We want to give you an idea of what programming you can expect at MarsCon 2023. Many events are suggested, planned, and scheduled at the last minute – so – watch this page for new things. If you have another programming item in mind please head on over to the Program Ideas Page and add your suggestion.
12:00pm Friday | Registration opens - 2nd floor balcony |
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| Pick up badges & programs, purchase swag, and start checking out the spaces, volunteer to help out if able. After-hours, you may register at the Bridge (1st floor, near Hotel front desk). Food Drive: MarsCon will be accepting food donations for the Food Group, a network of food shelves, during the convention. If you are registering at the door for MarsCon 2023, you can get $5 off your registration by donating 5 cans of food, limited to one discount per person. (Please note, the $5 discount cannot be applied to Day Passes.) If you are a party host and would like to help out, we encourage you to collect donations and bring them to the donation box near Registration/at the Bridge by Sunday. If you are attending and would like to donate, please drop off your donation at Registration, the Bridge, or a participating party room. Thank you for your donations and generosity! | ||
03:00pm Friday | Book Exchange |
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| Re(a)d Mars (Eagle’s Nest) | Do you have a book you’ve read and want to share? Bring it to the book exchange! Bring a book or get a book. There are no limits on books and we only ask that you enjoy your read. Book Exchange will be found in the Re(a)d Mars room — for novels, miscellaneous literature, and other SF/Fantasy/Speculative Fiction. Please bring one or more books you would like to donate, and feel free to take a book for reading later. Any unclaimed books will be donated to the Charity Auction which takes place on Sunday morning on the Mainstage. | Everyone |
03:00pm Friday | Dealers Room opens |
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| Ballroom I/II - Buy something fun! There are new Dealers & some older Dealers with new merchandise. Many are offering “Con Theme” oriented merch at Great Prices: jewelry, tote bags, plushies, costumes, accessories, articulated dragons, figurines, books, toys & more. Many local authors that like to talk. Some Dealers are in the hall/foyer area. All hours are posted by the Dealer Room door, in the program book & pocket program… SUPPORT YOUR CON BY SUPPORTING OUR DEALERS | ||
03:00pm Friday | Prop-A-Torium: Sweet 16 opens |
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| 2nd floor, near staircase The Prop-A-Torium is back! And we are turning 16. We will have an extraordinary display of some of the most unusual and fabulous handmade and collected props. From popular movies, television shows, and other media events over the past 60 years! Not only that, the room is staffed by the people who made and collected them! It's great to see the impressive skill and care that went into some of these magnificent pieces. Then be able to ply the folks who made them with Jedi mind tricks to get the secrets of their construction! There might be something sweet. Enjoy props related to Indiana Jones, Wizarding World, Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate, Middle Earth Saga, James Bond, Marvel Cinematic Universe, and so much more from movies and television 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. | Tony Artym, Bob Poate, Michael Helde, hosts | |
04:00pm Friday | Trailer Park 2023: Movies |
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| Free Mars (Cardinal Perch) | Check out trailers for the movies coming out this year. Be on your top game when conversing with other folks here at MarsCon! Be ready for that panel! Plan what you are going to see next weekend? Don't miss THE TRAILER PARK! Titles to include: John Wick 4 , Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves , The Super Mario Bros Movie , The Challenge , Renfield , Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny , Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume Three , Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse , The Little Mermaid , Transformers: Rise of the Beasts , Elemental , The Flash , Barbie , Oppenheimer , The Marvels , and Orbital . | |
04:00pm Friday | Anime viewing |
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| Anime/YA (Owl Overlook) | Lots of anime viewing throughout the weekend, many titles courtesy of FUNimation! | Susan Woehrle, host |
04:00pm Friday | Film viewing 4pm-Midnight CST |
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| A/V Room (1119) | Check room for titles and times | Tony Artym, Film Crew |
04:00pm Friday | Science Room opens |
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| Science Room (Woodlands) | Located in Woodlands on the 1st floor, between the Front Desk & Restaurant Come see how we are transforming science fiction into science fact! Visit the Science Room to view and interact with science exhibits. | |
