Probable Program Schedule

2nd floor (Cortland/Fireside Room) – Buy something fun!

2nd floor (The Empire Room) – Bid on a masterpiece! Three bids will ensure that items make it into the auction on Saturday.

2nd Floor (Exec Conference Room) – Prop-A-Torium VI – The Half-Blood Props: We’re back for year six. Come see what new props we have, and the return of our favorite props. From Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate, Lord of the Rings, and so much more from movies and TV shows. We have Fan Made Props, “Officially Licensed” Props, a few actual Screen-Used Props, even those high end collectibles we all covet from Sideshow, Master Replicas, Warner Brothers and more. If you like swords or lightsabers, bullwhips or blasters, come by the Prop-A-Torium! Photos will be allowed in the Prop-A-Torium, please ask us if you can touch or take videos of the props you see in the Prop-A-Torium.

2nd floor, Grove Room (Regent/Duchess/Waldorf) – View hard science exhibits from groups like MN Space Frontier Society, Mars Society, MN Astronomical Society, Rocket Man and more! We welcome new this year L-5 the Series and Twin Cities Maker. NASA space videos featuring Mars Rovers animations chronicling the ongoing Opportunity and Curiosity rover missions on Mars and other current space topics will be screened in FF0000 Mars and check out our life sized models of the rovers, our latest addition to the Science Room.

From Doctor Who to Being Human, Sci-Fi/Fantasy created for television across the pond just ends up being so much cooler. Let’s get together and have a cup of tea and discuss our favorite shows from Britain.
With: Romeo Azar, mod.; Tony Artym, Rick Snyder, Tom Hogan

It’s a part of the game. If you’re an artist of any kind and you actually want to get read, or perform, or have your art displayed, you have to learn how to handle the inevitable and innumerable rejections that follow the submission/audition process. What works? What doesn’t? Even if you have a good way of dealing with it, are there times you end up in a funk? How do you recover from that? Bring your best and worst rejection stories.
With: Catherine Asaro, Haddayr Copley-Woods, mod.; Kathryn Sullivan, Sherry L.M. Merriam

Hours 5pm to LATE; New to MarsCon! Get ready for a hip hopping, dubstepping, jive talking, musicbroom. Come in to shake your groove thang or just to listen and watch the laser show. Live DJs spinning the latest in techno and dubstep remixes into the wee hours. Contact Music Man Mark with song suggestions and he’ll do his best so find it for you. Better yet? Create your own playlist and he’ll hook it up to the speakers!
With: Mark Graff and Special Guest DJ - enouf

Intro into gaming! How to get a group, how to pick a game, how to set up your story, how to be a good player, and how not to wind up beating your friends and loved ones in the head with a gaming book.
With: William Crolley, James Turnbull

“Everything” is in some database somewhere on the Internet, including those old photos of you blotto which turn up the day you’re trying to land a job. Is FaceBook evil because they make personal privacy impossible? Is Google NOT evil because they have a cool motto? Wikileaks reveals more than they ever intended to, governments are overthrown in protests organized via Twitter, wikipedia goes on a 24-hour strike to influence legislation, and stories about kidney theft spread around the world in seconds. Is the Net fundamentally good, evil, or neutral?
With: Rich Brown, mod.; S.N. Arly

Come talk about what’s happening on this nerdy, physicist-friendly show.
With: Tony Artym, mod., Alexandra Howes, Sylus Raddisson, Baron Dave Romm

Bring your significant other for gentle torture and stretching massage. Please leave your torture implements at home.
With: Joe Swenson

From Krull to Battle Beyond the Stars, these are the films that suck, but we love them all the same. Join us as we celebrate awesome bad films that we all love.
With: Romeo Azar, mod.; Rick Snyder, Tom Hogan

Sara Cura applying Henna Tattoos; Cost $5 and up, based on how intricate the tattoo is, paid to Sara.
With: Sara Cura, Jonathan Wegemeyer

Time and again there were episodes where the solution to their problem could be easily resolved with something they had worked out in a previous episode – only they had forgotten. That has been addressed from time to time but it still gets less attention with many writers. Also, it doesn’t take much imagination from our “primitive” perspective to use transporter technology that removes about two cubic feet of the innards of a nasty alien and moves it six feet to the left. Let’s see it survive that if it can bear up to full phasers! Also, old vs. the new. In The Next Generation it was a major hassle to make a tractor beam repel (it was needed), and in The Original Series it was a snitch.
With: Tom Ashwell, mod.; Patrick Koozy

7pm until 3am – Karaoke Krypt – 13th floor (Room 1318)

…and so it begins…
With: Denise Crosby, Catherine Asaro, Rob Callahan, Jon Sloan, Aric Stewart, Kim Stewart, Wes Duellman, Wendell Duellman, The Consortium of Genius

Learn about plans (and perhaps volunteer?) for Arcana 42, October 19-21, 2012, Best Western—Bandana Square, St. Paul.

Denise Crosby is known by fans for her role as Lt. Tasha Yar on one of the most popular TV series ever, Star Trek: The Next Generation. Denise also co-starred alongside Fisher Stevens and Jennifer Tilly in the Fox series Key West and has played recurring roles on NYPD Blue, The X-Files, Mad Men, and Lois and Clark: The Adventures of Superman. She has guest starred in numerous TV series, most recently Dexter, Crossing Jordan, and Bones. Denise also plays Captain Susan Sallinger on the acclaimed series Southland. Join us in welcoming Denise to Minnesota!
With: Denise Crosby

This is a bit harder to demonstrate in a small timescale without a microwave and kiln. It generally takes about 1 hour, 20 minutes of waiting time to do a piece. But listen as our Artist Guest of Honor talks about beginning glass fusing and such.

