compete in a Sleuth Survivor challenge--George Tribe won reward! A visit to the Lost City Museum just like Nancy and her chums in the book was informative and provided great background material for the book and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams who researched there in person before writing the book. Members completed a CSI: Nancy Drew mystery challenge complete with miniature crime scenes. Our big convention day featured 40 local fourth grade girls who were excited to learn more about Nancy Drew. Speakers Jennifer Fisher, Lea S. Fox, Dean Burcham, and guest of honor David Farah rounded out the event along with a Nancy Drew scrapbooking session. A 1940s Old-Time Vegas Gangster Mystery Dinner Party capped off the week's events including a festive Nancy Drew gift exchange.

April 6-10 & April 11-15: 2010: Merritt Island, FL and Cruise to Bahamas. Nancy Drew Sleuths held their 10th annual convention and an 80th anniversary cruise! Members followed in Nancy Drew's footsteps around Merritt Island for our Moss Mansion theme. We held parties at the homes of area collectors, attended a professional Nancy Drew trivia show, book hunted, visited NASA, toured an orange grove, lunched at Historic Cocoa Village, toured 2 treasure museums, visited Cocoa Beach Pier, hosted our annual convention with speakers, activities and a charity raffle to benefit the Merritt Island Public Library. Our honored guest was Nancy Drew illustrator Rudy Nappi. Members attended a Mystery dinner costume party and held our annual gift exchange.

Following our land event we took a 4 day Carnival Cruise from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas for the 80th anniversary of Nancy Drew. We held events on board, went sighteeing in the Bahamas, and held a convention day at sea with honored guests Rudy Nappi and Carolyn S. Dyer and a Nancy Drew costume party plus a fun scavenger hunt.

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