Think of March in Minnesota. It's grey. Grey skies. Grey snow. Grey moods. The St. Paul Winter Carnival is already a distant memory. Summer is months away. What is there to do? Well, there is ...

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

MarsCon returns to Bloomington, Minnesota the weekend of March 1-3, 2002, for our fourth annual multimedia, fan-run, all-inclusive science fiction / fantasy / gaming convention! MarsCon 2002 will take place at our new hotel, the Airport Hilton, and will feature fantastic guests of honor, 24-hour gaming, an awesome assortment of specialty dealers, a fully-stocked consuite, amazing hard science displays, a charity auction for Camp Heartland, an art show / auction, a masquerade contest, musical performances, dancing, genre films, anime, costumes, theme parties and great conversations!

2002 Guests of Honor:
Peter Woodward, "Galen" of Babylon 5: Crusade
John Levene, "Sgt. Benton" of Doctor Who
Lyda Morehouse, Author of Archangel Protocol
Robin Wood, Artist of the popular Robin Wood Tarot

Dude, where's my con?

Okay, as you've probably heard already, the rumors are true - MarsCon IS switching hotels for 2002. MarsCon 2002: The Magic of Fantasy will take place at our new home, the Airport Hilton, Bloomington, Minnesota, on the weekend of March 1-3, 2002.

Citing the economic downturn as its primary reason, the Radisson South was unable and unwilling to offer us a contract for March 1-3 in any way resembling our contracts from previous years. The Radisson did give us incredible incentives to switch our scheduled convention date - to Easter weekend. Hence, MarsCon organizers were faced with the dilemma of either
(a) tripling the size of our convention to satisfy the terms of a new contract with the Radisson, or
(b) moving to another hotel.
Out of respect for fellow fen, moving to Easter weekend was never a viable option. We chose - surprise, surprise - to explore strange, new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no MarsCon has gone before ... (Ah, ah, ah-ah-ah-ah....!)

The Hilton Minneapolis / St. Paul Airport, more affectionately known as the Airport Hilton, is a fantastic hotel - as demonstrated by the fact that they are letting us play! The hotel is conveniently located 3 miles from the Minneapolis / St. Paul Airport, and one minute away from the Mall of America. They offer complimentary shuttles to both locations. There are two restaurants on the property as well as a Lobby Bar. There is a lovely pool area with two whirlpools and a sauna. The function space is great, and the consuite will be on the top floor as that floor has a great view of the Minnesota River Valley.

The address for the Airport Hilton is 3800 East 80th Street, Bloomington, MN 55425. We will print a map and directions to the Airport Hilton in PR2.

The Airport Hilton is now accepting reservations for sleeping rooms for MarsCon 2002. Call them at 952-854-2100 or 800-637-7453 to reserve your sleeping room. The hotel on-line registration system is unable to handle group discounts, so please call them to make your reservation. Be sure to mention you are with MarsCon to get the special convention room rate.

The room rates are:
$95/night for sleeping rooms
$115/night for party rooms

Sleeping rooms are booked through the Airport Hilton. The party rooms will be grouped together on the 11th and 12th floors near the consuite; they will be reserved on a first-come-first-served basis. Party rooms are reserved through us by either sending us the form available in this Progress Report or by emailing us.

More about our Guests of Honor:

Media Guest of Honor: Peter Woodward
Peter Woodward is best known to SF fans for his role as Galen in Crusade and the Babylon 5 TV movie A Call to Arms. He has also appeared in The Patriot and The Brylcreem Boys among others. The TV documentary Egypt: Beyond the Pyramids which Peter Woodward hosted was recently nominated for an Emmy award. His website may be found at www.peterwoodward.com.

Media Guest of Honor: John Levene
a/k/a John Anthony Blake, known best for his portrayal of "Sgt. Benton" in the British television series Doctor Who.

Literary Guest of Honor: Lyda Morehouse
Lyda has published numerous SF and Fantasy stories (i.e. "Everything in it's Place" and "Irish Blood") in magazines and anthologies such as SF Age, Dreams of Decadence, Dark Moon Sisters, Nocturnal Ecstasy Vampire Coven, and Tales of the Unanticipated. Her novel Archangel Protocol was recently released by Roc and is on sale now. For more info about Lyda and her new novel, try her website: www.lydamorehouse.com.

