Petaluma Comic Con

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Petaluma Comic Con

Postby Bodger » Mon Sep 08, 2014 10:45 am

I have a friend who is organizing a Comic Con of sorts to be held in Petaluma in January. Would CW be interested is doing something there?

ToyCon was quite a success, so I'm thinking we might do something along those lines, but nothing's determined at this point.

She's a librarian, so knows nothing about LARPing, but is trying for something youth-oriented. I'm thinking we could use the grassy area across from Herzog Hall, which will be the main venue. I'm afraid the weather in January mightn't be cooperative; could we use the (covered) picnic area as a Plan B?

Assuming the response is generally positive, whom should I consult about pinning down details and getting it on the calendar?
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Re: Petaluma Comic Con

Postby Dagny » Mon Sep 08, 2014 11:12 am

January is the next reign, so there might be a different Regent by then. So once you have dates and more info keep posting to this thread. I would love to see a convention in Petaluma, and I think having big demonstrations roughly half a year apart can be good for the park. Not just for recruitment but to also pace things to prevent officer burnout. :)
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Re: Petaluma Comic Con

Postby Ka'a Acklie » Mon Sep 08, 2014 7:52 pm

I wanna go!
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Re: Petaluma Comic Con

Postby Water Hammer » Thu Sep 11, 2014 6:28 pm

We can commit for the future office holders if we have to work out things in advance. The BoD will negotiate terms.

I recommend we hold an alternate park site day, use a waiver similar to toycon to get people on the field and swinging, and ask them to waive entrance fees for participating club members who go in garb.

We are offering a free-to-play event to increase enjoyment at their event and it should be awesome (indoor, semi, or out).
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Re: Petaluma Comic Con

Postby Ka'a Acklie » Thu Sep 11, 2014 7:16 pm

Where is it being held exactly? I love Petaluma! So much food!
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Re: Petaluma Comic Con

Postby Bodger » Fri Sep 12, 2014 2:54 pm

I was thinking along the lines Waterhammer mentioned. The event is a single Saturday in January, but I'm told they're not ready to publicize the event, so, while I know which date it is, I've been instructed not to reveal it just yet. I'll propose the terms as discussed, as soon as I am in touch with the actual organizer; my contact is a helper, so not able to make definite commitments. I'll make it clear that the BoD has to approve any plan.

The main venue is Herzog hall on the Petaluma Fairgrounds. I'm thinking we'd use the grassy area between there and the outdoor stage, with the covered picnic area as an in-case-of-rain Plan B. I don't know if those areas are included in the current rental plan, so this may be an area of negotiation.

Does anyone have experience with the Petaluma Fairgrounds and any restrictions on things we might want to do? I've heard of venues objecting to projectiles, tent stakes, and running around on wet grass. Any other problem areas?

On a possibly non-very-related topic: does anyone know of an author or illustrator that might be interested in appearing at such a Con? This isn't going to be a big Con, but it might be worthwhile for some local talented person wanting to get some exposure. It wouldn't be restricted to strictly comics, but probably best if it was something with some appeal to the younger demographic.
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Re: Petaluma Comic Con

Postby Ka'a Acklie » Fri Sep 12, 2014 8:04 pm

I can't say specifics but there is easy drop off for people near the hall, we'll want to plan for roping off both grass areas or cement depending on weather, the picnic area behind gets stupid muddy when it rain, and they discourage animals that are not service animals (don't bring the pet dogs).
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Re: Petaluma Comic Con

Postby Bodger » Fri Oct 24, 2014 10:47 am

We are officially invited to participate in LumaCON,
Petaluma's first annual Comic Convention which will be held on Jan. 17,
2015 from 10-4 pm.

Here is what we know about the event:
* suggested $5 donation at the door
* Artists Alley will include:
Steve Sansweet, Rancho Obi-Wan
J.W. Rinzler
The Charles Schulz Museum
Brian Fies (Mom's Cancer)
Stephan Pastis
* Copperfields, Brian's Comics, and one other comic store will have booths
* Refreshments for sale, CosPlay, crafts for teens and kids, panels, and
more!