05:00pm Friday | Intro to Gaming |
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| Labyrinth (Blue Heron Colony) | Some cut their teeth on Dungeons and Dragons, and some have only known card games, tabletop games, online games or console games. If you are new to gaming and want to get started, whatâ s the best game? Where can I play it? Join the discussion and hear recommendations from longtime gamers. | Seeking panelists |
05:00pm Friday | Trailer Park 2023: TV Series |
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| Free Mars (Cardinal Perch) | Check out trailers for the TV series coming out this year. Be on your top game when conversing with other folks here at MarsCon! Be ready for that panel! Plan what you are going to see/stream next weekend or next month. Don’t miss THE TRAILER PARK! Titles to include: Mandalorian: Season 3, and Ahsoka. | |
06:00pm Friday | SF/Fantasy Music Videos |
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| Free Mars (Cardinal Perch) | Cool fan-made music videos based on SF/fantasy films and shows like The Mandalorian, Loki, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Arcane, Untamed, Stranger Things and more… | |
07:00pm Friday | Opening Ceremonies |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Thank you for joining us for the 25th annual MarsCon Sci Fi/Fantasy/Gaming Convention! We will open MarsCon with live sketch comedy, welcome and introduce our wonderful Guests of Honor, and learn important stuff that will help you get the most out of MarsCon 2023! | ConCom and Guests of Honor Darcy Bell-Myers, P.C. Hodgell, Bradley Galey, Christine Galey, and Bonnie Gordon |
07:00pm Friday | Science Room closes |
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| Science Room (Woodlands) | ||
07:00pm Friday | Dealers Room closes; Prop-A-Torium closes |
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07:45pm Friday | Welcome, Guests of Honor Bradley Galey & Christine Galey |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Welcome to MarsCon, Bradley & Christine! | Bradley Galey, Christine Galey |
08:00pm Friday | The Power of Board Gaming |
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| Labyrinth (Blue Heron Colony) | The power of Board Gaming, comedy meets legitimate reasons why folks should be playing Board games together. Expect lots of laughs and gain knowledge why boarding Gaming sessions are good for you from someone in the gaming industry. | Sam Hedden, mod. |
08:00pm Friday | Anime by request |
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| Anime/YA (Owl Overlook) | Lots of anime viewing throughout the weekend, many titles courtesy of FUNimation! | Susan Woehrle, host |
08:30pm Friday | Publications Party |
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| Krushenko’s (1117) | Hang out with speculative fiction publishers in and around the Twin Cities area. | Sponsored by Tales of the Unanticipated, a longtime Twin Cities magazine/fiction anthology |
08:45pm Friday | Autographing: Bradley Galey, Christine Galey |
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| Table near Dealers Room, 2nd floor | Bradley Galey, Christine Galey | |
09:00pm Friday | Il Neige Concert |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Returning for his third year is Garett Snook, a.k.a. “Il Neige” (it’s French). He is an L.A. based songwriter whose love of the electric guitar is matched only by his passion for Simpsons quotes. He began producing comedy music in 2014 with “Sub Zero,” widely regarded as the moment “Let It Go” parodies stopped being funny, and has since gone on to spoof Bastille, the Beatles, and more. His originals walk the line between silly and sincere, covering topics ranging from Nintendo, to the meme-ification of Christmas, to… okay, so it’s mostly Nintendo. His most recent project is “Rock that Pokemon,” a YouTube series that attempts to immortalize all 800+ of the little buggers through song. Citing influence from Green Day, Weezer, and whichever Ska band is playing in Anaheim tonight, Neige believes there’s always room for a little more Geek in your Rock. | Il Neige |
09:00pm Friday | My Time as a Government Lab Rat |
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| Labyrinth (Blue Heron Colony) | My 50yr NDA is complete. I can now talk about my time being placed with caucasian aliens, part of the Gateway Experience, and time with the Montauk Project. Providing I am still alive, I will be there. If not I suggest a ghost communicator. | Joe Swenson |
09:00pm Friday | Nightly Karaoke |
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| Barsoom Lounge (White Pelican Bay) | Karaoke Joe’s Café will relocate here during the evening hours for a larger space where extra distancing is possible. Sing safely. | Elizabeth Thompson, host |
