We are finally recovering here in Charlotte. Our attendance last night was much lower than last year. But the 'Coats who came turned out to be die-hards.
Switching venues from a movie theater to the UU church was a good choice. They were very accommodating when we ran long and the facilities were just the right size for our gang. We got several compliments on the place. So I think we'll be a repeat renter for next year.
The evening started out with a big booming thunderstorm that knocked out power a few times (only briefly). We had candles ready but never had to use them, thankfully.
The prize layout was massive. It looked like the dealer room at Dragon*Con. And some of the handmade pieces were truly awe inspiring. Some of the hottest items were the Fruity Oaty Bar lunchboxes, a handmade Jayne hat by Heather Hill (jaynehat.com), a handmade quilt called "Leaving Whitefall", and a pre-paid Serenity tattoo. I think pretty much everyone left with at least one prize.
We held a costume contest for the first time this year. And the entries were very impressive. Two beatiful Inaras, two bad-a** Zoes, a River who made her own Reaver weapons, a very accurate Ariel Ambulance outfit, Saffron a la OMR and a Klingon. But the winner was the lady who dressed as Serenity -- the ship. She's won contests at Dragon*Con and in Raleigh with her Serenity replica, complete with a detachable shuttle and a cargo bay that opens to reveal the crew. It is a magnificent piece of work and absolutely deserved the top prize.
Cedric was a blast and we were so glad to have him. We also had a performance by one of our own local Browncoats who wrote several original filk songs just for this occasion.
Folks got to munch on homemade Fruity Oaty Bars, fresh bao and hot cheese dip while they answered Wash trivia questions.
It was an amazing night even before we sat down to watch our favorite film. We had some trouble with the sound at first. So it was hard at first to gauge people's reaction to the special introduction. Everyone was silent and straining to hear. Once it was finished, a giant roar went up from the crowd. So I think they got the message.
We got the sound issues resolved in time to watch the movie. By the end of the night, we were able to announce that our final donation to Equality Now will be in the ballpark of $6,500 (compared to $2,741 last year).

Well done! Sounds like you put on a fantastic event, and have an awesome crew out your way!!

Congratulations on a very successful event!

Your event just sounds amazing. From switching to a church, to the thunderstorm and candles, and a walking Serenity??? Like phlebotenum wrote: Awesome.

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"We do not run and jump with balloons in our mouths."