Artist Guest of Honor: Robin Wood
Robin Wood is a talented artist and illustrator who has been published in a wide variety of professional and fan publications, and has won numerous awards for her work. She has done several covers for "Dragon Magazine," illustrated The People of Pern based on Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series, and created the best-selling Robin Wood Tarot deck. Visit Robin's website at www.robinwood.com to see examples of her work.

Featured Guest: Craig Lang
Craig is the coordinator of field investigation for Minnesota MUFON, the local chapter of the Mutual UFO Network.

Other Guests: TBA
We'll have some pros and maybe a surprise guest or two!

Programming in the fantasy realm - FAQs

What's Programming?

Programming can be musical concerts, comedic performances, panel or roundtable discussions, scheduled speakers, drum jam, dances, the masquerade, or any number of other events intended to amuse, entertain, inform and inspire you during the convention. You can read all about exactly what's scheduled to happen either on our web site shortly before the convention or in our Program Book throughout MarsCon.

Who Can Do Programming?

Anybody - even YOU! You can expect to see programming featuring our Guests of Honor Lyda Morehouse, Robin Wood, John Levene, and Peter Woodward, our Featured Guest Craig Lang, and also numerous authors such as Joan Marie Verba, Paula Fleming, Eleanor Arnason, P. M. F. Johnson, Sandra Rector, and Harry LeBlanc. Lots of fan clubs also contribute greatly to programming. But MarsCon programming truly is open to everyone. That means if you think of a topic or event which you believe would appeal to others at the convention, you can add it to the evergrowing list-o-ideas, and you can actually facilitate the event at MarsCon.

How Do I Find Out More About Programming?

Call, email, write - whatever you need to do to get your message to Christine, our Programming Chair. Programming is run by volunteers, and there are many ways in which you can help. Thanks to everyone who has helped with programming in the past and to all who plan to help in 2002!!

Here are the Programming Deadlines:

October 21, 2001 - First Programming Deadline: Finalize Guest of Honor / Featured Guest Programming & prepare Main Stage programming schedule;
November 18, 2001 - Programming Subcommittee Breakout Session at ConCom meeting, 1-4 pm, Airport Hilton Hotel;
December 16, 2001 - Last Call for Programming Ideas: in Progress Report #2;
January 20, 2002 - Final Programming Deadline: All programming titles & descriptions in final form for printing in the Program Book;
February 17, 2001 - Last Minute Programming Revisions, Corrections & Deletions due.

Charity Auction for Camp Heartland

This will be the fourth time our Charity Auction will benefit Camp Heartland. Thanks to your generousity in the past this has been one of our most successful events at MarsCon and the 2002 auction should be the best ever!

Camp Heartland is the world's largest camping and outreach program for kids affected by HIV or AIDS. A short trip north of Minneapolis / St. Paul in Willow River, Minnesota, Camp Heartland has acres and acres of clear lakes, cozy cabins and tall trees. Camp Heartland is open to all children, ages 7-16, who are living in the shadow of HIV or AIDS. That includes kids who either have the virus or have a loved one with the disease - and those who've lost a family member to AIDS. Thanks to the support of people like you, their Camp Heartland experience won't cost them a dime.

We've already compiled quite a list of unique and terrific goodies for the auction, like the following:

• A Harry Potter Christmas stocking, lights, and ornament,
• Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea 5-tape set,
• Cool Star Trek memorabilia,

... and much more! A very special thanks to Sybil Smith and Donna Madera for their contributions.

We're still accepting donations for the Charity Auction. To donate, please contact us or drop off your donation with any ConCom member or at a meeting.

MarsCon Masquerade

Ladies and Gentlemen - start your sewing machines! Our Masquerade offers a chance to express your creativity and impress your fellow fen with your prowess with needle and thread or a hot glue gun. If you are interested in entering, you may do so through our website, or by contacting the Mistress of Masque, Anna Everling, by email, annaeverling(at)hotmail.com, or phone, 651-688-3158.