09:30pm Friday | TV’s Kyle & Lindzilla Concert |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Kyle A. Carrozza, aka “TV’s Kyle” created an awesome hilarious animated program for Cartoon Network, Mighty MagiSwords, as well as being one of the voice actors on it voicing MANY characters, including the lead male Prohyas. His dinosaur-lifemate “Lindzilla” also worked on the show as a character designer and voice actor. But before any of that happened, Kyle spent decades coming up with crazy catchy tunes, and quite often, Lindsay would join him on the tracks. Once he found The FuMP .com, he started sharing his earworms with all of us. In 2011, after he attended MarsCon for the first time, he vowed never to miss one ever, and with Lindsay joining him hasn’t missed one since. Track Chair Luke Ski also worked as a storyboarder and voice actor on Mighty MagiSwords, which by the way is available to watch in its entirety on Hulu and HBOmax! That’s 88 episodes, just waiting to be binge watched! What are you waiting for? Kyle also co-hosts the fortnightly animation podcast Kyle & Luke Talk About Toons with Luke Ski and is one half of the duo Scooter Picnic with Insane Ian, which he describes as “bloopcore quirkhop” as if those words have meaning. Silly cartoon man. | TV’s Kyle & Lindzilla |
10:00pm Friday | Insane Ian Concert |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Insane Ian is a comedian/writer who has been in several bands and loves video games. He plays them, he reviews them, he collects them, he even writes comedy songs about video games. He’s gone so far as to combine reviews and comedy songs into his video game “Reviewsicals” on YouTube. Just one look at Ian’s Bandcamp page makes it obvious that Insane Ian is a comedy music juggernaut that cannot be stopped. Ian hit a milestone in his career a long time in coming, as he had the #1 most requested song of 2015 on “The Dr. Demento Show”, the name-mangling Brit-tribute, “Benedict Cumberbatch”, sitting firmly atop the Doctor’s year-end Funny 25. With a sharp wit, sarcastic smirk, and a bit of self-deprecation, he’s here to bring his unique sound to anyone who won’t tell him to shut up… and even a few that will. | Insane Ian |
10:45pm Friday | The Odd Ditties |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Austin Aeschliman has been performing for years, both solo and as a part of bands under many different names, including Odd Austin, Smashy Claw, Rycehat, Killer Calamari, Soul Phage, not to mention a number of collaborations with other bands. This year at MarsCon, Austin is here as the frontman of “The Odd Ditties”, which also includes Nathan Long, Branden Strochinsky, and Kristin Katze. Austin is also one of the founders of Needlejuice Records, an independent record label specializing in the physical release of alternative music. Formed in September 2017 by Austin, Jace McClain of Nuclear Bubble Wrap, and Brandon Brown, the label is dedicated to the tangible, with a goal to create high quality vinyl records, cassette tapes, and compact discs with ambitious aesthetic value. You’ll be able to find a lot of Needlejuice Records vinyl and other merch at Table 27. | The Odd Ditties |
11:15pm Friday | Nuclear Bubble Wrap |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Nuclear Bubble Wrap is a psychedelic/alternative rock band from Nashville, TN. While their early work was devoted to creating humorous internet content, the band’s style evolved into whimsical art-rock influenced by Ween and The Flaming Lips. Their music is known for containing lush, multi-layered psychedelic arrangements, with catchy melodies and witty lyrics. Their live show features a bevy of masks and costumes. Founded by keyboardist Jace McLain and guitarist Kyle Thorne, Nuclear Bubble Wrap began recording home-made demo albums in 2005 before switching to fully-produced studio recordings in 2010. Some of this material was played on the Dr. Demento Show. Using the momentum from several popular viral music videos, the band built a cult following and has played in several cities across the United States. The current iteration of the group is filled out by bassist Stephen Smith and drummer Julia Larson. | Nuclear Bubble Wrap |
10:00am Saturday | Science Room opens |
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| Science Room (Woodlands) | ||
10:00am Saturday | 18th Annual MarsCon Blood Drive! |
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| This year is the 18th American Red Cross blood drive at MarsCon. The USS Nokomis is inviting everyone to come save up to three lives with one donation on Saturday the 11th between 10am and 4pm. MarsCon donors have touched over 1,300 lives with their donations over the last 17 years, and this year we’ll touch even more! Come to donate to get most coveted, hardest to get, absolute coolest ribbon at Con! Several ways to sign up: Register online at redcrossblood.org using sponsor code MarsCon, sign up in the USS Nokomis party room on Friday night, email captain@ussnokomis.org, or come to the table in the lobby on Saturday to sign up with USS Nokomis crew members. Grab your time early to help us save lives! | USS Nokomis | |
