Norwescon 26 Progress Report

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Norwescon 26 Progress Report

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The second update on the upcoming Norwescon 26

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Norwescon 26
April 17-20, 2003
Annual Northwest Regional Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention

Norwescon 26 Progress Report

A World of Dragons, Drakes and Wyrms

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if magic and magical creatures did exist? Could we actually co-exist in a world filled with these mythological wonders? Well I’m definitely not the person who could answer that question! But if you check out our website there are quite a few people coming to this year’s convention that can. So, hit the website and checked out the list of attending guests. It’s pretty impressive again this year.

So, if I can’t answer the important question of life what does the Chairman do? Well, I’m the person who’s job it is to make sure that all the parts and pieces are in place when you walk in the door. And I must say it’s looking good. The Dealers Room is full, the Art Show is looking like it may sell out. We’ve got one of the best line-ups of Guests of Honor of any convention in the country. And what I’ve seen of the programming so far is pretty darn exciting. If you’re wondering what panels are being put in place well, yep, I’ll say it again, keep checking the website for the updates as we finalize the progamming grid.

If you haven’t gotten your membership you still can avoid those lines! If you haven’t saved up all your nickels and dimes to buy that Burns or Whelan painting, well there’s always your credit cards. If you haven’t read any of Jane Yolen’s books, there’s still time. And if you haven’t planned on volunteering, well Why Not?

Just a few hours during the weekend can make a big difference in the success of the convention. You’ll not just come to the convention but really be a part of it. Get close to the Guests of Honor and other professionals. Get the best seating at the Masquerade! We have some really great prizes and give-aways for volunteers this year. And meet the Chairman, OK, never mind that part, but really, this can add a whole new dimension to your convention experience. Check out the volunteers page for more information on how you can make the difference.

Well, we’re a few weeks out and there’s still lots to do, so I better get back at it, but by the time you walk into the newly remodeled front lobby of the hotel (that got your attention!) we’ll be ready to show you why Norwescon is where the Magic is really at!

See ya there,

Patricia Booze
Chairman Norwescon 26

Programming

Less than two months to go and what could be the best-ever Norwescon is rapidly taking shape. It has all the signs of being one of the most memorable conventions ever. The Programming team has been hard at work developing a series of events that will have something for everyone. The Guests of Honor, arguably the greatest marquee line-up Norwescon has ever had, are excited about the con and can’t wait to get here.

This will be one for the history books!

Norwescon 26 will have over 700 hours worth of programming in six main tracks and over 25 sub-tracks to be held in 17 rooms. We will be having the traditional special events such as the Great Norwescon Science Debate, Norwescon Honors, the Rocky Horror Picture Show, two Autograph Sessions, a dance on every night, the Norwescon Masquerade, Laser Tag, Filking Concerts and Circles, as well as Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Panels will start early afternoon on Thursday and will continue until late afternoon on Sunday. We will be having panels starting at 9am with Steve Barnes’ Tai Chi and going on until the wee hours of the next morning. Norwescon 26 will have a little bit of something for everyone with an emphasis on literary panels, art panels, and science panels. And don’t forget those Koffee Klatches with our magnificent Guests of Honor.

Norwescon 26 will have something for everyone!

Introducing Our Wonderful GoHs

Our versatile and extremely multi-talented Writer Guest of Honor, Jane Yolen, will be a treat for Norwescon members. She has written a plethora of books (in all categories within the genre as well as outside), stunning and memorable poetry, numerous plays, and a whole host of other creations. She has created works for all age groups from pictured children’s books to gripping adult fantasy. She has had a book which was made into an award-winning movie and many of her novels have been translated and reprinted in many languages around the world. Ms. Yolen has been awarded with commendations and acclamations from a wide range of sources including Nebula, Caldecott, Rhysling, and Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards. She has even received an honorary doctorate for her works in science fiction and fantasy. She has been called the “American Hans Christian Anderson” and deservedly so.

Norwescon 26 has the absolute honor of having her with us for our four day celebration!

This year there will be a vast assortment of art panels, demos, and workshops. The reason is because we are extremely fortunate to host two of the most talented and gifted sf/f artists in the entire world. Our Artist Guest of Honor, Jim Burns, will be flying from the UK where he is almost a national treasure. It would not be surprising if he were to be entitled Sir Jim Burns at some point in his illustrious career. Mr. Burns has been presented with two Hugos for best Professional Artist (the only non-American artist to win this award) and has won the British SF Award more times than anyone else, including writers! This is a rare opportunity to meet this skillful artist. He will be presenting a slide show of his incredible works and this is one show you must not miss. To that end, we will be offering this event on both Friday and Saturday.

Plan on being there!

Our Special Guest of Honor, Michael Whelan, should not be a stranger to anyone who knows anything about science fiction and fantasy art. He is the recipient of more Hugo Awards than just about anyone and has been voted best professional artist by Locus readers 21 years in a row. This is in addition to the numerous other awards that he has received in his career. Mr. Whelan was the Artist GoH for Norwescon 5 and deservedly so. His work is incredible, his dragons are famous, and he will also be making a visual presentation of his artwork on Friday and Saturday of the convention.

The Norwescon Art Show will never be the same after this one!

Dr. Geoffrey Landis has generously agreed to be our Science Guest of Honor. Dr. Landis will be informing our members about Mars, and his slide show and video presentation is astonishing as well as extremely informative. He will reveal information and share his insights on the Red Planet. In addition to the Science Track, he will be on panels in the Literary track as well. Dr. Landis has won Hugo, Nebula, and Rhysling Awards for his writing. Truly a man of many talents, Norwescon is very fortunate to have him as a GoH.

Don’t miss his presentations!

Del Rey Books will be our Spotlighted Publisher this year. The one and only Betsy Mitchell, Senior Editor, will be representing them. Her presence at our convention has attracted the interest of some of the finest of the Del Rey writers: Terry Brooks, Nicola Griffith, Eric Nylund, William Dietz, and Steve Barnes are just a few of the Del Rey authors that will beatNorwescon.Youwillbeabletohearfirsthand about the new and exciting things planned by Del Rey, including their new Young Adult line of books and the Del Rey-WizKids connection. She will also be bringing a wealth of experience in New York publishing as well as many tales about sf/f authors and editors.

