Keokon, the Tri-States' annual science fiction convention in Keokuk, Iowa, is celebrating the birthday of Star Trek's Captain James T. Kirk with a doomsday party. The convention, which is now in its fifth year, is traditionally held on the third weekend in March, close to the birthday of the TV and movie hero. Organizers chose a doomsday theme this year to celebrate the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012, which some people believe signals the end of the world.

"We're having a lot of fun with this," said Keokon founder Per Malm. "There have been dozens of doomsday predictions in the last hundred years alone, and none of them have panned out. This is a good excuse to party like it's 1999."

Along with discussions on more common Sci-Fi topics like popular TV shows and upcoming movies, there will also be a presentation by the Great River Paranormal Society, a team of ghost hunters and investigators.

Malm said, "We really try to have a wide variety of presentations. Even though we're small, our programming has been as good as larger conventions."