10:00am Saturday | Dealers Room opens; Prop-A-Torium opens |
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11:00am Saturday | Behind the Scenes with Christine & Bradley Galey |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Bradley Galey, Christine Galey | |
11:00am Saturday | The Historical Basis of the LotR and Hobbit Costumes or How to Dress A Dwarf |
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| Labyrinth (Blue Heron Colony) | Presentation on the historical garb that inspired the Hobbit and LotR costumes: Comparing the costumes seen on the screen of Jackson's adaptations to actual historical examples. Advice on how to reconstruct basic Dwarf, Elf, Wizard, Human and Hobbit clothing. Giving online links to available pattern sources, museums, etc. | The Dreamstitcher |
11:00am Saturday | For the Love of Miniatures |
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| Free Mars (Cardinal Perch) | Let's talk about miniatures! With 60+ years of experience in the hobby, we discuss painting, prepping, collecting, what's old, new, and meeds to exist. Kitbashing and customization, 3D printing and Kickstarters, tips and techniques. Come share out enthusiasm! | Kris Spiesz (mod); Deborah Spiesz, Chandra Reyer, Laura Thurston |
11:00am Saturday | Anime by request |
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| Anime/YA (Owl Overlook) | Susan Woehrle, host | |
11:00am Saturday | Film Viewing |
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| A/V Room (1119) | See room for titles and times. | Tony Artym, Film Crew |
12:00pm Saturday | Haidong Gumdo Sword Demonstration |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Come watch and learn about the Korean Sword art form Haidong Gumdo from local group White Tiger Martial Arts located in Fridley. We will be demonstrating some of the basic forms and showing some basic cutting technics. | Steve Erickson White Tiger Martial Arts members |
12:00pm Saturday | The Dresden Files |
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| Re(a)d Mars (Eagle’s Nest) | The Dresden Files Series, telling the story of Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. We will talk about all of the books including the new stories of Peace Talks, Battle Ground, The Law, and Fugitive, as well as what might be ahead for Harry in the series in books 18 and 19 : Twelve Months and Mirror Mirror. They will be spoiled all the way up to Fugitive. | Tony Artym, Crystal Therese, Elizabeth Erickson, Tim Strong |
12:30pm Saturday | Astronaut on a Budget |
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| Free Mars (Cardinal Perch) | Want to be an Astronaut but don't think it can happen? There are ways to live out your dreams that don't involve years of college or applying to NASA or another government Space Program! Join Mike Urvand, Technology Engineer and Analog Astronaut as he speaks about ways that you can live your Space dreams while still living firmly on the ground! | Mike Urvand |
01:00pm Saturday | Taiko Drumming |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Drumming performance followed by Q&A | |
01:00pm Saturday | Distant Calling Pictures |
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| A/V Room (1119) | Distant Calling Pictures returns to Marscon 2023 for a film screening and Q & A. On Sat. March 11, 2023, at 1 pm, a Return of Minnesota film-making team, DISTANT CALLING PICTURES, is proud to present selected works for your viewing enjoyment. This 90-minute program will consist of short films ranging from drama, horror, dark comedy, and action. Q&A with filmmakers to follow. | Nathan Block, Distant Calling Pictures |
01:30pm Saturday | Haidong Gumdo Sword Basics |
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| Barsoom Lounge (White Pelican Bay) | Come play and learn some of the basics of Haidong Gumdo (Korean Sword Art) Will be teaching some basics on how to cut and form stances for this Martial art. | Steve Erickson |
02:00pm Saturday | Klingon Pop Warrior |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Commander jenbom sutai-toQqul (Jen Usellis) and her guitar slinging Red Shirt (Joe Mizzi) travel to bring the best Klingon pop and rock to your ears. What started as a one-off background song for the Improvised Star Trek podcast has turned into a viral music video, 4 EP’s, musical collaborations and live performances for geeks and music lovers alike. jenbom has the 47th translation of “Let It Go” from Frozen in the Disney archives and is constantly on the look out for more songs you thought you knew. Tongue-firmly-planted-in-cheek humor backed up with impressive musicianship and vocals, the Klingon Pop Warrior is a unique and fun experience for audiences of all ages and all fandoms. And as if that weren’t enough – Jen is also the Klingon language consultant for Star Trek: Prodigy! | Klingon Pop Warrior |
02:00pm Saturday | Star Trek Universe |
