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Holiday Inn Select Bloomington, MN March 3-5, 2006 |
  
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Holiday Inn Select Bloomington, MN March 3-5, 2006 |
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We will be celebrating our eighth annual MarsCon at the Holiday Inn Select in Bloomington, Minnesota, very, very soon. March 3-5, 2006, to be precise. So soon, it's kinda, well, SCARY...
MarsCon is an annual science fiction & fantasy convention sponsored by FenSF, Inc., and run completely by volunteers. This year, our theme is "Things that Go Bump in the Night," and we will pay homage to the creatures of fantasy, fiction, and horror that we all know and love -- vampires, werewolves, aliens, zombies, slayers, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, skeletons, sand people, sand worms... and scariest of all, the fairy. There will be dancing and singing, panel discussions of every sort, art that will take your breath away, cool stuff to buy, popcorn and movies that will keep you on the edge of your seat, amazing science exhibits, new and long-time friends, challenging games...punch and pie.
Gigi Edgley, "Chiana" from Farscape
Hugh S. Gregory, Space Flight Historian
Dean Haglund, from X-Files and The Lone Gunmen
Beth Hansen, Painter of Faery and Myth
Walter H. Hunt, Author of The Dark Wing, The Dark Path, and The Dark Crusade
Paul Lawrence, Film Producer & Director for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Tom Smith, World's Fastest Filker
For the latest news, read on and check out the rest of the web site for frequent updates as the convention approaches.
The cut-off deadline is almost here. Registration rates go up after January 31st, so if you prefer the cheaper rates, please send in your forms now or register through our web site today. The web registration switches over at midnight.
Current Weekend Rates (through 1/31/06)
** $42 for Adults
** $15 for Children ages 6-12
** Free for Children under 6 years of age
** $20 supporting
At-the-Door Rates (after 1/31/06)
** $55 for Adults
** $25 for Children ages 6-12
** Free for Children under 6 years of age
Group Registration: Have a few friends planning to register with you? Groups of 10+ can take $5 off each registration if they register as a group. The registrations must be submitted together and payment must accompany the registration forms. This cannot be combined with other discounts.
Supporting Memberships: Still not sure if MarsCon will fit into your schedule, but want to lock in a lower registration rate just in case? Supporting members pay a reduced rate of $20 through 1/31/06, and then complete the transaction by paying an additional $25 at any time up to and including at the door.
Registrations may also be mailed along with your payment to this address:
MarsCon
P.O. Box 21213
Eagan, MN 55121
Get your own little slice of Mars, right here on Earth. Register today.
To reserve a room, call 952-854-9000 or 1-800-HOLIDAY, and make sure to mention "MarsCon" in order to get the reduced rates. Room rates at the Holiday Inn Select will be $89 for a standard room and $99 for a suite. These rates apply to the party floor (13) and all other floors. To reserve a party room or a sleeping room on the party floor, contact MarsCon directly or submit a party request form. A preliminary map of the party floor appears on that same page. Exciting news! Dean Haglund will be acting as a party judge this year. Keep in mind, in addition to regular party awards, we will be giving an award for the party which reflects this year's con theme in the most creative or unusual way. A map and more information about the hotel may be found here.
Minnesota Artist Kevin Doyle presents a unique art piece at the MarsCon 2006 Art Show. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Star Trek, Kevin is creating a poster size piece of art that will feature all 5 crews spanning the entire series. The fully rendered pencil art will not be made into prints and will not be available anywhere else. Check out http://www.kevindoyleart.com for examples of Kevin's art and sneak previews of the piece as it gets closer to the event.
Art Show will be located on the second floor, across from Registration. You can't miss it! For the MarsCon Art Show schedule, display information, mail-in art instructions, auction & artists' reception details, and guidelines, see here.
Many wonderful, zany things will be happening at MarsCon. For the very- preliminary- not- nearly- firmed- up- enough- yet, take- it- with- a- large- grain- of- Mars- dust, but- here- we- go- anyway- program schedule, take a look at: v-p-n-n-f-u-e-y, t-i-w-a-l-g-o-m-d, b-h-w-g-a. Also, keep an eye on this page for programming updates.
MarsCon is run entirely by volunteers. And, guess what? You qualify! Our planning meetings (a.k.a. ConCom meetings) are open to all - would-be volunteers, spectators, representatives from other Cons and even the mildly curious. (You'll fit right in; we're a curious lot.) They generally happen on Sunday from 1-4pm. Here are the last two meeting dates for MarsCon 2006:
** February 12, 2006, 1 pm - Holiday Inn Select
** February 26, 2006, 1 pm - Holiday Inn Select
But don't stop there! Yes, you can combine your love of attending MarsCon with helping out before, during, and even after MarsCon. We have special gifts for our volunteers, and we will be eternally grateful! Oh, and that "volunteer" checkbox on our registration form? It's waiting for you.
To add yourself -- or remove yourself -- from our email list please surf to http://mail.marscon.org/mailman/listinfo/marstoday and scroll down to "Subscribing to Mars Today" (to add yourself to our list) or "Mars Today Subscribers" (to remove yourself). Follow the instructions and you're in (or out). If you have any trouble at all with your Mars Today subscription tell the MarsCon webmaster via web06g@marscon.org.
Thanks once more to volunteers! We could not possibly do this without you! More volunteers are always welcome & needed!
MarsCon 2006: Things that Go Bump in the Night
Holiday Inn Select, Bloomington, MN
March 3-5, 2006 -- All Weekend Long!
Current email: info06g@marscon.org (Our email address changes often due to spam, spam, spam, wonderful spam. Surf to: http://marscon.org/2006/talktous/index.php for how to contact us if ever an address is not working.)
© 2006 FenSF, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This page last revised January 26, 2006 at 09:33 AM
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