It kinda started as a joke.

We—that’s Fay and Shawn—love playing board games with friends. We thought we would invite over a bunch of friends and play games for a whole day instead of just a few hours in an evening. “I know, we’ll call it ClaytonCon and pretend it’s a board game convention,” joked Shawn. Folding tables were set up in the dining room and pine room. Fay arranged for door prizes and printed out name badges. The doors to the house opened at 11 a.m.; by the end of the day, some 20 friends dropped by to play board games. We had a great time and went to bed game-filled and happily exhausted.

Turns out, we were on to something. Friends asked: When is the next ClaytonCon? Can you make ClaytonCon a two-day event? Will ClaytonCon happen more than once a year?

By our third ClaytonCon, in 2019, nearly 50 people played games on 8 different tables throughout our house. Friends brought friends—from Ottawa, Toronto, Kingston, Gatineau and right here in wee Mississippi Mills.

Yep! We’re definitely on to something.

Our little joke about a board game con had turned into the real thing.