Mars Today, January 2002 #2

Dear Friends,

MarsCon is now one and a half months away. It's officially time for the con organizers to panic. [just kidding, guys...guys?...] We encourage everyone planning to attend MarsCon 2002 to please keep an eye on our web site for last minute announcements during the short time we have left and feel free to share this information with friends who also plan to attend. A preliminary program schedule will be posted to the site shortly, and additional information concerning vendors and gaming will appear soon as well. The web site may be found at: http://www.marscon.org. And now for something completely different...

Hotel & Parties

NOW is the time to reserve your sleeping rooms with the hotel if you haven't already done so. Sleeping rooms need to be booked before February 1st in order to insure that you will receive the special convention rate.

Our special convention rate for sleeping rooms will be $95/night + tax for 1-4 persons. Please mention MarsCon when reserving your rooms in order to get this special rate. (Help us make our room block, and help make the new hotel happy.) You may reserve sleeping rooms now by contacting the hotel via telephone at 1-952-854-2100 or 1-800-637-7453. Unfortunately, the on-line reservation system is unable to handle group discounts, so reservations will need to be made by phone. All party rooms will cost $115/night + tax and must be reserved through the convention via one of the methods listed at the bottom of this message.

To aid you in navigating once you arrive at the new hotel, the Hilton Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport Hotel, we have posted maps of the hotel LAYOUT FOR THE FIRST AND SECOND FLOOR on our web site. Even if you can't access the maps, as long as you remember that the MarsCon Registration Desk is on the second floor, you'll be fine. Here are links to the map pages: First Floor Second Floor

To aid you in arriving at the new hotel in the first place, here are DRIVING DIRECTIONS:

Driving EAST from Bloomington, etc: Take I-494 to the 34th Ave exit. Turn south -- away from the airport -- and drive to 80th Street, the first light. Turn east -- left -- and drive all the way past the "Park 'N Fly" ramp. The Hilton driveway will be on your left and the MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge driveway will be on your right.

Driving WEST from St. Paul, Wisconsin, etc: Take either Highway 5 (St. Paul) or I494 (Wisconsin) to the 34th Ave exit. In either case turn south -- away from the airport -- and drive to 80th Street, the first light. Turn east -- left -- and drive all the way past the "Park 'N Fly" ramp. The Hilton driveway will be on your left and the MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge driveway will be on your right.

Folks using mass transit are probably best off getting to the airport or to the Mall of America and catching a shuttle to the hotel.

Driving directions may also be found on the Hotel's web site.

OUR PARTY LIST HAS GROWN,

but there are still a few party rooms left if you are interested in hosting a party at MarsCon 2002. Scheduled parties include the following:

• Minnesota Space Frontier Society
• Space Pirate Alliance
• Celestial Affiliation of Time Lords & Milwaukee Time Lords
• IKF Underground / DefKON I
• U.S.S. Nokomis
• Beach Party on Mars, hosted by the IKV RakeHell
• The Cantina
• D-Notice
• A Party for Readers, sponsored by Second Foundation
• Valleycon
• Bride of the Fluffbot
• Kahless Quarters, hosted by Kahless Raiders
• Publications Party, featuring representatives of Tales of the Unanticipated, MonsterZine.com, etc...
• Eccentric Artists
• Indiana Jones Theme Party, hosted by CONvergence
• Minnesota Science Fiction Society/Minicon
• Diversicon Party

Like to add your party to the list? Phone us or email us before February 1st, 2002, and we can arrange just that. Here's how to reach us:

MarsCon 2002:The Magic of Fantasy
Hilton Minneapolis / St. Paul Airport
Bloomington, Minnesota
March 1-3, 2002

HOW TO CONTACT MARSCON
E-Mail Address: 2002info@marscon.org
Snail Mail: MarsCon, P.O. Box 21213, Eagan, MN 55121
Web Site Address: http://www.marscon.org
Phone: 612-724-0687 (no collect calls, please)

See you there!

... January #1Mars Today ... October Mars Today ...

(c) 2002 FenSF, Inc. All rights reserved.

This page last revised January 12, 2006 at 01:46 PM