With: Aric Stewart

With: Heather Luca

With: Terry Faust

Wanted: Intrepid explorers to delve into the mysteries of the 13th floor. Search for clues and tally your completed quests! Ballots and instructions are outside Room 310 at 8:00 p.m. Return completed ballots to Room 310 by Saturday 1:00 p.m.
With: Red Ribbon Society (a.k.a. Steam Century)

With: Denise Crosby

Come and make friends with the first 30 issues of this Twin Cities speculative fiction magazine-anthology, meet staff and contributors, and hear about our silver anniversary issue, #31, due out later this year.

Does all steampunk have to be Victorian England? Certainly not! And it isn’t. Join a discussion of race, gender, class, and religion in this diverse genre.
With: Kevin Borchers, mod., Michael Merriam, Red Ribbon Society (a.k.a. Steam Century)

By day, Kyle Carrozza works as a professional on the television animation industry on such shows as Nickelodeon’s Fanboy & Chum Chum. But by late-afternoon/early-evening he becomes TV’s Kyle, churning out quirky, catchy, original comedy tunes for all to enjoy! He had such a great time last year that he said he never wants to miss another MarsCon ever again. So be sure to catch his show, and ask him about the “floating princess”. http://www.tvskyleband.com

With: Julie Bowman

A look at some of the real-world beliefs about the upcoming end of days: The Mayan Calendar. Super volcanoes. Giant asteroids. Climate change. Seven Billion Living Humans. That guy who bought all those signs on the sides of buses. Also, a look back at humanity’s fascination with its own impending (yet never-quite-occurring) demise.
With: Rob Callahan, mod.; Catherine Asaro, Tom Ashwell, Haddayr Copley-Woods, Rebecca Marjesdatter, Edward E. Rom

Join us for the 8th year of this great tradition! All artists and fans of the Art Show are invited to join us for a lovely, relaxed evening with Jon Sloan, Aric & Kim Stewart and all the resident local artists who contribute to our Art Show. There will be no formal tour, just a chance to preview the art, drink, and eat crackers with cheese. Find out what inspires and drives our artists while surrounded by their own art in our gallery-like setting.
With: Jon Sloan, Aric Stewart, Kim Stewart, Michael Byrne, Art Show Director

Like an anthropomorphic horse from an alternate reality, Chris Mezzolesta of Power Salad, ShoEboX of Worm Quartet, Devo Spice, and the great Luke Ski defy the laws of time and space to bring you sketch comedy that will melt your brain. Their all-too-innocently titled sketch “Elevator” made Dr. Demento’s Funny 25 of 2011. They are releasing their 3rd album at MarsCon this year, Stupid Cowboy Thing, Volume 2: Additional Squid.

The International Space Station, the largest cooperative program in history, combines the resources of 16 nations in scientific research. Get the latest information on the program.
With: Ben Huset, Minnesota Space Frontier Society

One of the most beloved recurring acts of MarsCon, comprised of one man who goes by the name of ShoEboX. His high-tempo synth-punk tunes about ex-girlfriends, limbless drummers, and what your parents think all your music sounds like (SEX! DRUGS! SATAN!) have earned him a legion of devoted fans who would gladly watch him do a show where he reads the Rochester phone book. He enjoys Pac-Man, and so should you. http://www.wormquartet.com/

Todd Murray lets you into his twisted mind to see how he designed the Gamera, Godzilla, Predator, and Black Dragon costumes. Be afraid.
With: Todd Murray

Filking is a fannish tradition, active since the 1950s, when early fans gathered in hotel rooms for late-night singing sessions at the occasional science fiction convention. While filk music commonly has a science, SF or fantasy theme, filkers have been known to write filk songs about a variety of tangentially-related topics. Bring your voice. Bring your instrument if you have one. Bring your own lyrics, or grab a songbook and join in the singing.

The Gothsicles combine industrial music with classic video games in a multimedia dance party that has been decribed as both “loud” and “awesome”. They’ve performed all over the world with their songs about Contra, Devastator, daschunds, and Kraftwerk-style covers of ‘80s & ‘90s sitcom theme songs. So move back the chairs and insert a quarter, because soon ‘darkNES’ will encompass us all!

Not everyone’s trained in the military, is athletic, or even has guns. Learn how to use your wit to survive the harsh world of the undead in realistic ways.
With: Kevin Berg, Brian LaBounty, Jr

We’ve all heard about UFO sightings, but what’s happening in our own neighborhood? This talk is a look at some interesting UFO and close encounter cases in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and some of the prevailing themes observed in the investigation of local UFO abduction cases.
With: Craig R. Lang

Closing our Friday night R-rated set will be Seamonkey, creator of such great Dr. Demento Show hit parodies as “Moo Moo Cow”, “Anorexiac”, “I Want In Your Pants”, and “I Like Sheep”. He’s rocked the stage at Con on the Cob and MidSouthCon, and now he’s bringing his raucous, outrageous act to MarsCon for the first time. Did I mention he’s R-Rated? I did? Good. You’ve been warned.

