Hello Campers,
This will be the last notice from your Chairwoman before NECON. Please read the following carefully as there is a lot of important information you don’t want to miss.
* Following are the directions to the Baypoint Inn and Conference Center for those of you who will be driving. If you are flying in or taking a train or bus, please let us know. We’ll be more than happy to pick you up at the airport (T.F. Green) or at the bus station (Peter Pan or Greyhound in Providence) or at the train station (Amtrak in Providence). If you need a ride from any of those places on Thursday or Friday, drop me an e-mail (saracalia08@gmail.com) or give me a call on my cell phone at (401) 365-5740 and we’ll arrange to pick you up. Please make sure you have contacted me before Monday, July 13th to ensure we’re there for you. With the increase in gas prices and our volunteers doing the pick up/drop off, it would be appreciated if you gave them a few dollars for their kindness. Please note we will be doing runs throughout the day, so while we might not be able to get you as soon as you arrive, we will do our best to make it in a timely fashion. Please look for someone holding a NECON sign at your pick up location.
From Boston, Massachusetts and points north:
Take Route 93 South to Route 24 South to Fall River. From 24 bear right onto Route 195 West to Exit 8A (Tiverton/Newport) where you will continue on Route 24 South for approximately seven miles. Take Mt. Hope Bridge/Bristol exit. Bear right off the exit and take first right onto Anthony Road. Bay Point Inn and Conference Center will be your first driveway on the right.
From Albany, New York and points west:
Take Route 87 to Route 90 East (Mass Turnpike). Take Route 146 South to Route 95 South to Providence, Rhode Island. Take exit 19 to Route 195 East towards Fall River/Cape Cod. Continue on 195 East to Fall River, Massachusetts. Take Route 24 South (Tiverton/Newport) for approximately seven miles. Take Mt. Hope Bridge/Bristol exit. Bear right off the exit and take first right onto Anthony Road. Bay Point Inn and Conference Center will be your first driveway on the right.
From New York City and points south:
Take Route 95 North to Providence, Rhode Island. Take exit 19 to Route 195 East towards Fall River/Cape Cod. Continue on 195 East to Fall River, Massachusetts. Take Route 24 South (Tiverton/Newport) for approximately seven miles. Take Mt. Hope Bridge/Bristol exit. Bear right off the exit and take first right onto Anthony Road. Bay Point Inn and Conference Center will be your first driveway on the right.
* If you need to give an emergency number out to your family, babysitter, etc., please feel free to have them call my cell phone at (401) 365-5740. I should be able to track you down. Also the number for the Roger Williams Security office is (401) 254-3397.
* We do our best to try to accommodate everyone with their requests for suite-mates, who they want to be near, etc. We have made room assignments. If you did not request to be with anyone specific and have since found someone you would like to share a room with, please e-mail me immediately as to avoid any confusion at registration. Please bear with us as it’s not a perfect system and we do try to make everyone happy.
* There are a LIMITED number of rooms that will be available as a single for an increase in price. Please contact me at saracalia08@gmail.com if you would like to reserve a single room.
* The first thing to remember is that even though we are now at a hotel it is not the Ritz. When you get there on Thursday, you will have clean linens (two sheets and one blanket), two pillows on the bed, two regular sized towels, and one washcloth. Housekeeping will come in and replace towels if need be, but if you do not want your room cleaned until the end of the Convention please let the front desk know. The hotel does have Wi-Fi and a fitness center (unfortunately, they no longer have a swimming pool).
* Check-In is NO SOONER THAN 2:00 PM on Thursday and we will close registration at Noonon Saturday. You’re more than welcome to show up before that, but if you do we’ll put you to work!
* We’re doing something different this year regarding our Annual Hawaiian Shirt Contest. Instead of having contestants line up and parade their single best shirt in front of the judges on Friday evening, this year the contest WILL BEGIN AS SOON AS REGISTRATION OPENS AND RUN ALL WEEKEND! That’s right, three SECRET judges will be keeping their eyes peeled for the best Hawaiian Shirts ALL CON, and the winners will be announced (and Valuable Prizes awarded) at the Town Meeting on Sunday morning. That means any shirt you wear during Necon is under consideration and therefore entered in the contest!
* Our traditional Thursday night Saugy Roast will begin at 10:00 p.m. The cafeteria will not be open before that. There are plenty of sit-down restaurants and fast-food places within short driving distance of the convention if you need something to tide you over until the Saugy fest.
* We’ll have breakfast on Friday morning at 8:00 a.m. before we head off for miniature golf (leave at 9:30 for a 10:00 tee time) and also kick off the kaffeeklatsches (starting at 9:00). This is the first official Necon Olympics event — if you plan on competing in this event please let me know so we can give the mini golf place an estimate of how many will be attending. There is a $5 fee to participate in this event. In the event of inclement weather we will be going bowling instead and the same fee would apply. It will be followed by Darts and Foosball (Friday night) and Hi-Lo Jack (Saturday night). You can sign up for any and all events at registration. Several events have a space limitation, so if you’re interested, please make sure you sign up early (registration forms will be available at check-in). Please be advised that all outdoor activities are weather permitting.
* Friday evening festivities will commence with the Official Necon Toast, delivered by Toastmaster John McIlveen, at 7:00 p.m. That will be followed by Necon Update with Mike Myers and this year’s Necon Hall of Fame Inductions (per usual).
* The Authors Reception/Signing will start at 8:00 p.m on Friday. Authors, if you would like to bring your own books to sell, feel free to do so; however, you will be responsible for setting up your books and collecting money as well. Also, the bar will be open both Friday and Saturday evenings. While you are allowed to consume your own alcohol in your rooms and the courtyard, you CANNOT bring in any drinks into the bar area. We ask that you purchase any drinks from the bar and honor the request to not bring any beverages of your own into this room.
* You’re more than welcome to bring as much alcohol with you as you’d like; however, the hotel rooms do not have a fridge, so you might want to bring a cooler along also. We have to ask you to keep the alcohol out of the artists/dealers room and out of the panel room.
* We are always looking for volunteers to help in the set-up, running, and break-down of various Necon activities. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact P.D. Cacek (Volunteer Coordinator) at pdcacek@yahoo.com (more information regarding volunteering can be found below).
* After last year’s smashing success, Rick Sardinha will be running “The Delivery,” a Call of Cthulhu role-playing game using 4th edition rules, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday(schedule subject to change based upon participation). Four to six players, all materials provided, bring your own munchies.
* This year’s Pre-Roast Saturday Night entertainment will be a LIVE DVD EXTRA: DIRECTOR’S SHOWCASE! Lynne Hansen will take questions and show her short film “Chomp,” and Izzy Lee will do the same with her short film “Postpartum.”
* The nighttime activities take place in the courtyard. There are a limited number of chairs, so you might want to bring your own (as well as bug spray, as the skeeters can get pretty bad).
* If you are a dealer and have not contacted John McIlveen please do so ASAP at mcilveen@comcast.net.
As always, please feel free to call on my cell is (401) 365-5740 or drop me a line at saracalia08@gmail.com if you have any questions.
See you soon,
Sara Calia AKA Necon Chairwoman
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And lastly, the complete Necon schedule of events!!!! CLICK HERE!!!