Nancy Drew Conventions & Registration

2025 Convention Details -

Updated OCTOBER 12, 2024 - See Below for Details

PLEASE NOTE: If you want to be on an e-mail list for our 2025 April and October Conventions, please e-mail us at sleuths@ndsleuths.com and request to be on the convention e-mail lists.

Bookmark this page and check back often for updates. Scroll past the current convention details below to see where we are going in the future and also view information on our past conventions and at the bottom, our FAQ section. Interested in Attending? Are you a member of the media interested in profiling us? E-mail us at sleuths@ndsleuths.com 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 anyone--you don't have to be a member of our group to attend. For more information on our conventions, check out our Convention FAQ at the bottom of this page.

 

2025 EVENTS:

 

We are hosting 2 events in 2025 for the 95th Anniversary of Nancy Drew and they are as follows:

April 24-26 - Nancy Drew Conference, Toledo, OH

October 1-5 - Nancy Drew 95th Convention, Lancaster, PA

Details will be posted here later this fall for these events. In the meantime, e-mail us at sleuths@ndsleuths.com to be on our convention e-mail lists for Toledo and for Lancaster.

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Our Next Adventures...

This is all very tentative - subject to change...

 

2025 - 95th Anniv of Nancy Drew

(Possible - Nancy Drew Goes to Broadway - location/dates TBD)

April 24-26 - Toledo, OH - Nancy Drew Convention

October 1-4 - Lancaster, PA - Haunted Witch Tree Convention + Nancy Drew Ghost Stories - Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake & Vampire's Cave + Broken Locket MD  Excursion

2026 - April - Nancy Drew Clue in the Old Stagecoach Convention - Phoenix/Tucson AZ

Fall - 40th Anniv of Nancy Drew Files Mystery Weekend - Chicago

2027 - Fall, Haunted New Orleans & 50th Anniv of the 1970s Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys TV Show (The Voodoo Doll episode was set in NOLA)

2028 - Fall - ND Book Hunter's Convention - Nancy Drew Sleuth Con - Dallas, TX

2029 - Fall - Vermont - Ski Jump & Captain Stone's Revenge

2030 - 100th Anniversary of Nancy Drew Events:

April - Nancy Drew's 100th Anniversary Convention, Nancy Drew Sleuths 30th Anniversary - Hawaii - Land Events & Cruise around Islands

July - Toledo, OH - 100th Anniv Nancy Drew Conference & Convention

Oct event - TBD

2031 - Spring - Florida - Miami, Key Biscayne


Where We've Sleuthed...
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 visited 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, Louisiana. Members spent the week visiting historic and haunted sites in the French Quarter and outer lying 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 life size 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 sightseeing 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.

March 30 - April 3, 2011: Charlottesville, VA. Members attended this 11th annual convention by following in Nancy Drew's footsteps around Charlottesville for our Hidden Window theme. We held a festive meet and greet, visited Monticello, Michie Tavern, Ash Lawn-Highland, Seven Oaks, held an event at the local library with Nancy Drew ghostwriter Alison Hart, participated in a stained-glass craft activity, book hunted, went on a ghost tour, and held our annual convention day with speakers and a charity raffle to benefit the local library. Members attended a 50s/Clue theme mystery dinner costume party and held our annual gift exchange.

March 19 - March 25, 2012: Phoenix, AZ. For our 12th annual convention with our Kachina Doll Mystery and Shadow Ranch themes, we hosted a sub-convention - Sleuth Con, an all series book convention. Members stayed at the Gold Canyon Resort and spent the first part of the week touring around the Phoenix area viewing Jenn Fisher's collection, book hunting, Scottsdale house party, book discussion at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, visited a ghost town and took part in The Amazing Case challenge, took a cruise on the Dolly Steamboat at Canyon Lake, and had a chuckwagon dinner at the Rockin' R. Ranch. The latter part of the week found guests solving a mystery with clues to hunt for around the resort and we hosted 3 days of presentations and activities culminating with our western theme mystery dinner party and annual gift exchange.