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| Labyrinth (Blue Heron Colony) | A talk about the 56 years of Star Trek, We will cover all shows, the movies, and the many shows in development, There will be spoilers, plus mix in some good memories from Star Treks past. | Tony Artym, Joan Marie Verba, Jay Sterling |
02:30pm Saturday | Steve Goodie presents AL! |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | The Weird Tribute (and how Daniel Radcliffe got mixed up in this Nonsense) | Steve Goodie |
03:00pm Saturday | Discussion with P.C. Hodgell of Her New Book, and the overall Kencyrath series |
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| Re(a)d Mars (Eagle’s Nest) | Title kind of says it. I'd like to make this a Rivendell Group (of the Mythopoeic Society) discussion, and also simulcast it over Zoom for those who cannot attend in person. P.C. Hodgell has a long history with Rivendell, going back to her days as a grad student at the U of M English Department, when she was a regular attendee Rivendell discussions. We heard her first short story before it appeared in print. | David Lenander, mod.; P.C. Hodgell, Catherine Lundoff |
03:30pm Saturday | Robbie Ellis Concert |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Robbie Ellis is primarily a piano comedian, and has done feature-length musical comedy sets at venues around Chicago, including FuMPFest 2019, as well as around the US and his native New Zealand. His debut album Pumpkins has earned him multiple dollars of sales on Bandcamp and royalties on Spotify. He’s a regular musical guest at The Paper Machete at The Green Mill, on the faculty at the Second City Training Center, and is a music director for improv, sketch, and musical theatre. He’s a composer for orchestras, choirs, chamber ensembles etc, and headlined an orchestral comedy concert called The Mid-30s Guide to the Orchestra with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago. His day job is presenting and producing classical music radio on WFMT Chicago. He was the Music Guest of Honor zooming in on Virtual MarsCon 2021, and we are very happy to have him at MarsCon in person! | Robbie Ellis |
03:30pm Saturday | Masquerade Orientation |
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| Labyrinth (Blue Heron Colony) | Mandatory meeting for all those entering the costume contest. Last chance to register. Note to contestants: If you bring a thumb drive, we can get you a recording of your main stage event. | George Richard, Masquerade Director |
04:00pm Saturday | Biden Space |
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| Re(a)d Mars (Eagle’s Nest) | Discussion about recent developments in astronomy and space exploration. | Ben Huset |
04:15pm Saturday | Great Luke Ski Concert |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | At Dragon*Con 2004, Dr. Demento declared “the great Luke Ski” (a former MarsCon Music Guest Of Honor) to be his radio program’s “Most Requested Artist of the 21st Century”. Since then, Luke held onto that title by having his nerdy comedy tracks on “The Dr. Demento Show’s” annual year-end “Funny 25” countdown of his most requested songs of the year for 18 years in a row, with a whopping FIVE of them reaching the #1 spot, including his 2018 hit “Candybars”, which earned him his 3rd Logan Award for Outstanding Parody Song. Luke has been the Chair of the MarsCon Comedy Music Track since it’s inception, now in its 20th year. Luke Ski is currently looking for his next full-time job in the animation industry in the Burbank / L.A. area, paying the bills by being a cannabis product delivery boy, and trying to make more new comedy songs when he has the time and money to do so. This year Luke Ski is releasing is first new album in over 8 years, “Needlessly Meta”, available at Table 27 all weekend. | Great Luke Ski |
04:45pm Saturday | Guest of Honor Bonnie Gordon Concert |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Bonnie Gordon is an American actress and singer residing in Los Angeles, California. MarsCon was introduced to Bonnie Gordon in 2016 when she first performed there in the Comedy Music Track along with her partner Xander Jeanneret as the duo “The Library Bards”. Bonnie’s many epic credits include: Being a regular performer at the world famous “Magic Castle” in Hollywood for over 13 years; ABC’s reality TV series “The Quest” where she became known as the Paladin of Everealm; Geek & Sundry‘s Star Trek roleplayer gaming series “Shield Of Tomorrow” where she played as Lieutenant Lark Sage; The Library Bards’ two full albums of nerdy comedy parody music “Bardcore” and “BomBARDed” (available on Bandcamp) as well as many hilarious music videos; As a video game voice actor she plays Rainbow Mika in “Street Fighter V”, Silque in the Fire Emblem Heroes series, and Bounce Man in “Mega Man 11”, and many others; And as an animation voice actor she played multiple characters on Cartoon Network‘s “Mighty Magiswords” including Nana Mewfles, Candi Carrots, and Darlin‘ Narwhal Magisword, and she is the voice of the ship‘s computer, the USS Protostar, on Nickelodeon‘s “Star Trek: Prodigy”! As well as appearing and performing at conventions all over the world regularly, Bonnie has been working on her debut solo album “Con Artist” following a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign in 2021. The album will feature original songs alongside some “hint of nerdy” cover songs, some special guests and more. All of her friends and colleagues from the Funny Music Project (The FuMP .com) are thoroughly excited to have Bonnie Gordon make her return to MarsCon as our 2023 Music Guest Of Honor. | Bonnie Gordon |