My contact is Diana Spaulding, who is a librarian at the Petaluma Library. I'm going to plan out what we're going to do, subject to ratification by the (new?) Monarch. Here's the plan I've proposed to her:

Schedule of Events:

10:30 AmtGard 101: Demonstration and introduction
12:00 AmtGard Battle Game: Register and participate
1:30 AmtGard 101: Demonstration and introduction
3:00 AmtGard Battle Game: Register and participate

We'll try to be set up by 10:00 and our garb and weapons and members will
be available for questions continuously until closing at 4:00.

If I recall correctly, the grass next to Herzog is a bit smaller than the
space we usually use, but I think we can work with it. If the larger area
opposite Herzog were available, we would be very glad to use it, but I
would understand if it weren't worth the addition cost to rent it. I'll
stop by to refresh my memory.

I expect that we'll try to fit in 2 tents and rope off a battlegaming
area. The games will be confined to the roped area, but there may be
occasional inadvertent excursions by players or weapons, including foam
balls and foam-tipped arrows.

CW will participate regardless of weather, but in the event of rain, we're
likely to encroach on the covered area (with the picnic tables). The
crowd will, no doubt, thin out in poor weather, but we'll adapt and
improvise to put on the best activity possible within the limits of
safety.

All participants will sign our standard waiver. The audience won't need
waivers.

The donation seems like a good plan. My expectation is that many of our
participants attending in costume will decline to donate, but that some
will, depending on individual circumstances.

Anyone affiliated with Crimson Wood showing up not in garb should be
treated as any other attendee.

Unless you feel a need for pre-registration, I'd suggest treating anyone
who shows up wearing pre-1650 costume or some approximation thereto and
can pronounce the phrase "I'm with Crimson Wood" as a volunteer and
directing them to our area, if needed.

Our participants will arrange their own refreshments or purchase them from
vendors, as needed.
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LumaCON

Postby Bodger » Fri Oct 24, 2014 10:59 am

That plan is loosely based on what we did at ToyCon. If anyone has any suggestions, lay them out.

I'm planning to bring my "viking" tent, which I hope will meet with approval. I'm hoping Waterhammer will volunteer to bring his tent. 2 tents seem adequate: one for gear and one for registration.

I'm hoping the Champion can be persuaded to bring loaner gear and enough rope to designate the arena.

It would be good if the PM could arrange for appropriate staffing to handle registration and waivers.

Do we need to plan out who's going to lead the demonstration, introduction, and battlegames? I don't think we need to do anything elaborate, but just adapt a bit to the circumstances.

Would anyone want to do something along the lines of food?

I'd encourage everyone to bring along whatever gear they deem adequate for newbies to use and garb to the hilt. I think we can have a lot of fun and bring in some fresh blood.
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Re: Petaluma Comic Con

Postby Dagny » Fri Oct 24, 2014 11:15 am

Are they asking for a fee for the space, or is our play area complimentary to get us to come out?
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Re: Petaluma Comic Con

Postby Bodger » Fri Oct 24, 2014 1:50 pm

Dagny wrote:Are they asking for a fee?

They haven't been completely explicit in accepting the terms I propose, but no group-level fee has been discussed. My proposal is that most our members who arrive in garb be treated as "volunteers", with no expectation that they make the "suggested donation".

Since the entrance is by suggested donation of $5, there is no legal obligation for anyone (CW or not) to make a donation in order to attend.

Having said all that, I'm picking up hints of stress over budgets' etc. If anyone decided to commit to making a donation, either individually or as a group, they would be grateful.

Since this is the first year of LumaCon and this isn't a professional team of fair promoters, I imagine there's a lot of uncertainty about how many will attend and how much revenue to expect. I further imagine that a large component of the budget is rent of the fairgrounds. If we wanted to be specific about the space we were to use, making some kind of financial commitment would make it easy for us to dictate exactly what space we wanted. If money weren't a significant consideration, I'd prefer to use the larger grassy area between Herzog and the stage, which is available for rent, for an additional fee. My guess is that we'd rather make do with the area next to and behind Herzog than pony up for the bigger area. It also seems like they'd be very resistant to renting the extra space for us to use exclusively.

I'm open to suggestion on how hard-nosed to be on the point of we-won't-pay-to-get-in, especially from an actual office-holder. My personal opinion is that we are providing a unique, entertaining activity. In other contexts, comparable services are offered by professional performing troupes, who charge for performing those services. Getting our services for free is a very good bargain; they shouldn't expect us to pay on top of it.