May 28 - June 2, 2013: Boston, MA. For our 13th annual convention with our Wooden Lady theme, we visited the Boston, MA area to tour local sights including local used book stores, The Wayside Inn, Louisa May Alcott's home, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, a vintage collection tour of a local collector, spent the day in Spooky Salem, MA and went on a ghost tour and clipper ship ride, and spent a day in Boston with historic sites and a clambake on Thompson Island. Our convention day of speakers included our Guest of Honor, Nancy Drew illustrator, Ruth Sanderson who we presented with our Honorary Sleuth Award. Rounding out our week was our mystery dinner party and annual gift exchange.

Jun 2 - June 8, 2014: San Diego, CA. For our 14th annual convention with our 70's TV Show Theme & Assorted Classic/Paperback Nancy Drew mysteries, Nancy Drew Sleuths sleuthed around San Diego for a fun-filled week. Members held a mystery theme meet & greet, took a trolley tour of San Diego, went on a ghost tour at the Whaley House Museum, visited the San Diego Zoo, toured a local collector's home, had a 70s Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys TV Show Bash with TV producers Arlene Sidaris and Joyce Brotman and actors Pamela Sue Martin and Parker Stevenson. They held a 3-day convention featuring Nancy Drew and other similar series books full of speakers, merchandise and evening events including an old-time radio show, cruised on the Bahia Belle, and held a 1930s Nancy Drew "Sleuth Punk"/"Steam Punk" Mystery dinner which included the annual Nancy Drew gift exchange.

April, May, June 2015: Iowa City, IA; Toledo, OH; and Maplewood, NJ - 3 Historic Nancy Drew Mini Cons. 2015 celebrated the 85th anniversary of Nancy Drew and the 110th anniversaries of Mildred Wirt Benson (original Carolyn Keene) and the Stratemeyer Syndicate. It was also the 15th anniversary of Nancy Drew Sleuths. We celebrated these anniversaries with historic mini conventions set in places related to the history behind the mystery and those who created Nancy Drew. Our IA convention was also our River Heights convention complete with a River Heights day set in Muscatine, IA along the Mississippi River. We helped sponsor and dedicate a Literary Landmark at the Toledo Public Library to Mildred Wirt Benson for her books and series including Nancy Drew. In NJ, we celebrated the Stratemeyer Syndicate with tours to Syndicate related sites including the lovely Bird Haven Farm, owned at one time by the Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. We hosted library events at each convention and donated sets of Nancy Drew books to each library.

April 20 - April 24, 2016: New Orleans, LA. For our 16th annual convention with we returned to New Orleans, a fan favorite to laissez les bon temps rouler! We hosted a meet & greet event, took a roadtrip to Cajun Country with plantation and swamp tours, our Sleuth Survivor event, crawfish dinner, hosted a library event at the New Orleans Public Library and donated a full set of the Nancy Drew books to the library. A trip to the French Quarter would not be the same without a ghost tour! We cruised on the Natchez steamboat and held a masquerade mystery soiree at Antoine's Restaurant.

October 12 - October 14, 2017: Ogunquit, ME. Nancy Drew fans came to Ogunquit, Maine, in the fall of 2017, the more than coincidental inspiration for the setting and town/cove in The Mystery of the Tolling Bell. Members went to a Mon Coeur M&G party where they made heart craft necklaces and their own perfume and cologne scents, did a Nancy Drew clues challenge around the hotel property, got tricks and treats and goody bags, held a vintage book and merchandise event, went on a spooky Friday the 13th ghost tour along the Marginal Way, cruised on the Atlantic for a scenic lighthouse boat tour that took them past Bald Head Cliff from the book, got to M&G with 70s Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys TV Show stars Pamela Sue Martin and Parker Stevenson to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the TV shows and held a mystery dinner at Jonathan's Restaurant complete with a mysterious escape box challenge.

