SPECIAL EVENTS:
ORDER DVDs of PAST BALTICON EVENTS:
DVD's of Special Events (Masquerades, Plays, and other "Main Tent" Events) from past Balticon's are available and can be ordered using this form.
OPENING CEREMONIES:
At 8:30 p.m. Friday in the Main Tent, Balticon 43 officially kicks
off with introductions of the Guests of Honor and program participants.
Doors open at 8:00 PM. Meet the participants afterwards in the Con
Suite.
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FRIDAY FACETIME:
Friday Facetime is your chance to meet and chat with your favorite
authors, artists and scientists in a relaxed, informal setting. Starting
at 9:00 pm is the Meet the Guests event, including the Guests of Honor,
in Frankie & Vinnie's also known as the Con-suite.
Also starting at 9:00pm right across the hall is the Meet the Artists
event in the Art Show.
At 10:00 pm the Meet the Scientists event will start up in Salon A up
the hallway from the above mentioned events.
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SF LIVE THEATER:
No Balticon would be complete without live theatre and musical
performances in the Main Tent, and Balticon 43 is no exception.
Starting with the Opening Ceremonies on Friday night, weekend
performances include our Music GoH Mary Crowell, Comedy and
Storytelling by 2008 Compton Crook Award Winner Mark L. Van Name, a
special appearance by the Chromatics, and theatrical presentations
still in the works.
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MASQUERADE:
On Saturday night Balticon hosts one of the oldest masquerades on
the East Coast. Marvel at the participants crafting of fabric and
other materials into imaginative and extraordinary costumes. The
Masquerade is not just for experienced costumers either -- Hall Costumes
and first-timers are encouraged to get up on stage and share their
work. The masquerade competition will be judged on the experience
skills division system to give beginners a chance to go home winners.
Info: e-mail
masq@balticon.org or check
"Masquerade" on the registration form.
Masquerade rules
Hall Costumes:
Each year we look for the most colorful, unusual and imaginative hall costumes.
Whether novice or expert, Balticon wants you to dress up. Pictures will be taken of entries and
posted in a gallery at the con allowing the membership to vote for best hall costume.
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SUNDAY NIGHT FILM FEST: You Be the Judge!
Aspiring filmmakers have submitted their work hoping you will vote
for them as "Best Film Award Balticon 2009." They want a plaque and
a leg-up on their career and you have control. Entries have been
pre-judged so only the finalists go before you, the jury. Think of
it like the masquerade only with films rather than costumes and you
vote for the winner! All this on a 12-foot by 12-foot screen! Stay
tuned for another exciting film premiere by producer Earl Newton,
Stranger Things: Singularity, as well as all the great programming
you expect from Balticon. Download the
schedule (PDF).
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RIF CHARITY AUCTION:
For the 13th year in a row, a charity auction for the benefit of Reading is
Fundamental (RIF) will be held during the halftime break of the Masquerade on Saturday night. There
will be SF&F collectibles, memorabilia and other exotic items put on the block. If you have something
to donate to the auction bring it to the con. RIF is a terrific organization working nationwide to
teach kids to read by getting them hooked on reading at an early age and distributes free books to
many children who cannot afford a book of their own.
For more information on RIF please check
Reading is Fundamental on the registration form or e-mail rif@balticon.org.
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COMPTON CROOK AWARD:
BSFS presents the Compton Crook
Award to the new SF atuhor judged to have written
the best SF novel for the previous year. This year
the 2009 award will be presented Friday night during
the Opening Ceremonies. As is tradition, last years
winner, Mark L. Van Name (One Jump Ahead) returns to
Balticon to present the annual award.
You can find more information on the Compton Crook Award on the Baltimore Science Fiction Society website here.
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GUEST OF HONOR PRESENTATIONS:
We are planning traditional formal Guest of Honor presentations on
multiple days as well as GOH participation scattered throughout the main
program. GOHs will select the program panels they most wish to headline
from the general program topics and these smaller sessions will be
denoted in the formal program schedule when finalized.
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BOOK LAUNCHES:
Every year more and more authors choose Balticon as the "launch pad" for
their latest book releases, and Balticon 43 has even more book launch goodness
than ever before! Book launches currently in the pipeline for Balticon 43
include:
Buffalito Destiny by Lawrence Schoen;
Wicca Girl by R. Allen Leider;
Personal Effects: Dark Art by J. C. Hutchins;
Radiation Angels: The Key to Damocles by James Daniel Ross;
Nina Kimberly the Merciless by Christiana Ellis; and
So It Begins, an anthology edited by Mike McPhail.
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DANCING IN THE GEARS:
Attention all aeronauts, aethernauts, lady and gentleman adventurers,
mad scientists, inventors, and other Steampunks and neo-Victorians!
Join us at 10pm Friday night at for a time-traveling formal evening
at the Steampunk Ball! Become part of the living clockwork of
Victorian and Victorian-inspired set dances and spin madly with your
partner to romantic waltzes and lively polkas. No previous experience
is needed; all dances will be taught by dance mistress Susan de
Guardiola. Music will be an eclectic mix of modern and nineteenth
century. Steampunk, neo-Victorian, or Victorian costume encouraged
and admired but not required. Airships and time machines should be
parked outside the ballroom. No sabers, ray guns, or clanks permitted
on the dance floor.
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STAR WRECK: IN THE PIRKINNING - IMPERIAL EDITION:
The DVD remastered feature-length sci-fi parody combining Babylon
Five and Star Trek, seven years in the making. It is the product of a
core group of five Finns, and over 300 extras, assistants and
supporters. The film combines world-class visual effects, a
rough-and-ready sense of humour, and a passion that provide the basis
for the first-ever Finnish science fiction adventure. Available on DVD
from Universal Studios (Scandinavia) and AMG Entertainment (Japan)
http://www.starwreck.com/iepromo.php
Friday May 22, 9:30 pm.
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LIARS' PANEL:
Each panelist, including the moderator, answers all the
questions. All answers must be the truth--except three. No one other
than the answering panelist knows if the answers are true or lies.
After each one, anyone in the audience can challenge the answering
panelist. Multiple people can challenge; the more, the better. After
there are no more challengers, the panelist tells whether the answer
was truth or a lie. If it was true, every challenger puts a dollar in
a bucket that runners pass. If it was a lie, the panelist puts $10 in
the bucket. All proceeds go to Reading is Fundamental.
Saturday, May 23 2 pm
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SCIENCE MAGIC SEX:
Have you ever wanted to see the intersection of science fiction and
stand-up comedy? Been curious to learn how Pavlov's dogs got their
revenge, or how to cure cockroach problems through religion? Wondered
about the real differences between the genders? To satisfy all of these
urges and laugh in the process, come see an hour of spoken word,
storytelling, and comedy by
2008 Compton Crook Award winner and SF novelist, Mark L. Van Name.
Much of this content is adult in nature and is inappropriate for children.
We recommend children not attend.
Sunday 2:30, Valley Ballroom
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GAMES2U COMES TO BALTICON 43!
Games2U Mobile Video Game Theatre will be at Balticon 43 on Saturday,
May 23 at 8 PM. The high-tech video game theatre on wheels will be
parked just up the stairs from the Con Suite, to give attendees a
taste of what they can bid on at the RIF Auction on Saturday Night: a
video game party from Games2U! This is an excellent opportunity to
check out the latest video games while you decide on just how much to
bid for a video game party in the RIF Auction, so don't miss it!
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