SFContario News

Happy Birthday, Dave Kyle!

Murray — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 03:55:57 +0000

Valentine’s Day, I am given to understand, also is the birthday of SFContario 4′s Fan Guest of Honour.
Happy 94th birthday! Dave.

Three Day Membership Sale Starts Friday

Murray — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 22:09:17 +0000

In conjunction with the occurrence of this year’s annual Detroit-area ConFusion SF convention (Immortal ConFusion, Dearborn Michigan: guests include Charles Stross and Alistair Reynolds), SFContario 4 (Nov. 29-Dec. 1, 2013) adult attending memberships will be reduced in price to $40.
This sale price, a $5 saving, is available only this Friday through this Sunday.
You can take advantage of this sale on-line via the SFContario website, and in person from one of the SFContario committee members attending Immortal ConFusion.

Futurians Welcome At SFContario 4

Murray — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 15:51:35 +0000

Dave Kyle inadvertently provided the excuse for the banning from the first World Science Fiction Convention (NyCon 1, 1939) of Frederik Pohl, Donald A. Wollheim, Robert W. Lowndes, Cyril Kornbluth, John B. Michel, and Jack Gillespie.
The six unwelcomed fans were members of the Futurian Society of New York, as was Dave Kyle.
Our SFContario 4 Fan Guest’s description “The Great Exclusion Act of 1939″, printed in issue 6 of six-time Best Fanzine Hugo winner MIMOSA, can be read here: Exclusion Act

Resolve To Attend SFContario 4

Murray — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 00:22:30 +0000

A new year, another SFContario: SFContario 4 will happen Nov. 29 – Dec. 1, 2013, again in the Ramada Plaza in downtown Toronto. Guests are Seanan McGuire, Dave Kyle, Chandler Davis.
Attending membership price and dealer room table price will be higher on Jan. 1.
Happy New Year! from the SFContario 4 Committee.

Volunteer Appreciation Party

Murray — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 00:19:00 +0000

SFContario committee members and staff and volunteers and their families, and everyone interested in making SFContario 4 happen next year, are invited to the SFContario Volunteer Appreciation Party.

Date: Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013.

Start time: 7 p.m.

Location: Home of Catherine Crockett and Colin Hinz.

Heads up for hotel bookings

Diane — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 21:59:48 +0000

There are two Ramada Plaza Hotels in Toronto. Make sure your reservation is for the one on Jarvis St. We’ve had one person mistakenly reserve at the other and were able to find them a room at the con rate in the right hotel. Hotel staff informs us they have 6 rooms left in case anybody else has made the same mistake.

Auroras And Nebulas

Murray — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 13:31:35 +0000

Auroras and Nebulas, and Hugos too. Examples of the metal sculpture and the lucite cube and the silver rocket that winners of these genre awards receive are assembled for this year’s special exhibit during SFContario 3.

The Hugo Award is represented by rockets from Torcon 2 (1973) (Michael Glicksohn and Susan Wood Glicksohn), Aussiecon 4 (2010) (Peter Watts), the base of the Renovation (2011) Hugo, and Chicon 7 (2012) (Jo Walton).

The Aurora Award is represented by the distinctive metal sculptures won by Lloyd Penney in 1994 and 1997. Yvonne Penney received a different Aurora award in 1997.

Stand over and look down at an Aurora Award. You will see that its two parts are a S and a F.

The World Fantasy Award trophy example is Jo Walton’s, symbolic for her win for her novel Tooth and Claw (2004).

Musical Geek Comedy Duo

Murray — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 16:53:17 +0000

SFContario 3 is the first convention for Debs & Errol, Toronto’s musical geek comedy duo.

Their website explains that their “artistic mission is to create and perform a wide range of music genres – acoustic, a capella, jazz, pop, musical theatre, folk – all with a focus on the nerd theme.”

Songs titles on their first CD include Geek Love Song, I Wish Totoro Was My Neighbour, My Pachelbel Song, Let’s Vomit Exclusively, and Timmy The Combat Wombat.

See and hear Debs & Errol Saturday evening as part of the SFContario filk music track.

Masquerade Open To All

Murray — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 22:16:10 +0000

SFContario again has a masquerade, for costumers of all abilities and ages.

The masquerade entry forms and rules will be available at the registration desk.

This form must be completed in full, with all signatures, and brought to the masquerade registration desk at SFContario before 3:00 PM Saturday.

SFContario thanks Dawn McKechnie, masquerade director at Anime North and co-chair of CostumeCon 32 in 2014, for all of her help in getting our masquerade up and running.

Walton Reads Thursday At Merril Collection

Murray — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 22:25:35 +0000

SFContario 3 begins informally on Thursday evening with the appearance of our Author Guest Jo Walton at the Merril Collection.

Jo will read from the stories “Twilight Tales” (originally published in Firebirds Soaring) and “The Panda Coin” (originally published in Eclipse 3).

This free event organized by the Friends of the Merril Collection happens at the Merril Collection, 3^rd floor of the Lillian H. Smith library, 239 College St., starting at 7 p.m.