You won’t want to miss her interview!

Norwescon's Friday Book Launch

Friday evening, Norwescon will host a full scale Book Launch in the convention suite (Room 1360 on the Penthouse Floor in the hotel tower). Authors will be on hand to discuss their new books, light snacks will be provided, and this will be open to all members of Norwescon 26. This will be a grand opportunity for all sf/f Fen to meet with writers in a social setting and find out what is on the market from the original source. This is something new for Norwescon and we hope that all of you will drop by and make it a rousing success.

A great chance to get that new book autographed!

A Special Writing Symposium

Norwescon 26 is incredibly fortunate to have Terry Brooks attending the convention, and he plans to offer a very special symposium for writers on writing and publishing fiction. This will be especially auspicious coming less than a month after the release (March 4) of his book about writing, Sometimes the Magic Works. The “workshop” will be a dialogue type in which Mr. Brooks will make some general comments to begin the session and then have a round table discussion about writing science fiction and fantasy. The objective of this mini-conference will be to disseminate information about writing, sales, publishers, and other subjects that are of interest to the writer-in-training. To this end, Mr. Brooks will be relying on the audience to be prepared with plenty of questions to ask. Time and place are yet to be determined but will be available on the website in the very near future.

What an opportunity!

Readings by Readers

Norwescon 26 will be featuring an event called Readings by Readers. This event will assemble several writers promoting their newly-released books. The authors will have selected audience members take turns reading a short (5 minute) excerpt from their book. Then the author will field questions from the audience. Also at this event, the writers will hold raffles for prizes such as t-shirts and autographed copies of their books. This is an event that shouldn’t be missed!

Gaming Tournaments and the Salon

At Norwescon 25, some members wanted to attend events that were held in the Salon but were unable to do so because of a few technical difficulties. No, this is not something Team Tech can fix. The number one problem was that many folks were just not sure where the Salon was located. The answer is actually quite simple: Take an elevator in the hotel tower to the very top floor. Nope, not to the Penthouse Floor, but all the way to Maxi’s level of the hotel. Once upon a time this was the swanky restaurant for the DoubleTree, but has since closed. Last year it became available for use by Norwescon and we are planning to utilize this wonderful space again. So, if you plan on entering one of Norwescon 26’s Gaming Tournaments that will be held in the Salon, just take an elevator to the Maxi’s level and have a great time. We promise we will have fixed the other problem: The elevators will go there during the con.

Remember: the Salon is at the top!

Junior Writer and Artist Workshops

Norwescon 26 will hold a Junior Writer and Artist Workshop. We are working with several local schools, including Tyee High School and Highline High School, and the staff of these schools is excited at the idea of this opportunity for their students to meet with, and learn from, the professionals in these fields. These workshops will take place on Thursday, April 17, prior to the beginning of Norwescon programming. We are hoping that this will be a great chance to introduce future fen to fandom as well as to promote science fiction and fantasy to high school students.

This could be the start of something big!

The Great Norwescon Science Debate

This year, the Great Norwescon Science Debate plans to “discuss” the subject of stem cell research. This is a hot topic in the science community, especially any research dealing with embryonic stem cells. Norwescon will have a few panels, before the main event, on this subject and related items, to help prepare members for what should be a truly great debate.

With such a controversial topic, I’d be ready to duck!

Ali Grieve
Programming Director

Richard's Panel: Celebrating the lives of those fans who have passed on

In 1998, just before Norwescon 22, long time fan Richard Wright died. The loss of Richard to fandom was profoundly felt. His respect and the love of his fellow fen was the catalyst for creating a place where we could remember him and those who have joined him in his new fannish community.

Richard’s Panel began at Norwescon 23, as an event where fans can gather to honor and remember those in fandom who have died during the previous year. This panel is now held each year on Sunday morning during Norwescon. We invite all of you to join us in celebrating the lives of those fen who have joined Richard for his panel.

I also want to ask all of you for your help in making Richard’s Panel a very special event. If you know of a fan (or writer, artist, gamer, filker, etc. of the genre), who has died during this past year, please contact me. And don’t worry that someone else has already done this. I will consider multiple notices a tribute to that person. In addition, Norwescon would like to get photos, written details, mementos, and/or remembrances of their life; a favorite song, quote or other item(s) that can be displayed during this hour of tribute. We want very much to include all those who have touched our lives in this memorial.

Please contact me at [omitted] or e-mail me at [omitted] (please use the subject heading “Richard’s Panel”). You may also contact me through the Norwescon website under the Programming Department or programming@norwescon.org.

Thank You,
Judy Suryan

The Philip K. Dick Award Ceremony

Norwescon is proud to be the presentation convention for the 2002 Philip K. Dick Award Ceremony. The Philip K. Dick Award is presented annually for distinguished science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. This year’s ceremony will be presented on Friday, April 18, 2003, and it marks the 21st year that the Philip K. Dick Award will be presented. The award is sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society, and the award administrators are David G. Hartwell and Gordon Van Gelder. Last year’s recipient was Ship of Fools, by Richard Paul Russo, published by Ace Books, with a special citation to Divine Intervention, by Ken Wharton, and published by Ace Books.

The nominees for the 2002 Philip K. Dick Award are:

The Mount by Carol Emshwiller (published by Small Beer Press)
Report to the Men’s Club by Carol Emshwiller (published by Small Beer Press)
Maximum Ice by Kay Kenyon (published by Bantam Spectra)
Warchild by Karin Lowachee (published by Warner Aspect)
The Scar by China Miéville (published by Del Rey)
Leviathan Three edited by Jeff VanderMeer & Forrest Aguirre (published by Ministry of Whimsy)
Empire of Bones by Liz Williams (published by Bantam Spectra)

The 2002 judges were Michael Blumlein, Shelley Rodrigo Blanchard, Nalo Hopkinson (chair), Donna McMahon, and Lois Tilton.