Yeah, we thought there would be no steam left in this genre, but with the success of Paranormal Activity 3, The Devil Inside and Chronicle, there seems to be no slowing down these flicks down.
With: Romeo Azar, mod.; Rick Snyder, Tom Hogan

Black light whip cracking with a steampunk twist. Robert Dante, the “World’s Fastest Whip”, will be returning to MarsCon for an out of this world performance. This Guinness Book of World Records holder has electrified MarsCon in the past with his theatrical blend of dark fantasy and circus. You will be mesmerized. More info at http://bullwhip.net
With: Robert Dante, Mary Anderson

Join us for a talk about all 8 movies, all 10 books, Pottermore, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, The Making of Harry Potter, and the Harry Potter fandom.
With: Tony Artym, Aaron Grono, Elspeth Lee, Rana Raechle, Matt Ledder, Elizabeth Erickson, Sylus Raddisson, Alexandra Howes

Bring a drum and thrum, thrum, thrum…

Silent bids will be accepted prior to live auction.

MarsCon 2012 charity auction proceeds will benefit the Gordy Dickson Memorial Scholarship Fund and Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans. Come, bid on donated items, and raise money for two worthwhile causes!

Robert Dante, the “World’s Fastest Whip”, and companion Mary perform bullwhip shows at Wild West events, burlesque shows and S&M conferences across the country. Robert is a 3-time Guinness World Record holder for most bullwhip cracks in one minute (254), and author of Let’s Get Cracking! The How-To Book of Bullwhip Skills.
With: Robert Dante, Mary Anderson

Here’s your chance to change a life while at MarsCon - give blood! Since 2006, the USS Nokomis has been hosting successful blood drives on the Saturday of MarsCon. That makes this our 7th annual! Please take some time out of your Saturday to help the American Red Cross and USS Nokomis reach the goal. If you have questions about the donation process, see www.redcrossblood.org USS Nokomis NCC-1858 Questions to USS Nokomis about the blood drive? Ask the Captain.
Mary M Pucel, MBA, MT(ASCP) Director, Donor Recruitment American Red Cross
Mid-America Blood Services Division
100 South Robert Street
Saint Paul, MN 55107
P: (651) 291-3366 F: (651) 291-3884

Are we doing ourselves a disservice in avoiding spoilers? In our fear of spoilers, do we cut ourselves off from some wonderful journalism? Is it fair to others to silence water cooler conversations if we haven’t seen or read something yet? Ultimately, does knowing the plot really spoil our enjoyment?
With: Jason Tucker, mod.

An overview of literary accounts of the apocalypse, from Revelation to Ragnorak, to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s The Last Man, Philip Wylie’s When Worlds Collide, Nevil Shute’s On the Beach, Richard Matheson’s I am Legend, and much more. Who writes a really good apocalypse? And what about an apocalypse we love to hate? Ecological devastation, nuclear war, zombies, apes, the Umbrella Corporation—pick your poison and come discuss.
With: Catherine Lundoff, mod.; Roy C. Booth, Eric M. Heideman, Lyda Morehouse, Edward E. Rom

Come hear Wes and Wendell live onstage as they interview special guests.
With: Wes Duellman, Wendell Duellman

Contest orientation and presentation tips and tricks
With: Rae Lundquist, Bill Hedrick

Many works of literary science fiction and fantasy (including those of McCaffrey and Tolkien) contain songs. Many songs and musical groups (Tangerine Dream, David Bowie) have been inspired by literary SF. Let’s riff on that.
With: Catherine Asaro, Rick Gellman, mod.; Ruth Berman

A chocolate tasting!
With: Pat Kanidy

Haidong Gumdo, The Way of the Sword, is an ancient and noble martial art from Korea. Its purpose is to execute justice with the light of the sword that is as majestic and brilliant as the morning sunlight on the east sea.
Haidong Gumdo draws from battlefield tactics and techniques to build a curriculum for mental, physical and spiritual development. Students learn forms, step drills, sitting & standing meditation and cutting (paper, fruit, straw & bamboo).This is a non-contact martial art that is fast paced for good workout but is low impact, which makes it suitable for many age groups. Classes are for 13 year olds and up or with the approval of the Master Instructor.
With: Robert Frankovich, Laura York, Jeffrey Kuang, Kayla Curtiss, Christine Bearl, Sue Lindgren, Nicole Winckler, Melanie Galloway, Tammy Fiedler, Dave Fiedler, Donovan Koxvold, Connor TenNapel, Jennifer TenNapel

Learn about different kinds of ghosts, spirits, and astral beings: their behaviors, habits, peculiarities, and abilities. Annie answers your questions and shares her knowledge of the astral world gained through her own experiences living in a haunted house for 18 years, information gathered from psychics and paranormal investigators who have visited her home, and her 13 years of experience reading paranormal books and manuscripts for metaphysical publisher Llewellyn Worldwide. For more information on Annie and her home, visit www.anniewilder.com.
With: Annie Wilder

Learn more about the Weird Western, a fiction sub-genre used to describe a combination of the Western with another literary genre, usually horror, occult, Steampunk, or fantasy, tracing its origins to Robert E. Howard’s Western pulp tales in the 1920s and 1930s to its reappearance in DC Comics’ Weird Western Tales of the early 1970s to its further popularization as a sub-genre mainstay by Joe R. Lansdale in the 1990s and beyond.
With: Eric M. Heideman, mod.; Roy C. Booth, R Thomas Riley. Michael Merriam