Say you're too shy to get up on stage and show off your costume? Well, we will also be giving out Hall Costume Awards, so don't let your shyness stop you from strutting your stuff at MarsCon. Just wear your costume and our Hall Costume Judges will find you!

There are also opportunities to volunteer to help with the Masquerade - the first planning meeting is scheduled for October 12th at 7 p.m. Please call Anna Everling if you are interested in attending the meeting or volunteering.

MarsCon Art Show

The MarsCon Art Show is the place to go to view and bid on some of the finest science fiction / fantasy art seen anywhere. We are also known for our own contribution to the art world, the Found Art Exhibit, where MarsCon attendees can express their creativity.

Ask anyone who has ever run a science fiction / fantasy convention what is the one thing needed most, and you'll invariably get the same answer: VOLUNTEERS. Having said that it won't surprise anyone to know that the MarsCon Art Show is operated entirely by happy, wacky volunteers. A bare minimum of three (that's only 3) VOLUNTEERS per hour are needed to run the Art Show during operating hours, plus a handful or two for setup, teardown, and the Auction.

Also, the Art Show is looking for an Auctioneer to spearhead the Auction on Saturday night. A good Auctioneer needs to be loud, obnoxious, and a tendency toward comedic delivery is always a plus. We also need Runners to carry the artwork around the auction for viewing by potential bidders. Think QVC combined with the average Milan fashion show and you've got a pretty good idea what a Runner is supposed to do. All Auctioneers and Runners may wear their costume of choice for this event. The Auction will begin on Saturday night right after the Masquerade or at 9:30 p.m., whichever comes first.

To VOLUNTEER for the Art Show, please check the appropriate box on the Preregistration form, email us at 2002info@marscon.org, or call us at 612-724-0687. For an artist packet that includes a schedule for the show, a copy of the guidelines, control sheet, and bid sheets, please contact Nora Leverson, 763-525-8639, or by email at artshow@marscon.org, or send a SASE to MarsCon, P.O. Box 600458, St. Paul, MN 55106.

Gaming at MarsCon

Yes, there will be gaming. Our Gaming Head and those swell folks at The Source are working hard already planning top-notch RPGA games and tournaments, including a LAN gaming room. We'll have to wait to see exactly what they come up with, because every time we knock on the door where the Gaming Committee meets, all we hear is the rolling of dice and the shuffling of cards.

We'll have details of the planned games and tournaments in PR2.

Snarky needs you ... to volunteer!

Our mascot, Snarky, is quite the Wizard (see cover of this PR) but even he can't conjure up the people needed to make MarsCon happen. That's where VOLUNTEERS come in! Come, volunteer for the fun, volunteer for the perks, volunteer just for the heck of it - but volunteer! To volunteer, call us, contact us by email, snailmail, come to a ConCom meeting, or just show up at the convention.

Here's a list of the upcoming ConCom meetings:

• Sunday, Oct. 21st, 1pm, Airport Hilton
• Sunday, Nov. 18th, 1pm, Airport Hilton
• Sunday, Dec. 16th, 1pm, Airport Hilton
• Sunday, Jan. 20th, 1pm, Location TBA
• Sundays, Feb. 3rd, 17th, & 24th (as needed), 1pm, Location TBA
• March 1st-3rd, MARSCON HAPPENS!!!

Advertise your club or business!

Advertise with MarsCon and your ad will reach an audience of SF / Fantasy fans, gamers, readers, collectors, and other like-minded people. Please contact us by snail mail, email (2002info@marscon.org), or by calling 612-724-0687 for information about the ad specs for PR2 and the Program Book. Rates are determined by who is advertising - a fan club or non-profit group would use the Fan rate. A business would use the Pro rate. All ads will print in black and white. Please call for details. We are also interested in swapping ad space with other conventions.

Here are the rates for PR2 and the Program Book. Sizes indicated are the finished ad size, not the page size. No bleeds allowed. We reserve the right to refuse any ad.