In 1982, the Philip K. Dick Award was presented for the first time. The award recipient that year was Software, by Rudy Rucker. Since then works such as Dinner at Deviant’s Palace, by Tim Powers (1985), Points of Departure, by Pat Murphy (1990), The Time Ships, by Stephen Baxter (1996), and 253: The Print Remix, by Geoff Ryman (1998) have received the Philip K. Dick Award. These works, and all the other award recipients, stand out as a who’s who in cutting edge science fiction, a fitting reminder of the man that the award is named after, Philip K. Dick. For a complete listing of the award recipients please visit the Norwescon homepage on the web.

As a member of Norwescon you are cordially invited to join us this year at the 21st anniversary of the presentation of the Philip K. Dick Award at Norwescon 26. Seating is limited so be sure to get there early!

For additional information or inquiries regarding the Philip K. Dick Award at Norwescon, please email us at info@norwescon.org.

A Call to Arms

Norwescon wants you! That’s right, we want and need you, your energy, enthusiasm and creativity to help us put on the best convention ever. There are plenty of ways to help out, either in the Green Room, Stage Management, the Masquerade, and many other areas. Be sure to contact Volunteers and find out what YOU can do to help make Norwescon the best ever.

For more information, visit the Norwescon website: http://www.norwescon.org.

Norwescon Charitable Events

Norwescon Members have a long history of giving back to the local community. Here are the events that the Charitable Services team has planned for Norwescon 26.

Marion Zimmer Bradley Memorial Food Drive For Northwest Harvest

Here is a chance to clean out your pantry and to give to the community you live in. Northwest Harvest has been fighting hunger in Washington State since 1967. They provide food bank services to over 450,000 people in 32 counties throughout the state.

There will be Northwest Harvest containers ready for any donation you bring, in the convention lobby. If you are wondering what to bring, here is a list of suggestions from Northwest Harvest:

Baby Food
Baby Formula
Boxed Dinners
Infant Cereal
Canned Fruit
Canned Meat
Canned Veggies
Cold Cereal
Hot Cereal
Peanut Butter
Pork & Beans
Powdered Milk
Soups
Spices & Seasonings
Stews

Northwest Harvest can do even more with your cash donations. They are able to make bulk purchases (sometimes truckloads) at better prices than most of us are able to get anywhere. These purchases of rice, beans (and occasionally fruit and veggies) are used to round out the donations to their food barrels. At the convention, our registration staff will be happy to assist you in making a financial donation

In 2000 Norwescon honored the memory of Marion Zimmer Bradley by naming the annual drive against hunger in her memory. Marion not only was a GoH at Norwescon, but attended Norwescon many other years. More often than not you would find her in KidKon, playing with the future of our convention. She was a very special lady.

Charity Auction

The final event for this year’s food drive will be the Charity Auction on Sunday. Our Charitable Services team has been busy finding new and unusual items for your bidding pleasure. This auction takes place in conjunction with the Art Show Auction, so it will definitely be a special event. You just never know what will be placed up for bidding next.

Dr. Robert Forward Memorial Blood Drive

Every Norwescon honors someone from the science fiction world who has passed away, by naming the annual blood drive in his or her memory. This year Norwescon has selected to honor a former GoH—Dr. Robert Forward.

Every day over 800 donors are needed to meet the transfusion needs in Western Washington. Not only do they use your donation for direct transfusions, but your blood can be separated into different components (red cells, platelets, plasmas and cryoprecipitate) and used to help patients with special needs.

The Blood Center staff will be at the convention on Friday, April 18th and will be happy to help you. Norwescon has become one of their favorite donation sites. So stop on by, donate a unit and have some juice and cookies with their hostess. Check your pocket program for hours and location!

Below are some basic donor guidelines:

It must be over 56 days since your last donation.

You must weigh at least 110 pounds.

You should have eaten a well-balanced meal, including plenty of fluids, 3-4 hours prior to donating.

You should not be showing symptoms of a cold, sore throat or flu.

You need to be over 18 (you can donate if you are over 16 by having a signed permission from your parent).

Register Today

Registration is working hard to make sure that your arrival at the convention is as smooth as possible. To make it even smoother, we encourage you to pre-register, because that way your badge will be ready for you when you arrive and you can pick it up and start enjoying the convention as quickly as possible. Of course, you’ll also save a few bucks. Remember that the deadline for mailing your pre-registration is March 15, so don’t procrastinate. Also remember that people younger than 18 must have written permission from their parent/guardian in order to register. See the policy and permission slip enclosed in this report for more information.

Dragons and Snow Queens and Aliens, Oh My! or The Masquerade

Welcome, costumers and costume fans, to the Norwescon 26 Masquerade! Your guide on this magical celebration of creativity will be Vicki Glover, longtime Northwest costumer and Grand Pooh-Bah of the Beyond Reality Costumer’s Guild (www.brcg.org). Vicki has known the joys of working on and off stage in the theatre and other Masquerades, including her stint as Masquerade Director at Norwescon 21. Assisted by the energetic and prolific costumer Julia ClaytonMoore, we hope to have you join us in our costumer-friendly event. We have a few changes and surprises to tempt you to join us in showing off your skills and talents, either on stage or behind the scene, and we are working to make the registration and entry process smoother and less time-consuming than ever before.

First off, we have actual PRIZES, in addition to some pretty nifty awards. Just SOME of the prizes we have collected so far are an Ott Light (anyone working with color or tired of their eyes getting weary during those all-night costumemaking sessions NEEDS one of these), a new black leather motorcycle jacket, specialty scissors, a fuchsia cloak, sterling silver jewelry, and a gift certificate to a bead store. If you have anything you would like to donate, please let the Masquerade Director know; you will get credit during the award presentations and in any publications we can get it in. There will also be bribes-er, special tokens and gifts for EVERYONE who enters or helps out. We will be showing the awards and prizes at the Masquerade Table in the convention lobby, where you can also register, volunteer, and ask questions of the Director, or her minions, from Thursday evening to Saturday morning.