Rob Callahan interviews Denise Crosby about her experiences on and off set.
With: Denise Crosby, Rob Callahan

With: Mary Mac

On the life and works of the creator of the Dragonriders of Pern and The Ship Who Sang.
With: Catherine Asaro, S.N. Arly, mod.; Catherine Lundoff, Lyda Morehouse, Kathryn Sullivan

During the apocalypse, when all other lines of communication are down, it’s nice to know a Ham. Amateur radio is a wonderful hobby and a public service. Bounce your signal off the moon, spot tornadoes, chat with people all over the world and contact astronauts in space. Join us.
With: Art Johnson, George Madline, Christine LaBounty, Ben Huset

Learn about the history, psychology & theater of magic while witnessing some amazing illusions. ffi: http://tylererickson.net & http://tylerteach.com/
With: Tyler Erickson

With: Denise Crosby

in Karaoke Krypt - Room 1318

Mystify your mind as we explore Chemistry! See a series of experiments that change, smoke, and spurt! Watch liquid change into a rainbow of colors. Our Mad Scientist will mix up a gooey, foaming paste, and an eerie, smoking genie - in an ordinary water bottle! See styrofoam “melt” before your eyes! Finally, a few volunteers will help make a vat of Mad Science Slime!
With: Mad Science of Minnesota

The classic cowboys such as The Virginian, Tom Mix and Gene Autry codified heroic behavior as fighting fair and living clean. What happened? How did High Noon evolve (or devolve) into Kick-Ass? What ethical standards do we expect of our fictional heroes today, if any? And has our definition of real-life heroism changed too?
With: David Christenson, mod.; Eric M. Heideman. Sponsored by Con-Sarnit, a Western convention

Enjoy a dazzlingly beautiful main stage dance performance.
With: Sana, Luna, Anjela & Luna Rouge

Make-up and costume demo
With: Rae Lundquist, Bill Hedrick, Hal

A panel about tips on creating and writing about characters for comics. Share and discuss how to make your characters appear more well-rounded and provide more springboards to write stories about.
With: Jon Sloan, mod.

Hear about turning your passion for art into a business enterprise from a beginning artist who has been through the process. Learn about all the steps to take, i.e., acquiring a tax id in MN, doing wholesale shows, etc… Join for an open discussion and feel free to ask questions and share your experiences.
With: Aric Stewart

Attend the University of Kaposia’s Antiquities Department Fundraising Masquerade Gala! Come in costume for music, dancing, and the display of rare and unusual curiosities!
A new Steam Century mystery from the Red Ribbon Society. Orientation at 1:30, answers due at 4:30, finale at 5:15.
The Steam Century Mystery is a multifaceted game that combines elements of live action role-playing and crime dramas. Players follow a trail of clues by investigating rooms and interacting with costumed characters. Our mystery events are role playing games in the sense that we, the cast, stay in character. Players are invited to play in character with us at their comfort level. You are also welcome to just play the game to solve the mystery and don’t worry about pretending to be any kind of character. Participants are free to come and go during the time period, and enjoy the convention as they play detective. Donations appreciated.
With: Red Ribbon Society (a.k.a. Steam Century)

A discussion of wave interactions, written on the sea of energy that we exist in. I promise not to invoke the calculus. You can look that up yourself.
With: Joe Swenson

Come hear our Author Co-Guest of Honor read from his work.
With: Rob Callahan

The Twin Cities’ most beloved comedy rock band, which consists of Jared, John, and Buttery Jeff, will kick off Saturday afternoon of the Dementia Track in glorious fashion as always. When they aren’t rehearsing their rock band, they play Rock Band, and do a podcast about rehearsing their rock band. The occasionally bearded Jared highly recommends Minecraft. So come to the Possible Oscar show and get your geek on! http://www.possibleoscar.com

Zombies, Aliens, Raptors, Graboids, Skynet…why do we love apocalypse scenarios? A discussion of why we find these scenarios so enjoyable.
With: Rebecca Marjesdatter, mod.; Tom Ashwell, Cynthia Booth, Naomi Kritzer, Lyda Morehouse, Erik Pakieser

The North Country Gaylaxians are a local GLBTA group celebrating science fiction, fantasy, comics and gaming and how they relate to the GLBTA communities. Gaylaxicon is the upcoming annual convention for the national Gaylactic network.
With: Jason Tucker, North Country Gaylaxians

Why raise money to fight breast cancer with a marathon when you can record an album of Beatles parodies instead? Meet The Boobles! All the proceeds from their debut CD, The Pink Album go towards the Breast Cancer Research Foundation! So come see the flab four perform with a myriad of special guests from the rest of the Dementia Track! “All we are saying, is give teats a chance.” ~ Juan Mellon, lead singer of the Boobles

As James Bond or Captain Kirk could explain, SF/Fantasy wouldn’t be the same without music and dance. Learn a few moves and enjoy some amazing music.

