MAKIN' BAYCON ISSUE 4:
SATURDAY EVENING
Sparky the Squirrel Remembered
After two full years, there still is no word of progress in the "Sparky
the Squirrel" investigation. Two BayCons ago a squirrel of unknown age
or gender (thereafter known to all as "Sparky"), met an untimely end
under suspicious circumstances.
Fans who remember the squirrel fondly say that, like many squirrels,
Sparky was a happy little fur-person, content to eke out an existence
gathering crusts, fruit and the occasional nut. Sparky lived in a tall
tree beside the 101 freeway, near the 1st Street offramp, and could
often be seen scampering between the Red Lion Inn and the Hyatt Hotel.
Sadly, this habit was to be Sparky's undoing.
Rumors of Sparky's demise at the hands of an unnamed BayCon staff member
have since abounded. More moderate elements have proposed the
revisionist view that Sparky's death was actually an elaborate form of
suicide which only peripherally involved the convention, but this has
led to accusations of a cover-up.
When questioned, Convention Services (FLARE) had no comment on the
investigation. Relatives of the deceased were also unavailable. It is
speculated that recent construction near their homes caused them to
relocate, leaving no forwarding address.
The second annual Sparky the Squirrel memorial service will be held in
Room 264 (the Gofer Hole), Monday evening, starting at 5 pm.
Volunteers Needed
"We need bodies desperately!" is the cry in the Volunteers room today.
"We need warm bodies that can move and are healthy and can lift at least
10 pounds at a time." Gofers are especially needed for the Masquerade
tonight. Interested individuals please go to Room 264.
On a related note, it was mentioned by a gopher (who asked to remain
anonymous) that it is Day 2 of the Con and "We still don't have our
badges. We're running around with Post-it notes stuck to our badges."
Security Issues Raised
Convention Service (FLARE) would like to again remind everyone that all
BayCon attendees must wear shoes in the hotel's public areas (except the
pool) at all times. This is a matter of health as well as appearance.
On a related note, Flare wants to repeat that animals are not to be left
unattended at the Con. Dogs, cats and rabbits must be kept on a leash,
and wild animals are prohibited.
Tonight's Parties
Remember that open parties are restricted to the second and third
floors. We received a party announcement that we could not run because
it was for a room on a non-party floor.
Chardonnay Room - Con Suite/Vulgar Unicorn. There will be dancers there tonight, an artist on-site and a visit by the happy ondom Fairy. 4 pm until 2 am.
Rooms 350-352 - The Artist/Furry Party, sponsored by Yarf! and the Dreamcaster's Art Guild. There will be lots of art, videos and music available for your enjoyment. 9 pm - 2 am tonight, and also 2 pm - 6 pm and 9 pm - 2 am Sunday.
Room 247 - The 10th Anniversary Ladyhawke Party. Come celebrate. 9 pm.
Room 255 - The Atlanta in '98 Worldcon Bid Party. 9 pm.
Room 259 - USS Northern Lights (a Star Trek theme party). 9 pm.
Room 263 - The Goldfish Party (a Red Dwarf room bash). 8 pm.
Room 265 - The Welcome Back Tully Party (featuring Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey, the Water of Life for the Irish). 7 pm.
BayCon on Radio
This morning at 11:10 am, BayCon was featured on KFJC 89.7 FM
broadcasting live from the convention registration desk. Reporter Ann
Arbor did the coverage. A traffic report included mention of delays at
Registration, a pool report ("One diving board, no waiting"), and a
warning about the Dealers Room ("Wear your elbow gear") were included.
The Con is airborne! This affair was organized by Mike Miyake, a
longtime BayCon fan.
Westercon Alert!
Only two weeks left to get a Westercon 48 membership at the pre reg rate
of $50.00 The price goes up on June 10th to $60. Do you want to help
decide the 1997 Westercon site? Between the Santa Clara bid and the
Seattle bid? You need to be a member of this year's Westercon
(Westercon 48 in Portland, Oregon) to be able to vote for 1997. See the
Portland folk at their table for supporting memberships ($20) or
attending memberships.
Children's Programming
A complete track of Children's Programming will be run in the San Juan
room on Sunday. Projects will include mask making, book making, sponge
painting, and there will be talks ranging from dinosaurs to space
exploration. An exact schedule of events should follow in the next
newsletter. The Children's Programming staff would like to stress that
this is not child care. Parents must attend the programming with their
children and cannot drop their children off and leave them in the room.
This track of programming emphasizes children and parent participation.
