Fantasy Weekend

The Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society holds its 26th annual convention this weekend at the Burbank Airport Hilton, where one of the draws will be a guest appearance by J. Michael Straczynski, creator of TV cult favorite “Babylon 5.”

The theme for this year’s LOSCON, short for Los Angeles Convention, is “The End of the World.”

But don’t expect more Y2K madness.

“The emphasis won’t be on the millennium,” event chairwoman Liz Mortensen said.

“The end of the world was much more exciting in the 1950s, also much worse, what with giant ants, grasshoppers, nuclear wars and giant blobs.

The worst thing people nowadays can think up for the ‘end’ is that ATM cards won’t work.”

Guest of honor will be author Connie Willis, who won this year’s Hugo Award, science fiction writer’s equivalent of the Oscar. Admission to the three-day event, which starts today and ends Sunday, is $40.

A popular feature is the sale of vintage science fiction books and memorabilia, Mortensen said.

The Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society got its start 65 years ago in downtown Los Angeles and moved to its present headquarters in a North Hollywood bungalow in 1977.

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These days, membership includes so many professional writers that the organization publishes a monthly magazine of original science fiction stories.

The society holds an open house the second Sunday of each month at which visitors can browse one of the most comprehensive private libraries in the United States devoted exclusively to science fiction books and videos.

Members can take home two videos for two weeks or check out a book for 28 days.

There’s a section in the library for young readers and an excellent “Reading List for Mature Children and Young Adults.”

Membership dues are $2 a week.

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Visitors can meet other science fiction fans who gather at the bungalow on Thursdays and Fridays to watch classic science fiction movies and TV shows, meet visiting authors and hold fantasy role-playing games, among other activities.

They can also view a rather eccentric collection of science fiction memorabilia.

“There’s always something going on,” said Charles Lee Jackson II, the programming chairman.

A visit to the headquarters is almost guaranteed to shake visitors out of whatever state of mind the real world has put them in, transporting them to worlds created by Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke and Madeleine L’Engle.

The one-Sunday-a-month event attracts about 100 people.

BE THERE

Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society convention today through Sunday at the Burbank Airport Hilton, 2500 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank. 9:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. today-Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. Also, open house at the headquarters the second Sunday of each month from 2-10 p.m., 11513 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood. (818) 760-9234.