05:00pm Saturday | Making a Short Film: Q & A |
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| Free Mars (Cardinal Perch) | Local filmmaker Nathan Block, founder of Distant Calling Pictures production company, will lead this panel that will give you information on how you, yes you, can make your very own short film. Everything from budgets to casting, shooting and post-production will be covered. | Nathan Block, host |
05:00pm Saturday | SF Writing Groups: The 2023 Scene |
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| Krushenko’s (1117) | Since 1986,the Minnesota Imaginative Fiction writers' Alliance has held an annual meeting--recently at MarsCon--at which solo science fiction/fantasy who are looking for a writing group get a chance t connect with SF writing groups that are looking for new writers. | Eric M. Heideman, mod.; Michael Merriam |
06:00pm Saturday | Sci-Fi Scenes From A Hat |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Sci-Fi themed improv comedy similar to "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" 60+ minute show featuring crazy improvers dressed up in various sci-fi outfits doing sci-fi related improv comedy with suggestions from the audience for scenes and parameters | Steve Murphy |
06:00pm Saturday | Masquerade Green Room |
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| Labyrinth (Blue Heron Colony) | George Richard, Masquerade Director | |
07:00pm Saturday | Masquerade Rehearsal & Judging |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | ||
07:00pm Saturday | So Much Star Wars |
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| Free Mars (Cardinal Perch) | A Long Time Ago… | Brian LaBounty, Kevin Berg |
07:00pm Saturday | Arcana Meeting |
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| Krushenko’s (1117) | In this annual meeting, a group of celebrators of the Dark Fantastic join in celebrating the group's past and brainstorming about the future. | Eric M. Heideman, mod. |
08:00pm Saturday | Masquerade/ Cosplay |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | A grand costume contest with prizes and half-time entertainment! | George Richard, Masquerade Director |
08:30pm Saturday | Diversicon Party |
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| Krushenko’s (1117) | Since February 1992, this organization has been promoting multi-cultural speculative fiction through such projects as the Speculations Readings Series, Tales of the Unanticipated, and Diversicon. On July 14-16, 2023, Diversicon 30 will honor Guests of Honor Tananarive Due and Steven Banes. | |
09:00pm Saturday | Nightly Karaoke |
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| Barsoom Lounge (White Pelican Bay) | Karaoke Joe’s Café may relocate here during the evening hours for a larger space where extra distancing is possible. Sing safely. | Elizabeth Thompson, host |
03:00am Sunday | Time Warp? Again?? |
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| Your body may think it's just 2am, but it is, in fact, 3am Central Daylight Time. Why does this keep happening? A MarsCon tradition. | Everyone, Everywhere in Minnesota | |
09:30am Sunday | Viewing Time for Charity Auction Items |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Silent bids will be accepted prior to live auction which will benefit Geek Partnership (GPS) and the Gordy Dickson Memorial Scholarship Fund. | |
10:00am Sunday | Charity Auction |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Come, bid on donated items, and raise money for worthwhile causes! Charity Auction proceeds will be split between the Gordy Dickson Memorial Scholarship Fund which benefits aspiring SF authors and the Geek Partnership Society which works in cooperation with other organizations to better serve the geek community of the Saint Paul/Minneapolis area. Please consider contributing to the Charity Auction any way you can--by bidding, by donating, by volunteering. We are able to take donations up until an hour before the auction. Donations may be brought to the Bridge which is located on first floor, across from the hotel’s front desk. Thank you for your generosity! | ConCom |
11:00am Sunday | Anime viewing |
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| Anime/YA (Owl Overlook) | Lots of anime viewing throughout the weekend, many titles courtesy of FUNimation! | Susan Woehrle, host |