Dealers Hours Change
Dealers Room Coordinator Sarah Goodman announced new hours for the
Dealers Room this morning. The Dealers Room will close on Sunday at 6
pm and on Monday at 3 pm.
E.R.P.S. Is a Blast
Kevin Bollinger (President of the Experimental Rocket Propulsion
Society) couldn't bring a crater to the Con as a demo, so he brought
along some of the club's hardware to display at their table, instead.
"We're looking for new members," Kevin explained. "We're looking for
do-ers - not watchers. We are a rocket building society, not a rocket
watching society. (Ask him about 'Project Stratobat', a project to get
2 people to 100 kilometers above the Earth.)
Call For Models
Models, especially costumed, would be most welcome at Sunday's Open
Studio 10 am - 12:30 pm. Fandom's artists will be drawing from life
in the Works In Progress room. Please stop by and pose for a 5 to 15
minute sketch session.
Wizard Demos!
The Wizards of the Coast reps in the Dealers Room would like it known
that they are not selling merchandise at BayCon. They are here purely
to answer questions.
In addition, WotC will have a drawing for a FREE box of (Magic the
Gathering) Fallen Empire cards that will be held "tonight, early
tomorrow or whenever our spirit guide speaks." The winner's name will
be posted at their table and printed in the Newsletter. Sunday, there
will be a Jyhad card drawing.
Bits And Pieces
... Tomoko Shintani of Registration says, My staff and I are highly
appreciative that everyone has been so kind and patient with us today.
Our computers haven't been running and it's slowed us down. We still
haven't solved all the problems, so please continue to be patient."
.... Conversation in the halls: First Fan: "If at first you succeed, you get
drafted to do it again." Second Fan: "Hey! That's the story of my at-
Con life."
.... The Internet Cafe wants to offer special thanks to Netcom
for the donation of 2000 NetCruiser disks as well as thanks to scruz.net
for underwriting the Internet Cafe. Come on by and have some slow food
at the Internet Cafe. While there please try the free CD-ROM sample of
the day
.... "These blue plastic sheets [in the Fan Tables area] are a
great idea! I think they're saving my life."
... Let it be known that
"Loud Gaming" will be on Sunday. Active Roleplaying will also be on
Sunday. No passive gamers need apply! Illuminati N.W.O., White Box
Mekton, and Street Fighter
.... "Do you have your blue dot yet?"
... Kathy
Carder had never been to a BayCon before, but she says that within 10
minutes of registering, she met Poul Anderson. "I was so excited!" she
enthused. "This is a great convention!"
... On the Party Floor: "Where
can I find rubber pants in MY size?"
... "We've got more artists than tables right now," says Wanda Haight in
the Works-in-progress room, "but we're going to get more tables." With
a grin, she added, "Remember, a squeaky wheel gathers moss."
... Cynthia
Leonard (at the Harvest Moon dealer table) smiled and then said of
BayCon: "It's been great. I'm relaxed and having a good time.
Everything has been a lot of fun. Every Con should be like this."
... Lea Williams commented playfully, "I haven't overheard ANYTHING
interesting in the Green Room so far, or been shocked once and I'm
complaining!"
... More from the Dealers: "If there was an award for 'best
organized bookstall', it would have to go to this place." (said about
the Smith & Co Booksellers table)
Makin' BayCon is the newsletter of BayCon '95. Number 4, Saturday
Evening, May 27, 1995. ©1995 by Artistic Solutions, Inc. on behalf of
the contributors, with all rights reverting upon publication. Editor:
Kevin Standlee. Production Manager: Trey Haddad. Chief Techie: Rick
Hallock. Ace Field Reporter: Barbara Johnson-Haddad. Artist In
Residence: Erlinda Hallock. Uncredited articles probably were written
by the Editor and/or staff or are figments of your imagination anyway.
Views expressed are not necessarily those of the BayCon '95 Committee,
Artistic Solutions, Inc., or anybody but the person who expressed them.
Submission Drop Boxes are located at the Info Desk (Main Lobby) and in
the Con Office (Board Room). The Newsletter Office is in room 641.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FOR ELECTIONIC EDITION:
Makin'
BayCon is published electronically via the BayCon '95 Internet
Cafe, with the help of the Internet Cafe staff (Michael Wallis, Matt
Seidl, Don Hackler, Rose Carlson, Kelley James, Jan Parcel) and
underwriting assistance from scruz-net. To send e-mail directly to the
newsletter editor, send it to 72377.3623@compuserve.com; we'll
check the e-mail daily around 3 PM and 11 PM PDT.