Conference Purpose:

My goal in organizing this conference, was to plan an event that would celebrate not only the 75th anniversary of Nancy Drew but the 100th anniversary of the Stratemeyer Syndicate and all of the wonderful contributions to children's literature that are a result of the Syndicate. It will also be the 95th anniversary of the Tom Swift series. The focus of the conference is to enrich everyone with the history of the Syndicate and its series and to discuss the many facets and themes associated with Stratemeyer lore.

Our conference space is limited, first come first serve! At the bottom of this page is information on how to RSVP and purchase advance tickets to guarantee space.

In building on the successful model of the 1993 Nancy Drew Conference at the University of Iowa, I present to you the following schedule of events, which will be updated often:

Conference Schedule

Thursday, June 16:

Day tour of Stratemeyer Syndicate sites in New Jersey. Tour fee from Penn Station in Newark to area sights=$36.50.

Friday, June 17: Daytime:

Conference Begins: 8am to 4pm, at NYSEC Ceremonial Hall, tickets--information at bottom of page. There will be a range of speakers discussing these topics: Stratemeyer Syndicate, Edward Stratemeyer, Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, Edna Stratemeyer Squier, Laura Ruby’s Nancy Drew paintings will be on display, Syndicate Employees and Ghostwriters: Mildred Wirt Benson, James Lawrence, Pat Doll, the Garis family, Illustrator Russell H. Tandy, and more.

Friday, June 17: Evening:

7:30pm to 12am: Nancy Drew 75th Anniversary Birthday Gala. FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) located at 27th street and 7th Avenue, New York City. A 1930s murder mystery theme, prizes, trivia, goody bags, lots of fun! A candy ® dessert bar fare will be provided. While you will not be playing a role, you will be playing sleuth as clues are announced throughout the evening and a grand prize is awarded. Dress as your favorite Nancy Drew character. Costumes/Period dress optional, but recommended to help set the mood! Dressy attire required. Ticketed event that will help benefit the New York Public Library’s Stratemeyer Syndicate archives–ticket includes donation to the library. Limited space available! Purchase tickets ahead of time via Pay Pal or check/money order to save $. Ticket price=$55.00/per person.

Saturday, June 18: Daytime:

Conference Continues: 8am to 5pm, at NYSEC Social Hall, tickets--information at bottom of page. There will be a range of speakers discussing these topics: Nancy Drew and the media, a scholarly look at lesbian subtext in the Nancy Drew series, Syndicate ghostwriter James Lawrence, Tom Swift Senior/Junior series, Hardy Boys history and collectibles/formats, Syndicate Ghostwriter: Leslie McFarlane, Nancy Drew history and collectibles/formats, the Nancy Drew Wanderer paperbacks, the Nancy Drew: Girl Detective Series, the new Hardy Boys: Undercover Brothers series, Her Interactive computer games, Papercutz Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Graphic Novels, and more! From 1pm to 5pm we will be having our Solve a Mystery with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys activities.

Saturday, June 18: Evening:

Dinner & Bookstore Reading/Signing Event: To be announced as soon as possible.

Sunday, June 19: Daytime:

Activities will be announced shortly.

Speakers:

Speakers for the conference thus far include: James Keeline, Jennifer Fisher, Leslie Garis, Melanie Rehak, Geoffrey S. Lapin, Jim Lawrence Jr., Kathleen Chamberlain, Laura Ruby, Trudi Abel, Carolyn Dyer, Todd H. Latoski, Pamela Tandy, Spencer Tandy, Ilana Nash, Marilyn S. Greenwald, Neil Morrison, Her Interactive, and an S&S Representative.

Conference Merchandise

Coming Soon by the end of March/Early April! We will be selling officially licensed conference merchandise–the sale of which will help fund the conference, so we will especially appreciate your purchases! This collectible merchandise will be available in limited quantities for a limited time only. We will be selling merchandise on this website for those who cannot attend the conference or want to purchase items prior to attending. We will also have some merchandise at the conference. We will not be selling the merchandise after the conference, so be sure to purchase early or at the conference!

Advertising:

In order to help fund and advertise the conference and provide a wonderful celebration for fans and scholars of the Nancy Drew series and the history of the Syndicate, we are selling advertising slots in our programs. We will be advertising locally, on the Web and will be sending out a press release to national media sources. If you would like to help sponsor the conference, contact us about our fees and ad sizes (business card, ˝ page, and whole page sizing).

Conference Hotels:

Our Hotel will be the West Park Hotel, located on 310 W. 58th St. between 8th and 9th avenues (or 6 Columbus Circle as it says on the website). Your room must be booked by April 30! (212)-445-0200. The Conference is being held at the NYSEC at 2 W. 64th St, so our hotel is very nearby.

I managed to get us a really good rate at the West Park Hotel of 169.00 a night plus taxes for up to 2 people in 1 or 2 single beds.

The rate is $199.00 per night plus taxes for a room with 2 double beds--you might check their website for a room with 2 double beds in case there is a special internet rate for such a room--and you can book a 2 double bed room that way. I do suggest that you might consider rooming with someone you know who is going to the conference if you would like to save a little more. If you want us to help you find a roommate, let us know!

The West Park Hotel number is: . Ask for the "Nancy Drew Conference" block of rooms to get the 169.00 rate. Hotel space is limited--we should be able to get more rooms added to the block but that depends on how quickly it fills up. We have a block of 20 to 25 rooms right now, but that may fill up quickly, so I suggest you reserve soon. Also, once you reserve, if you have to cancel, you must do so 45 days prior to date of arrival or you will be charged--and that date would be May 1st, 2005. There is hotel parking and it is $36.00/per 24 hour period. The hotel has complimentary tea and coffe.

Also, if anyone would like to stay at the West Side YMCA, they are located at 5 W. 63rd street--even closer to the NYSEC conference location. Their rates are between 72.00 to 140.00 a night. They have single, double bunk bed rooms, and some quad rooms all with shared bathrooms. They do have some rooms with private bathrooms and those go for the 140.00 rate if anyone wants to stay there. I was not able to get a block of rooms there, and they have limited space--it goes quickly--so be sure to call soon, if this is where you want to stay. Checkout their website. Their number is: (212) 875-4273.

Contact Information/Ticket Information: (Conference Space is limited!)

Our conference space is limited! It is recommended that you RSVP as soon as possible and purchase tickets in advance to ensure a spot at the conference. Purchasing ahead of time will save you $ as well. Payment is due by May 10, 2005.

All tickets are nonrefundable!

Stratemeyer Syndicate Sites in NJ day tour: $36.50.

Conference Tickets: When purchased in advance, conference tickets are 5.00 per day or 7.50 for a 2 day pass to the daytime portion on Friday, June 17 and Saturday, June 18.

Nancy Drew® 75th Anniversary Gala: The ticket price for the Friday, June 17, evening Nancy Drew® Anniversary Birthday gala is $55.00. Part of the ticket proceeds are being donated to the NYPL's Stratemeyer Syndicate archives.

Payment: Due by May 10, 2005. You may pay by check, money order to the address at the top of the page. Make payment out to: Jennifer Fisher. If you are paying with a credit card, you can use Pay Pal. Pay Pal is free and very easy to use. My Pay Pal e-mail account is: nancydrewsleuth@aol.com

Please e-mail me here with your questions, comments, to RSVP, and to purchase tickets to the 2 day conference or the Nancy Drew 75th Anniversary Birthday Gala.