You know those February days when the artic cold is full upon the great outdoors, and the ground is a dirty white, not because there’s snow on it, but because it is so damnably cold that a permanent coat of frost has been laid on, like in an old freezer? Those days when you hate to think about leaving the house for anything at all, and if you do the frigid blasts from across the prairie force you to run back in? For some reason, in this time when one least wants to think about travel, the time to think about Sherlockian travels has hit full force.

One might think it was a burst of Sherlockian enthusiasm following the January birthday activities in New York, but so many of the events have the word “annual” somewhere in the title that the answer has to lie elsewhere.  Here’s the list I have so far:

March 9-11, Dayton, Ohio . . . . The 26 th Annual Sherlock Holmes/Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Symposium.

April 14-15, Chattanooga, Tennessee . . .The Third Annual Gathering of Southern Sherlockians.

April 27-29, Chicago, Illinois (or the suburbs thereof) . . .The Sixth Annual Combined STUD/Watsonian Weekend.

July 6-8, Minneapolis, Minnesota . . . Victorian Secrets and Edwardian Enigmas.

Sometime in September, Door County, Wisconsin . . . The Canonical Convocation and Caper.

They’re all midwestern, and they’re certainly all going to be a good time – I don’t think I’ve ever been to a Sherlockian weekend event that wasn’t. (Having been to all of the above at least once, with the exception of Chattanooga, I can say that with some confidence. This year I’m going to pay a visit to the Southern Sherlockians, so I’m hoping that they’ll complete my straight flush of Sherlockian fun.) But can even a Sherlockian who lives within a days drive of all those events make it to every single one?

And if one could make it to all of them, should one? Is there a danger of over-exposure, burnout, or a loss of one’s ability to keep up with other Sherlockian endeavors? This is one point on which I deeply envy my retired comrades who can attend such events without having to worry about getting up and going to work on Monday morning, or how many vacation days they have left, etc.

For now, though, in the bitterly cold days of February, everything’s still a possibility. Well, except for maybe the Illustrious Clients’ meeting next week . . . down a very cold stretch of interstate. Too bad, too, because after the Colts’ Super Bowl victory tonight, Indianapolis is probably a very happy place to be!

Your humble correspondent,

Brad Keefauver