Secondly, we will be having DOUBLE Best in Show awards. Because many of you newer or solitary costumers may be wary of competing against group entries, we will be having awards for Best in Show: Single Costume AND a Best in Show: Group. There will also be a special prize for the presentation that best evokes the theme of this year’s convention, Dragons, Drakes, and Wyrms. This is in addition to the usual Best in Class and Judge’s Awards, in both Presentation and Workmanship. And if you don’t like to compete, you can enter as a noncompetition entry. As part of this category, we also welcome you to show off costumes which have won at world-class competitions (Worldcon or CostumeCon) or which you have shown at Norwescons past.

We are basing the skill divisions on the guidelines of the International Costumers Guild (www.costume.org). The divisions are:

Rising Star is for our younger costumers age 15 and under, if not part of an adult group. This is a separate category than the Kidkon costume entries. The costume must be made by the entrant, with no more than a minimum amount of supervisory help. An adult-made costume may not be entered in this category and should instead be entered in the appropriate skill level of the adult.

Novice is for anyone who has not previously won at a world-class competition and who has won at no more than 2 Novice Best in Class or Best of Show awards at a regional competition such as Norwescon or Westercon.

Journeyman is for anyone who no longer qualifies as a Novice, and has not yet won 3 Journeyman Best in Class or Best of Show awards at regional or world-class competitions.

Master is for anyone who does not qualify as a Novice or Journeyman, or anyone who is a professional costumer.

Anyone may choose to compete in a higher division. Group presentations will be judged based on the highest skill division of the individual members. If you have any doubt about which level to compete in, the Masquerade Director (M.D.) will help you.

To make the Masquerade safe and fair, and because experience is a harsh teacher, we have these rules:

  1. You must have a membership to Norwescon to enter.
  2. No purchased, rented, or commercial costumes can be entered as a competing entry. All credit must be given for all makeup and costume design and construction.
  3. No pyrotechnics, fog machines, wind machines, Jacob’s Ladders, or Oscillation Overthrusters. Any special effects must be approved by the M.D.
  4. No real projectile weapons. Realisticlooking weapons must be handled with care, and any weapons play must be approved of by the M.D. Weapons will not be pointed at the Judges.
  5. Also known as the “No Peanut Butter” rule (and yes, it was named that for a reason). No messy substances. That is nothing that will ruin another costume or make the floor sticky, gritty, slippery, slimy, bumpy, lumpy, scorched, toxic, or non-existent.
  6. Also known as the “No Costume is No Costume” rule (and yes, this one was also named that for a reason). This is a PG-13 venue and a Masquerade, folks, not a Halloween bar contest.
  7. No flash photography of contestants onstage. Offstage, ask before using a flash-there may be photo-sensitive folk around you.
  8. All entrants must sign a release allowing videotaping and/or photography by the convention for record keeping and sale, and also a limited liability release. Rest assured, we will place your safety and wellbeing above all else.
  9. Presentation time limits: 1 minute for a presentation of 1-4 people, 2 minutes if you have 5-8, 3 minutes for 9 or more. Remember that 1 minute is a LONG time on stage.
  10. Nolivemikes.Ifyourpresentation includes dialogue, please add it to your soundtrack tape/CD.
  11. No live animals unless it is ADA certified.
  12. The most important rule (besides the rule of Having Fun): The Masquerade Director has the final say. You can call her at [omitted] or e-mail her at masquerade@norwescon.org if you have any questions, concerns, or offers to help or need forms to be mailed to you.

Other stuff you should know

The stage is 18 feet wide by 16 feet wide with a 16foot long 8 foot wide exit runway down the center. There are 3 steps up, which are 3 feet wide with no rail. Each step is 12 inches deep, with a rise of 8 inches, which lead to a waiting platform, and then another step up. The background curtains are black, and there will be a safety rail behind them. There is a 12-foot clearance from the stage floor to the ceiling, but keep in mind the ballroom doors are only 6 feet high. There will be a follow spot and professional-quality lighting, and there will be a live video feed to the backstage area.

The Masquerade will be videotaped, and videos will once again be available through Alan Halfhill. (If you haven’t gotten a NWC 25 videotape or DVD, you can still order one-it includes the Stardance Opening Number, which is a wonderful homage to Moulin Rogue.)

Our Wizard of Sound, Keith Johnson, highly recommends music for every presentation! We plan to have a stereo sound feed to the video, and encourage the use of stereo music. We can take CDs and cassettes, if you use these helpful hints:

—For tapes: We prefer not to use commerciallymade tapes. To record your own, use a fresh, clean tape of the highest quality you can; Chrome or Metal tape is encouraged. If possible use noise reductionwe are Dolby B, C, S and DBX compatible (and note on the label which it is-if your tape deck has only a Dolby or NR switch, it is Dolby B). Please don’t record at the very beginning of the tape-leave a 30 to 45 second gap before your soundtrack begins, it might help if you record your soundtrack on both sides.

—For CDs: We can use commercially-made CDs, but cannot cue from WITHIN a track, so label it with the correct track number you want played. If you record a CD, use a standard audio CD, start your soundtrack at the beginning of the CD and burn only one track.

Whether you are using a CD or a tape, it’s a good idea to have at least one backup copy. Please make sure to label your soundtrack CLEARLY with your name and your entry title, and if you’re recording from a CD, please bring it as well; we may want to use it.

We regret that we will not be able to make tapes for you at the con, however, Keith is offering, prior to the convention, a FREE TAPING SERVICE for anyone who would like help creating a high-quality tape for that high-quality costume. Give him a call at [omitted] (till 9pm Pacific time).

Entry forms and updates will be on the Norwescon website, www.norwescon.org, or you can call or e-mail Vicki for an entry packet. Please contact Vicki if you would like to help, need words of encouragement or advice, or if you have questions. We look forward to having you join us in the celebration of you that is the Norwescon Masquerade.

Norwescon 26 Single Pattern Contest

What is a Single Pattern Contest?

A single pattern contest derives its name from the fact that everyone entering the contest makes their garment from the same basic pattern. This year’s pattern is the Hungarian Szur by Folkwear Patterns, available from Pacific Fabrics (Northgate Store only) and Nancy’s Sewing Basket in Seattle, and from a variety of other on-line and retail sources. The pattern fits both men and women.

If everyone uses the same pattern, won't everyone's garments look the same?