April 25 - April 28, 2018: Key West, FL. Nancy Drew fans held their 18th annual convention in Key West - our theme books were The Clue of the Black Keys and the Nancy Drew Files book, Sea of Suspicion. Members held a M&G party at the Marriott Beachside resort, went on a spooky interactive ghost tour of Key West, held a Nancy Drew event with merchandise and a visit from the producers of the Nancy Drew Broadway play planned for 2020 and a fantastic sunset sail. An "Amazing Case" treasure hunt for prizes had members searching treasure chests for clues to find the prizes. A Nancy Drew event with speakers was held at author Judy Blume's book shop, Books and Books, and then a full set of Nancy Drew books was donated to the Key West Public Library for circulation. The week was capped off by a mystery dinner at Mangoes Restaurant.

 

June 2019 - Toronto, Canada & October 2019 - Savannah, GA. Nancy Drew fans held their 2019 conventions in two locations: June in Toronto, Canada where they toured sites from the 1995 Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys TV Shows and met some of the actors at a mystery dinner, went on an old Schooner cruise in the harbor, held a library program with speakers on various Nancy Drew topics, played Nancy Drew Clue in historic Casa Loma and spent a fun day at Niagara Falls.  The second event in Savannah, GA in October found Sleuths sneaking about all the haunts in Savannah from historic Bonaventure Cemetery to a ghost tour around haunted Savannah, to Nancy Drew convention day events, a scavenger hunt in downtown Savannah, Speakeasy Mystery Party at the American Prohibition Museum & Congress Street Up Speakeasy, Haunted Sleuth Survivor competition and visits to the fabulous Books on Bay Bookstore which has an amazing inventory of thousands of vintage children's series books including Nancy Drew. CBS Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley came to town to film fans and talk with President Jennifer Fisher. 

 

February 2020 - Salt Lake City & Park City, UT. Nancy Drew fans held their 2020 convention in Salt Lake City & Park City, UT. Fans met for a meet and greet dinner at Cheesecake Factory and then headed to Park City, UT for some winter Murder on Ice atmosphere complete with touring the Olympic Park venue to sights in downtown Park City and a Nancy Drew clues hunt. An "escape" mystery dinner at the historic Lion House in Salt Lake City and the Nancy Drew Escape Room adventure at the Mystery Escape Room were lots of fun. 

 

July 2022 - Toledo, OH - Not an official Nancy Drew Sleuths Convention - but many of the Sleuths converged on Toledo, OH where NDS President Jennifer Fisher's Nancy Drew Collection was donated and can be found in the Mystery Room at the downtown main library. Three days of mystery events including the grand-opening dedication of the Nancy Drew Collection took place including a mystery party, Nancy Drew escape room, photo booth to put yourself on Nancy Drew covers, mystery day with CSI sleuthing, sleuth kits, a scavenger hunt and more plus presentations by Fisher, Nancy Drew artists Ruth Sanderson and Laura Ruby and author Julie Rubini. A mystery bingo game of Nancy Drew and (original Carolyn Keene) Mildred Wirt Benson sights around Toledo for prizes and a wrap-up dinner to award prizes. Original Nancy Drew cover art from several collectors was on display too.
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 NDS CONVENTION FAQ

Check out our Convention FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) below. Still have further qustions? E-mail us at sleuths@ndsleuths.com

1. HOW DO I REGISTER TO ATTEND THE NANCY DREW CONVENTION?

A: Visit our website convention page - print out the registration forms and fill them out and mail them in with your registration fee or e-mail us at sleuths@ndsleuths.com to set up a time to call and pay via credit card.

2. DO I HAVE TO BE A NANCY DREW SLEUTHS MEMBER TO ATTEND?

A: No, anyone can attend. If you'd like to join, please check out our information on how to become a member.

3. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO ATTEND THE CONVENTION?

A: In addition to the registration fee which is found at our website convention page, your transportation, hotel, and meals not covered by the registration fee will vary depending on how you travel and what you order, plus the souvenirs you might purchase and other things you choose to do during free day or down time. The cost of the hotel is listed at our website convention page.

3.5. WHY IS IT SO EXPENSIVE TO ATTEND A CONVENTION WHEN COMIC CON STYLE CONVENTIONS ARE SO CHEAP?

A: We do not have a comic or fan con style set up where a room of vendors pays for the event with their booth rentals allowing cheap tickets (which are pure profit for the comic cons) for those to attend and then you just wander around a convention room all weekend mostly entertaining yourself.