L5 is an upcoming Hard Sci-Fi TV show which is changing the way things are made. It is crowd-funded, cloud-based film making that uses real science to drive a compelling story about 40 Astronauts returning home to find an empty Earth. Cast and Crew will be on-hand…(with a Spacesuit!) to answer questions and chat about the show.
With: Chad Burns, Allen Chodakowski, Jason Huls

Come and learn about the mind and works of our Author Co-Guest of Honor.
With: Catherine Asaro, Baron Dave Romm, interviewer

From Felicity to Fringe, Star Trek to Super 8, he is the master of the magic box that let dreams live for us. Let’s get together and gush (or maybe bitch) about the man who could be the rightful heir to Spielberg?
With: Romeo Azar, mod.; Tony Artym, Rick Snyder, Tom Hogan

True family stories and weird paranormal experiences
With: Annie Wilder

A workshop for the creative imagination: A moment of progressive relaxation takes you into your deepest and most creative inner mind. Take some time to enjoy some imaginal scenery. Ask a question. Invent an idea… or simply travel into the amazing universe of the imagination.
With: Craig R. Lang, MUFON

When Dino-Mike first came to MarsCon in 2009, he learned first hand that “MarsCon knows how to party!” Since his last MarsCon appearance, Dino-Mike released a new album, Chimericana, which features parodies of current pop stars like Jason Derulo, Owl City, Katy Perry, Good Charlotte, Kate Voegele and Miley Cyrus. He’s also a “Speed Racer Wannabe”. So go, Dino-Mike, go!

Join us for a delicious tea with cookies and conversation.
With: Red Ribbon Society (a.k.a. Steam Century)

Haidong Gumdo, The Way of the Sword, is an ancient and noble martial art from Korea. Its purpose is to execute justice with the light of the sword that is as majestic and brilliant as the morning sunlight on the east sea.
Haidong Gumdo draws from battlefield tactics and techniques to build a curriculum for mental, physical and spiritual development. Students learn forms, step drills, sitting & standing meditation and cutting (paper, fruit, straw & bamboo).This is a non-contact martial art that is fast paced for good workout but is low impact, which makes it suitable for many age groups. Classes are for 13 year olds and up or with the approval of the Master Instructor.
With: Robert Frankovich, Laura York, Jeffrey Kuang, Kayla Curtiss, Christine Bearl, Sue Lindgren, Nicole Winckler, Melanie Galloway, Tammy Fiedler, Dave Fiedler, Donovan Koxvold, Connor TenNapel, Jennifer TenNapel

Ky Michaelson’s inventions are legendary. Ky has contributed to over 200 films, television programs and commercials. He also built the rockets for the movie, October Sky. In 2004, Michaelson’s Civilian Space eXploration Team became the first amateur group to design, build and launch a rocket into space. Ky’s creations are the subject of a book currently in the publication process Motorbooks International. He is also developing a screenplay focused on his life and accomplishments. http://www.the-rocketman.com

Get your books and stuff signed by our Author Guests of Honor.
With: Catherine Asaro, Rob Callahan

We’ve come a long way since “A Boy and His Dog,” but not as far as many of us would like. Tank Girl, Major Eden Sinclair in “Doomsday,” Katniss Everdeen, Loup Garron of Santa Olivia and Sarah Connor are some of the more recent post-apocalyptic women, but are they enough to get us past being victims/food? Come talk about the post-apocalyptic you love or hate and what you’d like to see next.
With: Catherine Lundoff, mod.; Rebecca Marjesdatter

Otherwise known as the C.O.G., (COOOOOOG!), Dr. Milo T. Pinkerton III along with his colleages and creations Dr. Z, Drumbot, F13, Lab Tech Remy Dee, and Dr. Ivan Stroganoff will be bringing their mad science rock symposium to MarsCon! In this lecture, will they discover the secret of the coming apocalypse, or will they be the cause of it? Don’t miss this rare performance, brought to you by a generous grant from DementiaRadio.org!

Hours 5pm to LATE; New to MarsCon! Get ready for a hip hopping, dubstepping, jive talking, music room. Come in to shake your groove thang or just to listen and watch the laser show. Live DJs spinning the latest in techno and dubstep remixes into the wee hours. Contact Music Man Mark with song suggestions and he’ll do his best so find it for you. Better yet? Create your own playlist and he’ll hook it up to the speakers!
With: Mark Graff and Special Guest DJ - enouf

Time to make use of space resources to help our energy problems.
With: Dave Buth, MN Space Frontier Society

From Patricia Briggs to Terry Windling, Laurell K. Hamilton to Jim Butcher, come to talk about the world behind the world. Whether the story is about those that go bump in the night, hidden behind the masquerade, the ones that we have to write laws for (Is a vampire alive for reasons of life insurance?), or the story where we actively ignore them, they fascinate and entertain. Come talk about who does it well, who does it poorly, and admit to wondering if the real world is all there is.
With: Cassandra Jerde, Brandon Balfanz, co-mods.; Naomi Kritzer, Michael Merriam, Lyda Morehouse, Haddayr Copley-Woods

With: Holly Hamel

There are so many wonderful ways the world can go “boom.” Which is your favorite? What’s your survival plan? Includes “Survival Kit for the Apocalypse:” Items you should have in your bag to survive Zombies, Vampires, Ghouls, and Mad Scientists.
With: Cynthia Booth, mod.; Rich Brown, Todd C. Hansen, Erik Pakiesier

I bet we all hope we are this cool when we turn 50. Let’s get together and celebrate 007’s 50th birthday by talking about the past and discussing the rumors for Bond’s next adventure, Skyfall.
With: Romeo Azar, mod.; Tony Artym, Rick Snyder, Tom Hogan