While garments must be made from the basic pattern, minor creative design changes are permitted, including eliminating, changing, or adding minor pieces, as long as the overall silhouette is recognizable as being derived from the pattern. And, materials and techniques are entirely up to the entrants, including all types of embellishments. The Norwescon 26 theme, “Dragons, Drakes, and Wyrms” can be a design consideration, but is not a requirement.

Where do contestants bring their work?

This is the fun part. Everyone’s work is displayed in the Art Show on dress forms or stands, maximizing the see-and-be-seen aspect of this costuming effort.

How does judging work?

There are two competition divisions: Beginner/Intermediate and Advanced/Expert. It is up to each contestant to choose which division they want to compete in, or if they do not want to be judged at all (Non-Comp category.) If you are a Novice or Journeyman level costumer, enter the Beginner/Intermediate division. If you have competed in Masquerade at the Master level, enter the Advanced/Expert division.

The judges will examine the garments for creativity, workmanship, use of materials, and overall concept. Judging will be “blind”; in other words, the judges will only see the contestant’s badge numbers and entry divisions, not their names. Ribbons and other prizes may be awarded at the judges’ discretion. Winners will be announced at the Masquerade.

How do I sign up?

Contact the Contest Director at [omitted] as soon as you know that you want to enter, no later than March 15th. If your plans change and you later decide not to enter, please let the Contest Director know as soon as possible, but before April 10th, so that we do not have empty reserved spaces in the Art Show.

For more information, see the Norwescon website: http://www.norwescon.org/spcontest.html.

Hotel

Our hotel is the DoubleTree Hotel Seattle Airport, located at 18740 International Blvd. in Seatac, Washington. For room reservations, call 206-246-8600. Room rates are $96.00 per night, plus tax, for up to 4 people. $10.00 extra, plus tax, for each additional person. There is a limit of 5 people per sleeping room. These rates are available for up to 3 days before and after the convention. Parking is complimentary for 1 vehicle per room, $5.00 per day for all other vehicles. Rooms include a coffee maker, an iron and ironing board, and a hairdryer. Additional amenities include laundry, room service, and concierge service, as well as shuttle service to the airport, Southcenter shopping center or to nearby hotels when needed (Airport Hilton & DoubleTree Southcenter).

For members who will be arriving before the convention or staying on when the convention ends, our special convention rate is available for 3 days before and after the convention. You’re welcome to help the convention committee set up and tear down the convention (see the volunteers section for information regarding lovely expressions of gratitude). Or consider visiting the Seattle Waterfront and Puget Sound, Pike Place Market, Seattle Center, the Space Needle, Experience Music Project, Museum of Flight, Pioneer Square, Underground Seattle, or Mt. Rainier. (And then assist with setting up or tearing down). Check with the concierge for transportation.

The DoubleTree has two restaurants; the Coffee Garden offers breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. Seaports is open for lunch and dinner. In addition, the DoubleTree will offer a special buffet breakfast Saturday and Sunday mornings. They will also have a snack cart available.

Tipping: Please remember to tip the wonderfully accommodating hotel staff. Although there are no hard and fast rules for tipping here are some suggestions from a tipping guide website. Bell Captain & Bellman: $1-$2 per bag (remember to tip if you borrow a bell cart). Maids/Housekeepers: $1 or $2 a day. Restaurant & Room Service: Waiters and waitresses usually receive 15-20% of the bill, depending on the service. Some hotels add the tip to the bill for room service. Be sure to check when you place your order. Hotel Courtesy Shuttle Drivers: although shuttle vans are provided by many hotels at no charge, don’t forget to tip the drivers at least $1 or more per person or $4-$5 per party.

As usual, the Lakeside and Presidential suites were reserved by early morning the first day we began accepting requests for reservations. The Parlor suites soon followed. In addition, we had a rush on Family Rooms this year and are just about booked up for those as well. If you’re interested in reserving a suite, we’re happy to add your name to the waiting list. Please contact hotels@norwescon.org.

Information Table

The Information Table will be located, as in years past, in the northwest end of the lobby, for good visibility and easy access.

This table will offer assistance and information to the membership of the convention. We can help you with the where, what, and time of events, and locations of Fan and Corporate Tables, Art Show, Dealers Room, Hospitality, Cloakroom, Lost & Found, Fanzine Library, Voodoo Message Board, and others. We can also contact Security when needed.

Here you will also be able to find information about room parties. To make these parties more successful, the party sponsor should be sure that the Information Table has one of their fliers.

The Information Table is a great place to learn what is going on at Norwescon and to see the costumes, noted guests, and rest of the membership. Most will pass within ten feet of this table. The Information Table will need several (3 to 4) volunteers each day.

Gaming

Here we go again! Gaming at this year’s Norwescon looks to be better than ever. Craig McKinney will have his annual Traveler tournament and Pro Roy will run his classic midnight Call of Cthulu game.

Sadly, RPGA will not have the magnitude of presence that they have shown at the last two cons but there will still be plenty of AD&D and 3e games there, so everyone will be able to get in on this grandfather of RPG games.

Other events to look forward to include at least two Magic the Gathering tournaments, one type one and one all commons. There will be a lot of the great new game craze Mechwarrior—Dark Ages, from Wizkids, based on Battletech but without the paperwork. There will be demos, tournaments, and prizes. Raven will be running his exciting new collectable board game Crypt (you’ve got to try this).

We will also have the old standbys—Settles of Catan with all the variants, Warhammer, and board games galore. There will even be a return of that great RPG, Champions. If you’re tired of being a wizard or warrior, try your hand at being a super hero.

The fun starts Thursday at 2 pm and goes on until everyone goes home.

The Gaming grid is on the website and will be updated from time to time. Meanwhile, if you have any questions just drop us a line at gaming@norwescon.org.

Art Show

Look out! We have repainted our peg board to have a new and fresh look within the Art Show. Our wonderful artist guests this year have brought lots of excitement to the Art Show and its staff. We have had lots of requests from new artists this year as well as artists that have shown here before. We are now sold out of space.

Artists may hang their art on Thursday from 9am7pm or Friday from 8-9am.

