Balticon Update

[Dale Arnold]

Balticon 55 Goes Virtual:

The Baltimore Science Fiction Society will hold Balticon 55 as a free virtual convention Memorial Day weekend, May 28-31, 2021. We will ask for donations again to defray costs with donations of certain levels you will get program books and T-Shirts etc. Zoom, Discord and Second Life Platforms (and a few others) will be used with the website at www.balticon.org acting as a coordinated gateway to the platforms just like last year. It took us a while to realize the virus would not allow an in-person convention in 2021 and then to come to an agreement with the hotel, but we are now working on a virtual convention for our second and hopefully last year. (Elements of a virtual con will be added to Balticon in 2022, but we hope  2021 should be the last fully virtual con)

BSFS Members Pass Beyond This Veil of Tears:

It is with great sadness that I must report that Donna Dearborn and Rikk Jacobs died during January 2021.

Rikk Jacobs, Balticon 19 Chair, SF Artist and manager of Balticon art programming 1980 to 2001 died January 25, 2021. He had been in poor health for many years and unable to attend SF Cons for almost two decades per his family.

Donna Dearborn was BSFS Corresponding Secretary from 2005 to 2017 and ran the Hal Haag Memorial Game Room at Balticon during B44 in 2010 till after B51 in 2017 when she stepped back due to health concerns. She died January 25, 2021.

Next Book Club Meeting at BSFS: (virtual on Zoom)

Next held February 27, 2021 at 6:30 PM as ZOOM Teleconference. Featured Book: Jurasic Park by Michael Crichton. By Teleconference as Zoom Meeting. Join Zoom Meeting at https://zoom.us/j/94129016253?pwd=LzRMVEZmVGtnUi9jOUc3MnFOcHFHQT09
Meeting ID: 941 2901 6253 Passcode: 041896

Because of Covid-19 our Alphabet Soup. Board Gaming event and Film Night at BSFS are canceled this month. Come on vaccines!

Tabletop Role-Playing Game Event at BSFS: (virtual on Discord)

The Tabletop Role-Playing Game Event will be held February 28, 2021 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM and meeting on the Discord server at https://discord.gg/VGHpxwu You do need to register for Discord if you have never done so before, but the process is fairly easy. For more info before the event contact BSFSEvents at bsfs dot org

Anime Social at BSFS: (virtual on Discord)

Will be back February 27, 2021 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. This is a day of anime watching and just general hanging out normally, but due to the virus this will be a watch party on the discord server. In order to chill out and relax from all the stress life seems to be piling on these days; we’ll be watching Anime. Come join us! Go to the Discord Server at https://discord.gg/VGHpxwu and select from the available channels #wach-parties. You do need to register for Discord if you have never done so before, but the process is fairly easy. For more info or suggest titles for the future contact anime at BSFS dot org



Balticon Planning and BSFS Business Meetings:

These meetings in February are to be teleconference only events. To join using your computer use link https://zoom.us/j/97614691479?pwd=aDJscVhySGJ5TUpOZTNXRXBTaHJadz09
Passcode: 463191
Or iPhone one-tap : US: +13017158592,,97614691479#,,,,*463191# or +19292056099,,97614691479#,,,,*463191# Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 301 715 8592 or +1 929 205 6099 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 6833
Webinar ID: 976 1469 1479 Passcode: 463191

International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/ac59gxWAiW

The Baltimore Science Fiction Society business and discussion meeting will be held at 8:30pm on February 13, 2021 as a teleconference only event, see above. There will be a special election this night to replace a BSFS Director At Large position on the Board of Directors which is open.

The Balticon 55 Planning Meeting will be held at 7:00pm on February 13, 2021 as a teleconference only event, see above. Drop in and share your ideas about how to improve future Balticons. (or volunteer)



Writers Circle at BSFS:

BSFS sponsors a Writing Circle 6:30-8:30pm usually meets every second and fourth Thursday of the month inside the BSFS Building, however, near term this means teleconference only by zoom on  2/11/2021 and 02/25/2021. This is a SF and Fantasy focused writing group. If you write check it out. At least Seven stories work shopped at this writer's circle have been sold to professional markets in the last three years. This is a recurring meeting so any Writer's Circle meeting use: Join Zoom Meeting at https://zoom.us/j/91064908740?pwd=TENjZ25HenRNOHhtcHFaRlZnOGE3dz09
Meeting ID: 910 6490 8740 Passcode: 805110
For more info contact BSFSEvents at BSFS dot org