With: Masquerade Director: Bill Hedrick

Contestants meet for walk-through and workmanship judging

Recent months have seen a film sequel, Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows and series two of the 21st century Sherlock! on BBC TV, due out on PBS later this year. Let’s geek and squee about both Holmeses.
With: Ruth Berman, mod.; Rebecca Marjesdatter, Lyda Morehouse, Kathryn Sullivan, Jason D. Wittman

You know we all love spoilers. Let’s all chat about the whispers we’ve heard about the upcoming films we all want to see.
With: Romeo Azar, mod.; Tony Artym, Rick Snyder, Tom Hogan

MarsCon Art Show entries need three bids during the convention to make it into the auction. Please do your part to support the Art Show and help out our artists by bidding on your favorites. You may walk home with a masterpiece!
With: Michael Byrne, Art Show Director

7-10pm in Karaoke Krypt (Room 1318)

Post-apocalypse has been done to death, but much rarer is a film that captures the final, fitful moments leading up to the end of the world… whatever that may be. 2012, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, 12 Monkeys and Dr. Strangelove all glimpse human (also, simian) approaches to coping with the oncoming end of it all. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy goes one step further and looks at life after the disintegration of the Earth. Share your favorite films that had the guts to go beyond turning the world into a mere desert wasteland, and destroyed it altogether instead.
With: Rob Callahan, mod., Cynthia Booth, Jason D. Wittman, Baron Dave Romm

Where have our favorite sci-fi celebrities gone? We’ll be discussing Castle, Mad Men, Leverage, and other series which now feature our faves.
With: Tom Erickson, Jennifer Steadman, White Star Phoenix

The hotel next to Bandana Square (Best Western, formerly Holiday Inn Express, formerly Sunwood Inn) has a long history with the fan community. This year Con-Sarnit, the Western convention, will meet there for the fifth time on Saturday, June 2; Diversicon, the multicultural speculative fiction convention, will meet there for the eighth time August 3–5; and Arcana, the horror convention, will be held there for the 21st consecutive time October 19–21. Let’s talk about the history of the hotel and neighboring Bandana Square, as they relate to fans.
With: Eric M. Heideman, mod.; David Christenson, Scott Lohman, Sybil Smith

A grand costume contest with half-time entertainment and prizes!
With: Catherine Asaro & Denise Crosby, Judges, Masquerade Director: Bill Hedrick

With: Michael Merriam

Hosted by three cons to be held at Best Western—Bandana Square, St. Paul this year: Con-Sarnit, a Western convention, Saturday, June 2; Diversicon, a multicultural, multimedia speculative fiction convention, August 3–5, with Guests of Honor Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due; and Arcana, a convention of the dark fantastic, October 19–21, with Guest of Honor S.T. Joshi.

On Warehouse Thirteen and Eureka!, two SF TV comedy shows that deal with preventing major disasters.
With: Rick Gellman, mod.; Lyda Morehouse

10-11pm in Karaoke Krypt (Room 1318)

Parties on 13th floor
With: David Imgrund, Parties Liaison

The Babylon Project was a dream given form, a sci-fi epic for television with an extraordinary cast of characters, an intriguing view of the future, and truly exceptional writing. Reminisce with your fellow fans on what made B5 one of the best sci-fi shows ever made for American TV, along with some of the things about it that didn’t quite work. Warning to newbies: there may be spoilers here.
With: Nina Boenish, mod., Kevin Borchers, Jessie Berg, Kathryn Sullivan, Jason D. Wittman, White Star Phoenix

Modern day stories told with a rockstar flair.
With: Rob Callahan, Joseph Scrimshaw, Courtney McLean, Curt Lund, Laura Bidgood, Phillip Low, Ben San Del, Tom Reed and Amy Salloway

Photo OP in the Masquerade Lounge

Filking is a fannish tradition, active since the 1950s, when early fans gathered in hotel rooms for late-night singing sessions at the occasional science fiction convention. While filk music commonly has a science, SF or fantasy theme, filkers have been known to write filk songs about a variety of tangentially-related topics. Bring your voice. Bring your instrument if you have one. Bring your own lyrics, or grab a songbook and join in the singing.

11pm-3am in Karaoke Krypt (Room 1318)

Did your year at the Cinema seem like Midnight in Paris or did you wish you had never seen the Dark of the Moon again? This year we saw the ending of a boy wizard and the beginning of a girl with a dragon tattoo. Come discuss with your fellow film geeks what was amazing and what should have stayed in development hell.
With: Tony Artym, Aaron Grono, Sylus Raddisson, Romeo Azar

Guitarist/Composer Scott Keever performs original music that blends Triphop, Arabic/North African pop, Funk, Bhangra, Swamp Blues, Ambient Electronica, Guitar Looping, Tribal Rhythms and elements of Soundtrack Music into one incandescent fusion. For more info: www.reverbnation.com/scottkeever

With: Elspeth Lee, Morgan Niemeyer, Rana Raeuchle

Every year Dementia Radio DJ and pro wrestling fan Jered Perez uses the latest WWE video games to create avatars of all of the acts appearing at the MarsCon Dementia Track. Then he records them fighting against one another in a 30 minute Battle Royal to see who will be crowned the champion of “Dementia Smackdown Wrestling”! So come root for your favorite act, and witness the virtual violence and senseless slaughter for silly supremacy! Featuring live commentary by DSW commentators Commissioner J.P. Tuesday (Jered Perez) and Duke ‘Flyboy’ DuJour (Luke Ski). Snap into it! Oooh yeah!