Art Show hours will be:

Friday 9:30am-6:30pm
Saturday 10:30am-6:30pm
Sunday 9am-4pm

We look forward to seeing you there!

Dances

For Norwescon 26, your Dances department has several exciting things up its sleeve. Every night will have something new to keep your feet movin’. Check it out!

If you have music requests, want to help, or be part of our fabulous “Mardi Gras Parade” Opening Number, drop us a line at dances@norwescon.org.

Thursday NorwesClub

with Shawn Marier

Attention all Stardance fans: DJ Marier is moving to Thursday night! With the move, expect to hear a wider range of dance music than he was able to get away with or than the format of the Stardance allowed. You’ll hear everything from the newest in Electro-clash, Nu-Electro, and Synthpop to all your old favorites in Techno, Gothic, Industrial, House and Club beats.

So if you’re “Addicted to Bass,” like “Shiny Disco Balls,” want to catch a ride on the “Omnibus,” or just want to commit “Murder on the Dancefloor” make sure you’re there Thursday night.

Friday Norwescon's Stardance

featuring the Madcap Mardi Gras DJ Mix-A-Thon with the Norwescon Stable of DJs

With Shawn moving to Thursday we knew we’d have to come up with something extra special, and we think we’ve got something that will please everyone at one point or another.

Welcome to the “Madcap Mardi Gras DJ Mix-A-Thon!” Each of our DJs will be manning the steel wheels for about an hour each in an epic sci-fi DJ Battle! You’re sure to hear every style of music from World, ’80s, Top 40, Fannish Faves, and the darker stuff. Don’t like what you hear? Wait a bit, it’ll change. DJs Hardware, Kim, Marier, Tox2Much, 300Baud and Retcon will be in the house.

As if that weren’t enough to tempt you down to the ballroom, we’ll be decorating the room and ourselves in festive Mardi Gras attire! Our famous Opening Number will also be similarly themed, a grand Mardi Gras procession. Want to join in the fun appearing as part of our Opening Number troupe? Send a note to dances@norwescon.org.

Saturday MasterMix Café and Radio Show Dance Club—The Last Broadcast

with Keith Johnson

After 20 years(!) of doing Norwescon dances, DJ Tox2Much is finally shutting up. Yes, kiddies, this will be his last official Norwescon dance. But don’t fret, he’ll have plenty of what you’ve come to expect from him lo these many years, along with some special retrospective surprises, wrapped up in one nice little Saturday night package. Whether you love or loath him, come on down and be part of the end of an era.

Sunday The Return of the Return of the Sunday Night Dance

with Todd Clark

After the success of our last Sunday night dance, how could we not bring it back? Todd Clark plays into the night with his special brand of tunes.

Volunteering

Hello one and all! I would like to introduce myself, I am Ari Goldstein your shiny, new Volunteers Director. I have one thing to say to you all, help! We need your help! As much as you can give and maybe a little bit more!

Let me tell you why you are so important to all of us, because without the help of all the unsung volunteers out there the convention does not happen. Without the help and support of all of the dedicated people who volunteer to take time out of their con to help the rest of us, nothing happens. Without the hours you put into the convention, there are no panels, no hospitality, no dances, no con! For all of this I would like to thank you all in advance for the help you will give us this year and all of the help you have given Norwestcon in years past.

As part of this thank you, and to show how much the convention cares about and appreciates everything you do, there are some things that everyone should know about that we do every year, and some new things we are doing this year.

First we offer the Volunteer Lounge that is exclusively for those who have given a few hours of their time during the course of the convention, here you can sit back, relax, have a bite to eat, watch a movie, do whatever.

Further volunteers get stuff! That’s right, I firmly believe in rewarding our volunteers whenever we can. This year I am giving an award for the top hours earner each day of the convention, as well as an award for the top volunteer for the convention, this person’s name will go on a plaque that will be displayed at the next and future Norwescons.

Volunteers also get unique stuff. All volunteers will be getting a pouch that is just the right size for your badge, a room key, and the other essentials you need as you are out and about the convention. Also, every volunteer will receive a handpainted talisman in keeping with the dragon theme this year. As you volunteer more hours and work for different departments you will receive different talismans. I will also be giving an award to the person who collects the most talismans! Finally the top volunteer will receive an original piece of artwork.

But seriously, all of the implied bribery aside, all of us as members of the convention and the ConCom truly appreciate you and what you do.

If you are interested in volunteering before the con we have several work parties planed. Please check out the convention website (http:// www.norwescon.org) for more details. If you want to volunteer at the convention just come into the Volunteers office/lounge. We are just down the hall from Hospitality. I hope to see you there!

Registration

As always, registration needs a lot of volunteers. Helping out at registration is a great way to help out the convention while still being in a central location where you can meet everybody who is arriving at the con. If you think you might want to work at registration, and especially if you are an experienced registration volunteer who wants to take on a leadership role, you are encouraged (but not required) to attend the Registration training session which will be held in March 29 at 1pm at the hotel.

Security

The Norwescon Security Department invites you to a free Security training class on Sunday, March 30, from 10am to 5pm at the SeaTac DoubleTree Hotel. This class is taught by the Association of Operations Volunteers and fulfills the requirement for volunteering in the Security department during Norwescon.

AOV president Mark Pringle will draw from his years of experience working at conventions and other special events to show you what to do and what not to do in a variety of instances. We welcome people from all cons to attend this class. In order to estimate the number of attendees, we would appreciate an e-mail to security@norwescon.org prior to Friday March 28. Drop-ins will also be welcomed.

Voodoo Message Board

Once again, Norwescon will feature a Voodoo message board. This is where you can leave messages for your friends, and find out who has checked in for the con. We hope you will take full advantage of it.

The way it works:

The Voodoo board lists all the pre-registered members and guests of the con in alphabetical order, by Badge Name or Last Name, with space to write in names of those who register at the door.

As you arrive at the con, please put a check mark in the box by your name, or add your name if necessary, so that your friends will know you are here. Remember that nobody may leave you messages if you they don’t know you’re here, so check in!

