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Yes, we will have a Dance, a Masquerade, a Concert, a Charity Auction, a Drum Jam, a Film Room, an Anime Room, an Art Show, a Science Room, and a Music Room. There will be filking. There will be costumes. There will be karaoke. Both Guests of Honor Jane Yolen and Michael Liebmann plan to take part in a Science Fiction Radio Show on Friday night immediately following Opening Ceremonies, a "Punnel" will take place late Saturday night, and, perhaps a new tradition, the "Fan Show" will make its debut on Sunday. But, with all of these activities, we have barely begun to scratch the surface of MarsCon's planned programming events. Below are a few more specifics:
We are very grateful to the numerous fans, clubs, and organizations who will be contributing to programming for MarsCon 2001. The Klingons who helped out so very much with M2K programming are back! IKV RakeHell members plan to teach us how to make special effects for theatrical performances or home movies, and they will entertain everyone once more with a Klingon mainstage performance. The Celestial Affiliation of Time Lords will talk about recent developments concerning everyone's favorite Doctor. Such shows as Farscape, Reboot, Babylon 5, and Buffy will be topics of discussion at events hosted by the WhiteStar Phoenix fan club. Minnesota Space Frontier Society plans to give us news on the progress of the International Space Station as well as future missions to Mars. For those interested in extraterrestrial intelligence and UFOs, MUFON investigators will be on hand to explain their research methods and discuss some of their more intriguing findings. TCAAMS plans to offer an Anime 101 session, U.S.S. Czar'ak will host the "Wheel of Sci Fi" trivia game once more, and the Twin Cities Robotics Club will talk about robots, with Robot Sumo immediately following their event.
Our Guest of Honor Jane Yolen plans to join in discussions on subjects as varied as the Peter Pan complex, Owls as Magic, the evolution of Fantasy, and the Harry Potter novels. Jane will give a literary reading and will also host an sf / fantasy storytelling improvisation session with audience participation. Jane Yolen is the author of over two hundred children's books, as well as fantasy and science fiction. She is also a poet, a teacher of writing and literature, and a reviewer of children's literature. She has been called the Hans Christian Andersen of America and the Aesop of the Twentieth Century. Jane Yolen's books and stories have won the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, two Christopher Medals, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards, the Golden Kite Award, the Jewish Book Award, and the Association of Jewish Libraries Award. We are very excited to have Jane as our Guest of Honor. Jane's website, which contains a complete list of her many works, may be found at www.janeyolen.com.
Author Joan Marie Verba will be participating in literary programming as Featured Guest for MarsCon 2001. Joan has contributed to MarsCon since its inception three years ago with her programming participation and her presence in the Dealers Room, and we are forever grateful for her support. Among her many professional affiliations, Joan serves as Mythopoeic Press Secretary for the Mythopoeic Society, a non-profit international literary and educational organization for the study, discussion, and enjoyment of fantasy and mythic literature, especially the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams. Joan's written work includes Boldly Writing: A Trekker Fan and Zine History 1967-1987; North Dakota, Lerner Books, 1992; and Voyager: Exploring the Outer Planets, Lerner Books, 1991; as well as numerous short stories and articles. Her recent efforts have been devoted to co-writing the novel Autumn World with Tess Meara, Deborah K. Jones, Margaret Howes, and Ruth Berman. Autumn World was recently released by StoneDragon Press. Joan's website may be found at www.sff.net/people/Joan.Marie.Verba/.
We are happy to announce that, in addition to these fine guests, many local authors also plan to participate in MarsCon programming. There will be programming featuring Eleanor Arnason, Ruth Berman, Paula Fleming, P.M.F. Johnson, Pam Keesey, Peg Kerr, Harry LeBlanc, Catherine Lundoff, Lyda Morehouse, Sandra Rector, Laurel Winter, and Patricia Wrede. Clarke J. Stone of StoneDragon Press will also be joining us for programming. Literary events will take place in regular programming rooms as well as in Krushenko's, a specialized programming cabana located across from the pool / hot tub area. At Krushenko's, you will find authors, aspiring writers, and fans engaged in relaxed conversations about subjects ranging from publishing to various works of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Krushenko's will also host fiction readings by a few of the authors listed above. In the evenings, conversational SF-themed parties will be held at Krushenko's.
Fan / Artist Guest of Honor Christopher Jones has been a professional illustrator for over ten years, working in a variety of fields including his first, great love: Comic Books. Chris has done artwork for a variety of publishers including Caliber Comics, Image Comics and DC Comics. His work for DC includes several JLA-related anthologies, fill-ins on the tongue-in-cheek Young Heroes in Love series, and breakdowns for the Day of Judgment mini-series. His other work includes three illustrations for the upcoming Doctor Who anthology: Missing Pieces and the cover for the detective novel King of Harlem by Steven Philip-Jones. Chris is perhaps best known on the local fan scene for his work for the science fiction convention CONvergence, held each July. In addition to being a member of the board of directors for CONvergence and its non-profit parent organization MISFITS, Chris is the organization's artist in residence, producing all of the artwork seen on their web sites, T-shirts, buttons, and other publications. At MarsCon, Chris will be discussing, you guessed it... comic books! He will talk about the comic art industry and display some examples of his work, and he will be participating in a discussion of comic book film adaptations to be held in Krushenko's. In addition, Chris will join representatives from other fan-run conventions in a roundtable discussion concerning convention planning and local fandom.
