Next years convention of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists will be held in Salt Lake City, UT. Salt Lake Tribune editorial cartoonist Pat Bagley will be heading up the local logistics of the hosting. I asked him a few questions about the announcement and what we can expect.
A: Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe this is the first time the AAEC has come to Salt Lake City, right?
P: This will be a first for Salt Lake and Utah. And I didn’t even have to dispense bribes.
A: Do you have a vision yet for the format or venue of the convention?
P: The AAEC will be exploring all of the possibilities, but I see a relaxed, wide-ranging venue with activities open to public participation. It will be equal parts showing off our great state to my peers and showing off some of the greatest creative talent in the country to my fellow Utahns. I’ve talked to several community leaders and they’re all eager to help and participate in our party. I see a lot of love. In fact, you could call it Big Love.
A: Who would be at the top of your speaker list for the keynote?
P: I have some candidates in mind but don’t want to say anything before running it by the board. It’s too bad our fellow Utahn, Big Daddy “Ratfink” Roth, is no longer around. He would have been perfect.
A: Are there tentative dates yet?
P: We are looking at the last half of June. I will keep you posted.
A: Back when Salt Lake City was trying to win the 2002 Olympics there was a lot of consternation about the restrictive local liquor laws. The laws have changed a bit since then, but Utah’s reputation may not have. What would you tell individuals who might be thinking it would be a dry AAEC convention?
P: Here’s how I put it in the proposal. “You can get a drink in Utah. In fact, you can get several. Liquor flows freely in most restaurants and Salt Lake is home to several award-winning brew pubs. Beer is available in grocery stores while wine and spirits are sequestered in state run liquor stores. Bring your ID.”
As a local I’m looking forward to it and I know several others who will be as well. The Salt Lake area has a lot of organizations who, as Pat mentions, will be a natural fit and supporters of the convention.
This looks awesome! Depending on the final date selected, I’ll definitely be there (I’m already committed to a week-long event starting June 9th.)
Thanks, Pat, for championing this!
Years ago on a Ski trip out there, I learned that to
drink in a bar you had to get a local in the bar to sponsor you-or some
deal like that. Don’t know if that’s still case the case.
Perhaps Mitt Romney should be brought in to bail out
the profession like he did the Olympics.
Seriously, maybe this has already been thought of our suggested.
– taking the money spent on a convention and instead hire a
a good professional lobbyist to send to the publisher and editors
conventions too promote the profession to the people who have
been firing cartoonists and not hiring them.
Jeff– that had to have been years ago.
It’s as easy to get a drink in Salt Lake as it is in Denver. Not that drinking is a big thing at AAEC conventions….
You should think about coming. Mr Bagley’s got some great plans in the works.
@Jeff – The “membership” requirement to get into a bar or non-restaurant serving alcohol is no longer the law. You can thank failed prez candidate Jon Huntsman Jr. for pushing that through while he was governor.
–Cheers!
Awesome, definitely going to be there. Now we just gotta figure out how to get the Reubens to come!
It would be sorta like watching the Whooping Cranes return to Matagorda Island!
At least, we hope it’s not a dying species, even if there are too few of these guys.
For those who have expressed concern, it’s easy to get sloppy-drunk in Salt Lake.
Pat, this would explain most of your cartoons.
(sorry, that was a bp fastball and I had to swing. Cheers.)
Mike, nothing I don’t hear daily from my sober-as-a-Mormon readers. Hope you can make it.
…please bless and sanctify this convention to the souls of all those who partake of it….
Good to hear about the law change.. But I still have to clear it with my sister wives
I plan to load up my handcart and push it all the way from Nebraska to Salt Lake. See you there!
In 1996, the National Society of Newspaper Columnists met in/near Salt Lake City — and it was a great place to visit!