Check out trailers for the movies coming out this year! Be on your top game when conversing with other fellow geeks here at MarsCon. Do not miss the Trailer Park.

The Feng Shui Ninjas are Dave Stagner, John Kentner, Justin Hartley, and Tami Murck. But the band is way more than the sum of its parts. The four singer/multi-instrumentalists draw from every music we have ever heard (whether we like it or not!), and synthesize it into sounds that feel both new and ancient, like the music you didn’t realize you have been hearing all your life. http://www.fengshuininjas.com

A “brief” history.
With: Rae Lundquist

Remember to set your clocks forward.

Missing time.

Participants will share in a group experience of instantaneously traveling one hour into the future. Word to the wise, you may not be able to travel back in time to regain the preceding hour until Autumn arrives.

Revel in the rhythm.

9am–1pm

Bring in your creations—costumes, gizmos, gadgets, props, models—to show and share with fellow fans who appreciate them.
With: White Star Phoenix

Using supplied materials, all participants will learn the basics to create their own little dragon. Modifications are also shown, and things can get crazy from there! ALL AGES
With: Julie Bowman

Some writers claim they can only write short, others insist they can only go with longer works. What are the advantages and disadvantages of both forms? Is it worth the effort to force yourself to try the length that doesn’t initially seem natural for you? What benefits are there to those who can successfully write short stories as well as novels? At one time it was popular to recommend that authors needed three short story sales (of the pro variety) before they should try to sell a novel. Is this true? If short isn’t your form of choice, are you just screwed?
With: S.N. Arly, mod.; Haddayr Copley-Woods, Kathryn Sullivan, Ruth Berman

in Karaoke Krypt (Room 1318); DJ Particle hosts this event that puts YOU in the spotlight! It’ll be your chance to get up in front of the crowd and show your demented stuff! Are you an up and coming dementia artist with some songs to sing? Are you a Karaoke fanatic who loves to sing your favorite funny tunes? Do you and your friends want to do a lip-sync to the latest demented hit? Then this is the show for you! So bring your talent and creativity and be a Dementia Star!

Join our Artist Guest of Honor in making some jewelry—a lovely bracelet you can bring home as a souvenir.
With: Kim Stewart

What to take with you beyond the end of the world: A giant Mad Max car might be fun, but when gas is scarce you’ll get farther with bicycles. Guns are great against zombies, but melee weapons never run out of ammo. Discuss some unlikely technologies that have popped up in post-apocalypse fiction and weigh in what makes the best tech in a world where phones, lights, and motorcars are a thing of the past.
With: Rob Callahan, mod.;, Tom Ashwell, Naomi Kritzer, Rebecca Marjesdatter, Lyda Morehouse, Michael Merriam

With: Denise Crosby

With: Elspeth Lee

What are the pluses and minuses of collaborating on a speculative fiction novel, compared with writing one on your lonesome?
With: Roy C. Booth, mod.; Eric M. Heideman, R. Thomas Riley

How do GLBT science fiction fans relate to the larger gay community? Can you keep your gay card once you break out your geek card as well?
With: Jason Tucker, North Country Gaylaxians

YogaQuest is the unique class that’s taking the geek community by storm! Offered in partnership with Geek Physique (a Geek Partnership Society/GPS Organization). It combines a basic yoga class with Fan Fiction story telling, multimedia, and a drinking game (with poses, not shots). In the recent past, Geek Physique has had several classes wherein scripts have focused on the theme of zombies, vampires, demons, and various other apocalypse scenarios. In honor of MarsCon we have a very special tribute to one of our favorite actors… Bruce Campbell. This class will be lead by a certified and experienced Yoga Instructor, and Geek Physique members will be on hand to help lead the hilarity! Please join us for our convention debut! If you have your own yoga mat, please bring it if you can. There will be mats available to borrow just in case you can’t fit one more item on your utility belt!
With: Kerry McCartney, Geek Physique Club Leader; Justine Mastin, Yoga Instructor

With: Denise Crosby

Electro-herbalism is the new term for using light, sound, vibrational and EM (neuro stimulator) frequencies for healing and using spectrum analyzers for diagnostics (medical tricorder). Maybe this is something from the original The Day the Earth Stood Still (light)? The Consolidated Annotated Frequency List, zappers and Rife devices among others will be discussed.
With: Joe Swenson

Learn about the mind and works of our Author Guest of Honor.
With: Rob Callahan, Eric M. Heideman, interviewer

With: Catherine Asaro, Greg Adams, accompanist

How to make your costumes light up, blink, and sparkle without having to be a vampire.
With: Todd Murray, Erik Neve, Art Johnson

This is a primer panel for new fans looking for a place to begin watching the classic series.
With: Todd C. Hansen, mod.; Bill Hedrick , Donna Lang, Kathryn Sullivan

Many fictional interstellar colonies use nineteenth century technology. Is this a reasonable way to save shipping costs or is it just lazy thinking?
With: William Crolley, Steve Robertson

Join the Red Ribbon Society (a.k.a. Steam Century) for coloring, cutting, and crafting steampunk…well…things. For kids of all ages.
With: Red Ribbon Society (a.k.a. Steam Century)

Since 2008 we have been promised the greatness of these two superhero films. Can either of them live up to the hype? Let’s geek out about our hopes and dreams for these flicks!
With: Romeo Azar, mod.; Tony Artym, Rick Snyder, Tom Hogan

Come ask questions and share opinions about the fiction of Author Guest of Honor Asaro.
With: Catherine Asaro, Eric M. Heideman, John Till, co-mods.; Sponsored by Second Foundation, a Twin Cities speculative fiction book-discussion group that has met regularly since 1983.