Per my usual procedure, I'll stick with my opinion until a rolled-up newspaper hits me in the face.
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Re: Petaluma Comic Con

Postby Dagny » Fri Oct 24, 2014 6:04 pm

I'm not worried about fees, I know the park can handle it. I just don't want to agree to something and end up stuck with charges later. Most conventions charge for booth space. We paid $120 for our space at Santa Rosa Toy Con. (If was worth it.) If LumaCon is inviting us as a guest, specifically to provide an activity for their attendees, then our space should at least be comped by the con.

Knowing it is a first-year event though, unless they have solid investors they shouldn't be able to afford to do that. I am OK with buying a booth to help support a new local convention, as long as the costs are upfront and the land votes to spend the money.
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Re: Petaluma Comic Con

Postby Water Hammer » Mon Oct 27, 2014 11:59 pm

I will bring it up for discussion at the November Allthing and will convene a BoD meeting after the allthing for confirmation. We will have a land vote on December Allthing (if needed) to confirm perticipation. We should expect to utilize an alternate location park day for this (attendance rocks).

Crimsonwood BoD members please try to attend, or be available for a phonecon on 1 Nov.
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Re: Petaluma Comic Con

Postby Bodger » Tue Oct 28, 2014 12:46 pm

I took another look at the space. The grassy area next to Herzog is pretty small; we could put up a couple tents, but the remaining space would be too small to have a game in. It would be big enough for a demonstration or perhaps 1 on 1 duels. There is a fair amount of outdoor space, but it's mostly paved, with curbs, trees, and other obstacles. It's great terrain for archers and others who don't run around too much, but someone's inevitably going to trip over something and faceplant onto concrete.

It seems like the options are:

1) persuade the organizers to also rent the area across from Herzog. An argument that included a "booth fee" large enough to cover the additional rent is likely to be persuasive.

2) scale back our activities to fit the grass next to Herzog. This probably means doing demos and extremely small games, only. We could push the tents onto the pavement, but our selection of non-staked tents might be limited.

3) use all of the space around Herzog and try to mitigate the hazards of curbs and concrete, somehow.

4) give the whole thing a pass.

I'd welcome any guidance as to which of these alternatives seems most attractive. If someone more experienced in organizing games wanted to do a recon, that would also be great. Does anyone know any good games to maximize use of a small, obstacle strewn arena that will be fun for novices?

If the BoD is open to the idea of a booth fee, I'm inclined towards pursuing 1) far enough to find out what the additional rent is, with 2) as a contingency plan.
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Re: Petaluma Comic Con

Postby Bodger » Mon Dec 08, 2014 6:15 pm

So the consensus seems to be that we're going to do LumaCon. Their website is http://lumacon.weebly.com/ .

The plan is to use the area around Herzog Hall and emphasize Arts & Sciences, with demonstrations by experienced AmtGards.

Aspects that are still in flux:

There was considerable enthusiasm for a Quest activity for Con goers. There was at least one Goblin who was willing to be hunted and hand out a token. I'm not clear on whether any other "monsters" will be available. I'll game to take a crack, but don't know whether anyone would recognize a bodger if he were to bite them on the nose. Perhaps someone can work out some details: tokens, prizes, etc. I'll bring a batch of brownies (the edible kind) if that would help.

Walk up battlegames: I'm hoping someone can think of a way to get folks involved safely, despite the limitations of the space available. I don't want anyone to trip over a curb and crack their head on the pavement, let alone sue anyone. If someone more experienced than I would care to cruise by, the location is https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fairg ... a7d8?hl=en

A small Ditch would probably work in one of the larger grassy areas, but I'd rather folks not rely entirely on my judgement in such matters.

Herzog Hall, the main venue, is the hexagonal white building. The covered picnic area is called Behrens Park and is a separately rentable space; I suspect if we try to occupy it fully, there will be hard feelings generated.

I've inquired about an indoor booth, but haven't heard back on availability or cost, yet.

I plan to bring my Viking tent, but it needs non-paved surfaces to pitch. WaterHammer's tent doesn't have that limitation, but the more we can use the paved areas for rain-resistant display area the better use we can make of the patches of grass. If someone can arrange a full costume display, I'd like to see that prominently displayed.
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