11:30am Sunday | Q&A with Christine & Bradley Galey |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Bradley Galey, Christine Galey | |
12:00pm Sunday | Literary Reading by Author Guest of Honor P.C. Hodgell |
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| Krushenko’s (1117) | Join our Author Guest of Honor for a reading of her works. | P.C. Hodgell |
01:00pm Sunday | MeowMeme Concert |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | MeowMeme is the comedy music alter ego of Alexandria Rasey, age 11, daughter of comedy musician Carrie Dahlby, and has attended the MarsCon Comedy Music Track every year following her birth year. She has performed during the FuMP Jukebox and at the Comedy Music Smackdown in years past, and last year she and her new persona performed a 15 minute comedy music concert of her own to kick off our Sunday concert block, and this year she’s doing it again with some brand new songs! Her first song, done with Carrie Dahlby and darkNES of the Gothsicles, “Woodland Creatures”, can be heard at the FuMP dot com. | MeowMeme |
01:15pm Sunday | Holy Bongwater Concert |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Holy Bongwater is the musical project of adorable couple Jace McLain (of Nuclear Bubble Wrap) and Julia Larson. They do psychedelic comedy and parody music. Their EP “Mock The Vote” is a series of parodies made about each main candidate during the 2016 presidential election: Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Jill Stein, Gary Johnson, and Bernie Sanders. Although the election was intense and stressful, this little parody EP hopefully serves as a nice little time capsule that showcases how a lot of people felt at the time. Many of their songs can be heard at the Funny Music Project, aka The FuMP dot com. | Holy Bongwater |
01:45pm Sunday | Regdar and the Fighters Concert |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Regdar and the Fighters is a glitch punk band out of Nashville, TN. Since 2007, who have been making weird, energetic music for nerds and music lovers. The core lineup is Steve “Fighter #1” Smith on bass/guitar and vocals, and Regdar “Why Did We Give the Computer Free Will?” on drums and synthesizers. Other musicians are frequently featured in recordings and live performances. They have existed in some form or another since 2007 and have played live with this lineup since 2009. They’re on all the major streaming platforms. If you’re looking for that, you know how to find it. | Regdar and the Fighters |
02:30pm Sunday | The Dumb Parody Ideas Contest |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | ||
03:00pm Sunday | Comedy Music Smackdown Concert |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | Featuring some of the 2023 Comedy Music Track acts in our grand* finale! | |
03:00pm Sunday | Diversicon Meeting |
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| Krushenko’s (1117) | Come, learn about (and [perhaps volunteer for?) this multicural, multimedia convention, the 30th edition | |
03:00pm Sunday | Science Room closes |
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| Science Room (Woodlands) | ||
03:00pm Sunday | Dealers Room closes; Prop-A-Torium closes |
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04:00pm Sunday | Closing Ceremonies |
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| Mainstage (Ballroom III/IV) | 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. | ConCom and Guests of Honor Darcy Bell-Myers, P.C. Hodgell, Bradley Galey, Christine Galey, and Bonnie Gordon |
05:00pm Sunday | Hotel Cleanup |
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| Everyone is welcome to pitch in with cleaning up and clearing the rooms. Afterwards, join us and celebrate in Con Suite, Krushenko’s and poolside for the after-parties. Thank you, volunteers, artists, dealers, party hosts, science exhibitors, prop masters, guests, authors, musicians, and everyone else who brought fun to MarsCon! | ||
07:00pm Sunday | Party for Readers and Viewers |
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| Krushenko’s (1117) | Sponsored by Second Foundation, a speculative-and science-fiction book discussion group that has met about every six weeks since January 1983. Krushenko’s & Krushenko’s Annex—Gaming, Conversation, and Viewers’ Choice. |
“When Books Come Alive”
March 10 - 12, 2023
Hilton Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport Mall of America
3800 American Blvd E
Bloomington, Minnesota
More about MarsCon may be found at...
• Discord: https://discord.gg/CfQQDk4fS7
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarsconMpls
• FaceBook: www.facebook.com/Marscon
• Comedy Music: marsconcomedy.wordpress.com
MarsCon is brought to you by the Fans Educational Network for Science Fiction (FenSF, Inc), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Tax deductible donations always accepted.
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