A mainstay of the annual Nerdapalooza hip-hop festival, Devo Spice continues to create the best in comedy hip-hop. A true lover of the genre, he’ll attack when mainstream rappers put out half-assed songs, but he’ll still keep it real to his dorky roots by proclaiming it’s “Nothin’ But A Geek Thang”. So if you hate Mondays as much as he does, don’t miss his show. And his new song about Matt Smith as Doctor Who is FANTASTIC! http://devospice.com

Tips and Tricks for a great costume
With: Rae Lundquist, Cameron Nelson, Rana Raechle

Members of Broad Universe read short excerpts of their work.

With: Catherine Lundoff, host; Catherine Schaff-Stumpf, Kathryn Sullivan, Anna Waltz

How to run a game where the players do more than just killing things and how to avoid overworking the GM while doing so.
With: William Crolley, James Turnbull

At MarsCon 2011, the great Luke Ski world premiered his Snoop Dogg parody tribute to Charles Schulz’ “Peanuts” entitled “Snoopy The Dogg”. That song went on to be #1 on Dr. Demento’s Funny 25 Countdown of 2011, his third #1 song of the year. Also in 2011, Luke released his 10th full length comedy music album “Be Amused By Me”, full of songs about Monty Python, Red Dwarf, Serenity, Chuck, and more. This is his 10th MarsCon in a row. http://www.thegreatlukeski.com

He was supposed to be the next Hitchcock. What the hell happened to M. Night, and can he come back with his next film a Sci-fi action film starring Will Smith?
With: Romeo Azar, mod.; Rick Snyder, Tom Hogan

Come and participate in a comics jam! You don’t have to draw like a top comics artist to participate, all you need is the ability to think out of the box and have a burning desire to get your ideas on paper!
With: Jon Sloan

Panel about fiction books of the apocalypse. The plan is to break down the topic into causes of apocalypse such as nuclear, pathogenic, technological, and natural causes. After each panelist has given his/her view on each cause and an overview of the books chosen, the audience will give feedback on the causes and books they’ve read in the same area. At the end the moderator will use apocalyptic books as prizes, possibly for answering trivia questions about apocalyptic novels.
With: Patrick Koozy, mod.; Todd Madson

By day, Chris is a professional voice-over artist whose voice can be heard in commercials for Kaopectate and Menards. But when the moon is full, he gets out the vacuum cleaner and scares his cat into submission! His song “Charlie Sheen” made Dr. Demento’s Funny 25 of 2011, however it’s his 30 plus years of making sketch audio and comedy music make him the wise elder of the scene, but mostly he just yells about tile and honey mustard.

Learn about forging, one of the oldest known metalworking processes. Traditionally, forging was performed by a smith using hammer and anvil.
With: Linda Radminsky, Keith Nelson

With: Tom Ashwell

What would E.T. contact be like, and what would it mean to you? This talk will cover speculation about E.T. contact, and ask whether such contact might have occurred in our past—or might even be occurring today. What is the evidence for contact today? Why might such contact be occurring? How does contact affect the individual, and the world overall?
With: Craig R. Lang, MUFON

In this show, some of our returning Dementia Track regulars and new faces from the Funny Music Project website, the FuMP dot com, & the FuMP Sideshow page who didn’t get main stage concerts this year will have a chance to get up on stage and do one of their songs for the awesome MarsCon audience. This year we’ll have one-shot performances by DJ Particle, Jeff Reuben, Beth Kinderman, Derwood Bowen, and more!

Yep, we have been bitching and moaning about him since 1999. But where would us geeks be without him? Let’s buck the trend and show him some geek love.
With: Romeo Azar; Rick Snyder, Tom Hogan

Come learn about plans (and maybe volunteer?) for Diversicon 20, August 3–5, 2012, Best Western—Bandana Square, St. Paul.
With: Scott Lohman, Diversicon 20 Chair, mod.

Our traditional ending to the best weekend ever for fans of comedy music, the Dementia Smackdown will once again feature almost all of our weekend’s performers coming back to the stage one last time to perform cover versions of well known comedy songs, both by established legends, and by each other. The only word to describe it is ‘legenda-epic-awesome-ary’!

With: Heather Bufkin, Jennifer McNitt

The Dresden Files series tells the story of Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, Chicago’s first (and only) wizard P.I. Come talk about the books, the TV, and the comics.
With: Tony Artym, mod.; Alexandra Howes, Eric Neve

Say “farewell” to the guests & “thanks” to volunteers. Hear news about next year’s convention plans, pre-register for next year, and wonder why the weekend went so quickly.
With: Denise Crosby, Catherine Asaro, Rob Callahan, Jon Sloan, Aric Stewart, Kim Stewart, Wes Duellman, Wendell Duellman, The Consortium of Genius

Sponsored by Second Foundation, a Twin Cities speculative fiction book-discussion group that has met regularly since 1983, whose members are also film buffs. Krushenko’s Annex (room 1331): Space for conversation & viewers’ choice film viewing; Krushenko’s (if available): space for conversation & gaming.

After Con, Party ’til the cows come home in Con Suite (13th Floor) & Poolside