Michael Liebmann, our Musical Guest of Honor, plans to host nightly filking throughout the weekend. He will teach us about the fine art of filking and will perform filk songs, both new and golden moldies. Michael is from Georgia, by way of California and New York. He is active in Georgia Filkers Anonymous otherwise known as GaFiA (website: www.geocities.com/sffilk/gafia.htm), as well as the Georgia Filk Convention GAFilk (website: www.gafilk.org/). Michael is also the owner of Southern Fried Filk, LLC, a purveyor of Celtic, Filk and Folk music (website: www.geocities.com/sffilk/sffilk.htm).
Media guests for MarsCon 2001 will include Guests of Honor Bill Blair and Carl Talliaferro, Returning Guests Debbie David and Lisa Getto, and Pro Guest Andrei Sterling. Each of these wonderful guests will be lending their talents to programming. We're planning at least one event where most, if not all of them will appear together to share behind-the-scenes stories about their experiences in Hollywood and on the sets of sf / fantasy shows such as Star Trek, Babylon 5, Alien Nation, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sliders, X-Files, & Crusade ... to name a few.
Guest of Honor Carl Talliaferro will be demonstrating his talent for special effects character makeup at the convention. Carl T. has been a professional makeup artist for the past 15 years. He has worked on several independent movies as well as television and cable shows in the Cleveland area. Carl T. has also participated in several conventions over the years, giving talks and panel discussions on special effects makeup. He has done historical recreation makeup for a national home & garden show, and makeup for several Star Trek groups and two science museums in Ohio.
The subject of Carl T.'s artistic efforts at MarsCon will be another Guest of Honor, actor Bill Blair. Bill Blair has worked as an alien in numerous sf television episodes and movies. His first work was on the TV movies of Alien Nation. From there, he found himself on Babylon 5 in their first season, and shortly thereafter Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Bill acted in all five seasons of Babylon 5 plus two B5 TV movies. He also spent 4-5 seasons on the show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In his first of many roles on the Sliders series, Bill appeared as a Kromag Guard in the 1998 season premiere episode "Genesis." During the 1999 / 2000 TV season, he appeared in several episodes of Ally McBeal as well. Bill will be on hand to talk about his experiences and answer questions throughout the convention. His website may be found at www.alienactor.com.
Actor Andrei Sterling will also be participating in programming at MarsCon as a Pro Guest. Andrei played the Annari Commander Brell in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager entitled "Nightingale" (7th season). He also appeared on a couple episodes of The X-Files as Absalom, an alien abductee who returned to Earth with agent Fox Mulder (8th season). He is currently working with Jeremy Irons and Halle Berry on The Time Machine, a film being directed by Simon Wells (the grandson of H.G. Wells). He is also slated to star as Kane in Dominion, a feature-film based on the popular Vampire: The Masquerade game, being produced by Clive Barker. Andrei is a Minneapolis native who studied acting at Hollywood's renowned Van Mar Academy. In addition to his sci-fi / horror roles (which he says are his favorite), he can regularly be seen on ABC's drama Once & Again. Andrei Sterling's official website is www.andreisterling.com.
A preliminary program schedule has been posted on the official MarsCon website and programming participants are encouraged to take a look and let us know if corrections need to be made to the schedule prior to its inclusion in the Program Book. For anyone interested in doing additional programming at MarsCon, it's not too late, but the deadline is fast approaching. All programming titles and descriptions must be received in their final form for printing in the Program Book by March 17th. Everyone's participation in programming is welcome and appreciated!
Artists who participated in the MarsCon 2000 Art Show have been sent packets of information plus the appropriate forms. Anyone who wishes to receive a packet or who has questions about the Art Show should contact us by email (2001info@marscon.org), snailmail, or by calling us. Setup for the Auction will begin on Thursday, May 10 at 5:00 pm. Walk-in art entries will be accepted after that time and again on Friday morning after 10:00 am. The full schedule of the Art Show hours and auction times will be posted on our website soon.
by Anna Everling, Masquerade Director
It's the time of year to show off your talents at our MarsCon 2001 Masquerade, "A Space Oddity." I have mailed out the rules and entry forms to previous masquerade participants. If you need the rules and an entry form, call the MarsCon hotline number (612-724-0687). Our rules and entry form are also posted on our website. Please mail your entries to our P.O. box. I will be taking mailed entries until May 2nd 2001. You are also welcomed to register for the masquerade at the MarsCon 2001 registration table. Any questions? Please either write me or e-mail me at 2001info@marscon.org, and in the subject line type in "Masquerade".
I am so looking forward to this. My goal is to keep things fun, easy, and a great time to be had by all!!