If you wish to leave someone a message, write the message on one of the slips of paper provided on the adjacent table. File the message alphabetically, in one of the boxes on the table. Then, put a pushpin in the list of names by the name of the person the message is for. That’s the Voodoo part, and that lets them know they have a message before searching through the message box.

To check for your messages, just look for a pushpin by your name. If you see one, get your message from the box and replace the pushpin in the box of pushpins or in the Pin Corral.

Have fun leaving messages and playing voodoo message tag.

Should Norwescon Stay on Easter?

Log on to http://www.norwescon.org/poll/ and fill out our survey. Additional comments can be made by writing to the P.O. Box or e-mailing easter@norwescon.org .

KidKon

KidKon is a convention within a convention, just for kids. Conventions are rather boring for most children and KidKon gives parents and their kids the opportunity to experience a con together at kidspeed. At other times, it gives kids a chance to enjoy some time away from their parents.

KidKon will be operated this year under the guidance of Wendy Irvin. Norwescon has extended KidKon hours to better serve the convention and its members, however it can’t operate without volunteer staffing. Without enough staff, the number of children attending KidKon at any one time would be severely limited. If you are interested in volunteering please e-mail childrenandteens@norwescon.org or call Wendy at [omitted].

KidKon is in need of donated items for the children to create things and do things. If you have any of these items lying around the house please bring them to Norwescon for KidKon (you don’t have to have kids to donate). Here is a list of thing needed:

Fabric and trim scraps
Glue
Thread and string
Safety scissors
Games
Books
Room decorations
Baby toys (no plush)
Coloring books
Tarps
Computer games
Video game systems
VCR

Hours of KidKon Operation

Thursday noon-4pm 7pm-midnight
Friday 11am-4pm 7pm-midnight
Saturday 11am-4pm 7pm-midnight
Sunday 11am-4pm

KidKon Rates

KidKon Volunteers FREE (while you are there with your child) KidKon Volunteers $2.50 per hour (when your child is in KidKon and you’re not) Norwescon Volunteers $2.50 per hour ConCom, Guests of the Con FREE Other Norwescon Members $4.00 per hour

Norwescon Rules for Minors

Children under 13 must, at all times, be in the care of a responsible adult (21 or Older) WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE CONVENTION. The child must be accompanied by the adult at all times unless attending KIDKON.

Children under 18 years of age must have a permission slip on file with Registration (See Section Below) signed by a parent or legal guardian and must be under the supervision of a responsible adult (21 or Older) who is also on the convention site at all times and A MEMBER OF THE CONVENTION.

I, [blank] as parent or legal guardian of [blank] give my permission for this child to attend Norwescon. I am a member of Norwescon. I am unable to attend the convention and do hereby appoint: [blank] as my child’s adult supervisor for the duration of the convention. This person is a legal adult over the age of 21 and is member # [blank] of Norwescon. Parent/Guardian/Supervisor can be reached at: Hotel Name: [blank] Room # [blank] Home Phone# [blank] Emergency Phone # [blank] Parent/Guardian Signature: [blank] Date [blank]

Volunteer Gatherings

The Volunteer Department will be having a few more work parties to continue making the Volunteer Tokens for Norwescon 26. You are going to love these tokens! There are a wide variety of dragons, drakes, wyrms and wyverns, handcolored on shrinky-dink material, shrunk and prepared for hanging on your badge. Everyone who has seen them say that they are wonderful. We have lots of coloring, punching, cutting, shrinking, wiring and counting to do, so there is plenty of work for all! The Signs department may also want some help painting the fancier signs. There is also a volunteer dragon under construction, and it will be making several appearances throughout the con.

Snacks and drinks will be provided at these work parties, and everyone brings their grins and giggles!

Contact Becky Citrak at [omitted] (home), [omitted] (cell) or [omitted] if you need more information.

Work Parties

Come for an hour or the day

Sunday, March 9 1 to 5 pm

Work party at the home of Ben and Jody Schreiber and Cheri Playter, [omitted]. Phone: [omitted].

[directions omitted]

Saturday, March 22 1 to 5 pm

Work party at the Greenwood Library, 8016 Greenwood Avenue N, Seattle. Library phone: 206-684-4086.

Travel north or south on I-5
Take the 85th Street off-ramp and go west on 85th to Aurora Avenue N.
Turn left on Aurora Avenue N and proceed south to 80th.
Turn right on 80th and go west to Greenwood Avenue N.
Turn right on Greenwood Avenue N. The library will be on the right.
The parking lot is reserved for library users, so they ask that we park on the street. The meeting room is downstairs.

Sunday, March 23 1 to 5 pm

Work party at the home of Kelly Doran, [omitted]. Phone: [omitted]

[directions omitted]

Saturday, April 12 1 to 5 pm

Work party at the home of Michael and Becky Citrak and Jesse Simpson, [omitted]. Phone: [omitted]

[directions omitted]

Check the website (www.norwescon.org) for information about the Registration training on March 29th, the AOV training on March 30th, and the stuffing party on April 13th. Also, be sure to check out the room party in the Volunteers Lounge on Thursday night at the convention. If you have a chance, stop by a little early and lend a hand. As always, our volunteers are the best!

Stuffing Party!

April 13
Materials arrive at noon
Stuffing begins at 1pm
SeaTac DoubleTree Hotel
Olympic 4

Double-check the room on the daily meeting boards throughout the hotel.

Please join us for fun and games as we take pieces of paper, paperback books, buttons and coupons and marry them together to form the packets that everybody receives at Registration. The more people we have, the faster it will go. Be the first in your neighborhood to see a display of Volunteer Tokens. We might even have the latest programming grids on the wall for your perusal and a few goodies to give away.

If you have something to include in the packets, please be at the hotel at noon. People that wish to include fliers or coupons are asked to help with the stuffing. In the past, those that have brought material in late usually ended up in a corner of the room adding their materials to the packets that have already been stuffed. Not nearly as much fun as being in the conga line of stuffers. We plan to stuff 3000 packets, so plan accordingly.

If you intend to bring material, please contact transportation@norwescon.org and let them know what you are bringing.