Registrants help pay for the convention costs including but not limited to: parties & activities, any provided meals noted, tours provided and entry fees, equipment/room rentals, convention planning services, decorations, printing costs, advertising, goody bag supplies.

We have a travel and tour style convention where you are following in Nancy's footsteps and doing things she did in the convention theme books and TV shows - we have touring and transportation costs via private charter bus on 2 days, meals included which are group meals at venues with all the trimmings/tax/service charges and gratuity included, entry fees to venues, a host of administrative costs and office/copy costs, royalties, decorations for various events, Clue game & mystery dinner mystery setup costs, mystery dinner costs, goody bags to put together, info packets/name tags for everyone, etc. and so on and so forth. Putting on one of these conventions is much like planning a vacation tour group. But the upside to it, is that you are getting a super exciting experience you won't get anywhere else, getting to meet lots of fun Nancy Drew fans and you get to follow in Nancy Drew's footsteps.

When you are taking lots of time off to attend one of these, paying a lot for your transportation (airfare/etc.) and hotel, we want to be able to provide you with a stellar experience you can't get at home or anywhere else. Attending these conventions isn't a right, it's a privilege you afford yourself through hard work and saving for it. If you want to attend and put forth the effort to make it happen, we'd love to have you and we're going to make it worth your while!

4. WHAT AGE ARE MOST OF THOSE WHO ATTEND? DO KIDS ATTEND?

A: Most who attend are in their 20s to 50s+ We generally do have several kids attend each year, usually age 8 to 12 or older. We are a very family friendly group - "safe and sane" just like Nancy Drew! We do ask however, that if you have babies or very young children that they be very well behaved, especially on our main convention days (when our conventions have these) when we are hosting our speakers and videotaping the proceedings.

5. HOW MANY PEOPLE USUALLY ATTEND?

A: It varies, depending on location and time of year, but we typically have 50 to 75+ in attendance of those who register. Sometimes we also have locals join us when we hold convention days or library events with speakers/activities, and that adds to the count.

6. I'VE NEVER BEEN BEFORE--WHAT CAN I EXPECT IT TO BE LIKE?

A: We are a very friendly group--and we try to make everyone, especially newbies, feel comfortable. And really, we've always received feedback from newbies that they just felt right at home and welcomed. This is because everyone has a common passion--Nancy Drew and collecting--so that makes everything easy and fun. At our Meet & Greet we strive to get people to know each other through introductions and get-to-know you activities. In addition to making newbies feel at home and seeing old friends who regularly attend, our mantra at these conventions is to walk in Nancy Drew's footsteps. So you'll find yourself doing things that Nancy Drew did in the theme books depending on location and logistics - so we might visit local sights she did and other sights of interest, you sometimes will have opportunities to book hunt, there are sometimes convention days with fan oriented to scholarly presentations all about Nancy Drew, merchandise to shop for, and mysteries to solve--plus a fun optional Nancy Drew gift exchange to wrap everything up! We really try to bring the theme book alive for fans, so it's a very rewarding and memorable experience. And you'll find yourself treated to a Nancy Drew goody bag with lots of fun items which usually include Nancy Drew books and computer games.

7. DO I HAVE TO READ THE THEME BOOKS TO ATTEND?

A: No you do not, but it will enhance your experience greatly and if we have any trivia based challenges or do book discussions, this will come in handy! If you do not currently own the theme book(s), you can find them handily at eBay or even Etsy. You can purchase new books at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble online.

8. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE NANCY DREW GIFT EXCHANGE?

A: The gift exchange takes place usually at our convention mystery dinner on Saturday evenings, but some years we do it on a different night. It is an optional gift exchange, so you do not have to participate. It's run like a Secret Santa-type exchange--everyone will bring a gift and receive a gift. Numbers are drawn and then people pick in order from 1+. We do not steal from each other, so the gift you pick is yours to keep.

The criteria for the gifts falls into 2 categories--store bought and homemade. We have 2 separate tables in the exchange for these--so if you make a gift you pick from the homemade table. If you purchased a gift then you pick from the store bought table. We do both tables because some members are not crafty and do not want the pressure of having to craft a gift so it makes the exchange easier on everyone.

