The SRF Browncoats are working on a date and location, and hope to have all finalized really soon. We are planning a screening of both Serenity and Dr. Horrible. There will be live music, games, a raffle, prizes, and hopefully a costume contest as well. There will be a limited quantity of swag bags. Again, we should have more definitive info soon!

The SRF Browncoats will be having their screening on Saturday, July 18, 2015 at Tom's NFL American Sports Bar & Grill (tomsnfl.com) . Times and event schedule to be set soon.

Miami has been remiss in not updating this event! Here goes:

We will be starting the fun at 5:00 pm. Our event will include Whedon
themed games hosted by gamemaster Nick Roche. Games will include
Wheel of Fortune and Catch 21. He hosts these and other games at
Florida Super Con every year, and they are loads of fun. We will be
screening both Dr. Horrible and Serenity, so loads of Whedon goodness to be had.

Our swag bags are limited, and available to those who donate at least $25.
When they are gone, they are gone. The bags themselves are
recycled/repurposed t-shirt backpacks, made from prior years events.
They came out pretty neat, and will be filled with shiny goods.

We will be having a raffle with some great prizes - will be posting
pictures all week on our Facebook page and event page. Raffle includes
one of a kind hand made items that may still be in "production", so pictures
will be posted when available.

Here is a sampling of the backpacks we made for the event:


bags.jpg [ 440.74 KiB | Viewed 4092 times ]

THE GOOD: Our event went as well as I expected - what with the changing venues every year the last 3 years. We had a few of the same people that come every year, and several newbies, which was pretty exciting! A few came due to cards we handed out at Florida Supercon, and some showed up from Facebook invites from friends, so that was cool. We had a birthday girl who we had a card and present for, sang Happy Birthday and let her sing her own version of The Hero of Canton (that encompassed the whole crew - not just Jayne), so she had a great Browncoat birthday, which really made the event a little more homey and fun. We did great on the raffle, but did not sell out of t-shirts or swag bags. That surprised me, but that's okay, we can use them for other things.

THE BAD: I have chosen not to charge admission the past 3 years, due to the licensing issue. However, I think I would have been better off charging - I was always worried I would end up paying more than the regular licensing fee, but with the crowds we have had, I don't think it would have made much of a difference, and I think when there is an admission fee, and advance ticket sales, obviously people tend to plan more, and actually show up. Of the people who said they were going to come, only about half showed up. Next year, I am hoping to go back to a theatre setting, and definitely will go the ticket sales route.

THE UGLY: I have always made a schedule in the past, and posted it - we have always had events that went on for several hours, so to me, it is a given that this is a 5 hour event. However, I did not post a schedule this time, and therefore, everyone was thinking the movie would be earlier than it was. I actually had to cut out one of the games as the event was going to go on longer than the Bar had thought, and they asked me to cut it short. That is all on me - although at the end of the day, everyone had a good time, and enjoyed the one game Nick got to host. Everyone stayed for Dr. Horrible, and the raffle, and a few people had to leave early during Serenity as they had long drives. Next time, the schedule will be prominent!

I keep saying next time, and I really hope to get a bigger group of people helping out. It is rough when the core group is 2 or 3 people. Especially when you want it to grow to be a bigger event, raising more money for charity.