Working at the stuffing party counts towards hours worked at the con. Norwescon volunteers receive perks like early seating at the Masquerade and are entered into drawings for many items donated by Norwescon dealers. The drawings take place early Sunday afternoon of the con. Please note: People attending the Stuffing Party will have to pay for their own parking. This year, we have had to pay $4 per car for our meetings at the hotel. We’ll see if we can get it even cheaper for this event, however carpooling is advised. Refreshments will be served.

The Fandance Film Festival

Forget about the tuxedo, the parachute, and the collagen injections—this is a film festival you can have fun at! As a part of the Let’s Make a Movie! workshop, Norwescon is hosting the Fandance Film Festival, a collection of shorts and oddities made in the workshop by members of Norwescon. More than just the movies, this 120-minute extravaganza of entertainment will also include the filmmakers who will regale you with terrifying tales of their productions.

There aren’t any prizes or anything (that we know of), but we might give a big hand to all the participants and hand out Pop-Tarts.

If you have any questions, please write to [omitted].

Hospitality

Greetings from Hospitality! 200 cases of soda, 30 dozen eggs, 4 gallons of ranch dressing.... We’re gearing up for the convention, getting our shopping lists ready, and putting the final touches on the plan for making you feel welcome. We’ve got food, games, toys, and a nice place for you to sit and catch up with old friends. There will be contests, crayons, and maybe even Karaoke! But.... we can’t do it without YOU! We need volunteers to help us bring this all together. A bar tender in the evening, to mix up “Mockaritas” or Italian Sodas. Folks to help us get set up and clean up. People to help make all the fabulous snacks that we’ll be serving all weekend. Interested? Of course you are! Just drop us a line at hospitality@norwescon.org. Much fun is guaranteed for all!

If are a club or organization interested in hosting a breakfast, brunch, or special event in Hospitality, please contact us.

Fan and Corporate Tables

Welcome to another year of Norwescon. We are working diligently to provide our members with information on other conventions and clubs. Please stop by our Fan and Corporate tables located within the Norwescon registration area, and throughout the hotel, and show them some support.

We still have some table space left if you would like to request a Fan or Corporate Table. Please e-mail your request to clubtables@norwescon.org .

Convention Services We Make Your Con Run

Let me introduce my departments.

Office Services—Includes Charitable Events, the Daily ’Zine, ADA Liaison Office Services—and Signs
Event Services—Includes Tech, Stage Management and Media/Video Services Site Security—The name says it all
Communications—Those cool radios and pagers Transportation—Trucks and things
Information Technology—My geek department, the brains behind the Information Technology—computers.

Please drop by any of the departments and we’ll be glad to let you in on the fun of running a Con. It’s a big party for 2800 of our closest fen and favorite panelists.

Cheryl Ferguson
Convention Services Director

Event Services AKA All Things Tech

Event Services is all about toys!

Do you want to play with microphones, slide projectors, lights? Join our

resident Techies, Jordan Orr and Elizabeth Thomas-Rodolf, and make the magic happen. Get to talk with your favorite author as you set up the equipment they need to share their knowledge with our members.

Do you like lights and sound and cameras? Jordan and his merry men will need your help with dances and the Masquerade. Come on down to Grand 3 and let Michael Citrak keep you busy turning a stodgy old hotel ballroom into the glitzy Con Dance Hall.

Stage Management All the World's a Stage and We Are in Charge of It!

Why do you come to Norwescon? To see and hear your favorite authors, artists, costumers, filkers and other panelists of course. Come join Stage Management where you can meet and greet your favorite panelist and get to sit through the most interesting panels! Of course, you also earn volunteer points towards cool goodies.

What are the duties?

Come to Cascade 3, find out when the people you enjoy or the panels you want to see are scheduled and choose which ones you want to attend. Then, come pick up a clipboard before each panel you want to watch, go to the correct room and check in with the panelists. See that they have all the equipment they need for their panel. When the panel starts, you get to announce the panel and then sit down and enjoy yourself until near the end of it when you give the panelists a 5-minute warning. Return your clipboard to Cascade 3 and continue on your merry way.

IT Department

The Registration program is being updated for a more stable and robust system this year. We will be having some test sessions between now the con to wring out the changes. The first will be a bug-bash at Ben Schreiber’s house. Basically, it will be an opportunity for a small group of our computer support folks to pound on the program, searching for bugs. The next one is scheduled for Marh 16. Watch the website and/or your e-mail for more information. This will be a great opportunity for the computer support staff to learn about the system and its setup. This will also be a good opportunity to get the Registration managers involved for the year.

The second event will be a training session on March 29. Hopefully, things will be ironed out enough that the training will go without glitches. In any case, things should be smooth enough that we don’t have to waste too much of our volunteers’ time with computer problems.

The third event will be a “dress-rehearsal” on April 5. The idea is to set up all of the computers we expect to use at the con, networked and with all the software (including Art Show and KidKon), and get a group together to pound on the system.

We will try to get space at the hotel for both of these events. We will need about 20 folks for the third event, so we can simulate a serious crunch time at the con. We will advertise both of these events on the website.

Transportation Department

The Transportation Dept. had a reasonably good con in 2002. The use of Cheryl’s horse trailer to pick up the food supplies was a big success, and proved once and for all that fen eat like a horse.

This year’s plans are basically the same as usual. The main activities are: the stuffing party, con movein and con move-out. The stuffing party will be April 13 at the hotel. Volunteers are needed to stuff those registration packets we all enjoy. Anyone who wishes to have materials included in the packets should contact the Transportation department ASAP. Move-in starts on Tuesday, April 15, with pick-ups at various sites. It continues early on Wednesday with the bulk of the “hefting and toting” from the storage unit to the hotel. Move-out starts on Sunday evening of the con and continues on Monday. Volunteer credits for move-in and, particularly, move-out accrues as double credits. Please consider helping on move-out if at all possible.

Norwescon has limited space to store items during the year, so if you are thinking of donating large or bulky items to the con, please check with Transportation first.

Collection

Citation

“Norwescon 26 Progress Report,” Norwescon History, accessed March 29, 2024, https://history.norwescon.org/items/show/33.

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