It's "The thought that counts" and we suggest spending no more than around $20 on the gift as a general rule. The main rule though is that the gift has to be ALL ABOUT NANCY DREW--if store bought it needs to be Nancy Drew books and/or Nancy Drew merchandise. If handmade, it needs to be full of Nancy Drew imagery and/or be UNIQUE or specific to Nancy Drew. For instance, a magnifying glass is not unique to Nancy Drew, though it is one of her favorite sleuthing tools, but a magnifying glass paired with a Nancy Drew item is fine. But the gift must be unique or specific to Nancy Drew. So, for instance, a generic clock wouldn't be unique or specific, but if someone wanted to recreate the Crowley Clock from The Secret of the Old Clock, as it looks on the cover, that would be unique/specific to Nancy Drew and would fit the exchange. Whatever you do, it must fit that pattern of imagery/uniqueness.

Past gifts from exchanges can be seen at our Nancy Drew Sleuths Blog. Also if you'd like some Dos & Don'ts for the Handcrafted gifts, check out Sleuth Lea's Gift Exchange Hints. And here's a Pinterest board of Nancy Drew handcrafted gift ideas to inspire you.

9. WHAT IS SLEUTH SURVIVOR? THE AMAZING CASE?

A: We do not do these events at every convention, but do so from time to time depending on our theme and the location. "Sleuth Survivor" is similar to the show "Survivor," in that we break into teams and compete in challenges similar to the show. Each team (Nancy/Bess/George...) has their own "buff" which is a bandana in the team's color with the challenge logo. Each team breaks down into sub groups who each perform 1 of 3 tasks in the challenge. The first group typically puts together a puzzle, the 2nd team typically deciphers it and the 3rd team typically does/finds something the puzzle tells them to do and then races to the finish line. The winning team receives a grand prize. Everyone else gets a consolation prize. "Amazing Case" is similar to the show "Amazing Race" in that we break into teams who race around going from clue to clue. The first clue is typically discovered by the team putting together some kind of puzzle or deciphering something to start them on their case. Once the final clue is found, it will lead them to race to the finish line or final destination. Winning teams get grand prizes, everyone else gets a consolation prize. These challenges for both Sleuth Survivor and Amazing Case involve some mental portions and physical portions. If you are unable to race around very easily, you would be best utilized in the puzzle/deciphering portions. These challenges are also optional for anyone not able to participate.

10. WHAT IS THE DRESS CODE FOR CONVENTION DAYS AND MYSTERY DINNERS?

A: For convention day at our hotel during the day on Saturdays, I suggest dressy casual. Most of our speakers will dress up for making presentations. At the dinner, it is always dressier that evening. No shorts, jeans, and really casual dress--unless it somehow fits in with the theme or a costume. Otherwise, typical dress for women would be dresses, skirts, nice dressy pantsuits and for men: nice slacks and dress shirts on up to suits and the like. Typically our Saturday mystery dinner involves a theme and most people wear costumes - costumes are optional however and you may just dress up if you like. During the week, unless otherwise noted in the itinerary, other days are just casual. On days when we're doing a lot of touring, comfortable walking shoes are a must!

11. WHAT IS THE CHARITY RAFFLE? HOW ARE THE PROCEEDS DONATED?

A: At some conventions, where we have a convention day, we might host a charity raffle to benefit a local library for the children's section. Books are close to our hearts and so is getting kids interested in reading, so naturally, benefitting the local library is a great help in achieving that goal. We raffle off a variety of Nancy Drew books and merchandise each year and we set it up so that you can put your tickets in individual bags by each of the items. This way, you can select to put your tickets in the bags of the items you most want to win. Then we draw for the prizes throughout the day. Half the proceeds from the raffle ticket sales go to the library, the other half helps cover convention costs and purchases made for the raffle as not all items are donated. At the end of each convention as we wrap up business back home, we cut a check to the library. We have raised over $1500 for libraries at the last few conventions!

In recent years we have started donating full sets of Nancy Drew books (brand new) to the libraries, and this is what we will likely do more of in the future.