By Ron Patire, TCAAMS
Twin Cities Anime and Manga Society (TCAAMS) is proud to bring Anime to MarsCon 2001! We plan to show an assortment of anime titles both new and old, both Sci-Fi / Fantasy and some just plain amusing. Come enjoy Anime on the big screen with surround sound for your viewing experience. We plan to show titles such as Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star, as well as some favorites such as Totoro. We are still finalizing our list of titles, and will make it available to the MarsCon webmaster sometime in mid-April. If you want more information on TCAAMS, visit us on the web at http://anime.at/tcaams.
This year the MarsCon 2001 Gaming Suite will be sponsored by The SOURCE Comics and Games! We're pretty excited about this association and know The SOURCE is already planning some top-notch games and tournaments designed to please gamers everywhere. We are in the process of finalizing our gaming schedule, so expect to see that posted on our website soon. We will also have special gaming flyers available at local comic and gaming stores. Of course, volunteers are always needed, so if you have suggestions for games you'd like to see or would like to volunteer to GM some games, please contact us.
Blue Mars will once again be providing a cozy place to view an eclectic mix of genre films. From the classics to more recent fare, with fan films, anime, and hard to find obscurities, we hope to bring you the best in genre entertainment. We'll be right next door to the consuite, overlooking the pool. Films will start showing Friday afternoon.
For the third year in a row, our Charity Auction will benefit the Camp Heartland Project. This is a national organization, with a permanent campsite in Minnesota, dedicated to assisting children and families impacted by HIV and AIDs. Camp Heartland's website may be found at www.campheartland.org.
hank you to all who helped by donating items for the auction these past two years. We hope you will consider helping out again. Anyone who wishes to donate items for the 2001 Charity Auction for Camp Heartland is encouraged to contact us for further information.
There will also be a food drive at MarsCon 2001. We will be collecting non-perishable food items by the Registration desk throughout the convention. All food will be donated to the St. Paul Second Harvest Food Shelf. Thank you in advance for your donations.
MarsCon 2001 will take place at the Radisson South Hotel, located at 7800 Normandale Boulevard in Bloomington, Minnesota.
It's Time To Book Your Rooms
The Radisson South is now accepting reservations for sleeping rooms for MarsCon 2001. Call the Radisson at 952-835-7800 or 800-333-3333 and be sure to tell them you're with MarsCon to get the convention room rate. In addition, we will have the pool-side cabanas available for groups or individuals hosting a party.
The room rates are
Parties will be centered around the pool area, along with the Con Suite (in cabana 218), Blue Mars (film / video room in cabana 215), Krushenko's (literary-oriented programming room in cabana 118) and the Martian Music Room (in cabana 115). All of the parties promise to be a blast, but there's still room for a few more, so contact Malasondra before April 23rd if you would like to reserve a party cabana. Cabanas need to be booked for the weekend, so although you do not need to throw a party in the room both nights (you could even share your room with another group), you must take the rooms for Friday and Saturday nights. The deadline for cabana requests will be April 23, 2001. Email us at 2001info@marscon.org or send us the handy Party Room Request form from this mailing to reserve your party room.
Yes, we need volunteers! No convention can happen without volunteers. One hour, one day, or whatever time and talents you have to offer will be appreciated. Volunteer for the fun, volunteer to contribute to fandom, or volunteer for the perksdoesn't matter to us, just volunteer! Send us the Volunteer Form from this mailing, contact us at 2001info@marscon.org, or come to one of our ConCom meetings (see below) to see what we are about.
The Dealer's Room will be open 2pm - 7pm Friday, 10am - 7pm Saturday, and 10am - 3pm Sunday during the convention. Here's a sample of the Dealers planning to come to MarsCon with their wares:
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 at 2001info@marscon.org, by our P.O. Box, or calling 612-724-0687 for information about the ad specs for PR2 and the Program Book. Rates are determined by who is advertisinga fan club or non-profit group would use the Fan rate. A business would use the Pro rate. All ads would print in black and white. Please call for details.
Here's the ad rates for the Program Book:
| Fan | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Cover | $100 | $150 |
| 8" x 6.5" | $50 | $75 |
| 4" x 6.5" | $25 | $40 |
| Business Card | $10 | $20 |
Ads for the Program Book are due by April 1, 2001.
Here are dates & times for upcoming meetings. ConCom Meetings are held on Sunday afternoons at the Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota (The same place where the convention is held). Directions & other information about the Radisson South may be found at www.radisson.com/minneapolismn_south/. ConCom meetings are open to the public, and you are welcome to attend whether as a spectator or an active participant in planning the convention. It's not too late to get involved!!
| Thursday, May 10: | 5:00 pm: | Art Show setup. Walk-in art accepted. |
| Friday, May 11: | 10:00: | Finish Art Show setup. Walk-in art accepted. |
| Noon: | Registration Opens. Art show Opens. | |
| 2:00 pm: | Dealer's Room Opens | |
| 4:00 pm: | Programming starts |
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This page last revised January 12, 2006 at 01:50 PM