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"The saxophones wailed like melodious cats under the moon." |
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KaffeeklatschesKaffeeklatsch sign up will occur at the Information booth in front of the Regency ballroom of the Hyatt West Tower. Chicon members may sign up for kaffeeklatsches on the day before the kaffeeklatsch is scheduled.
All kaffeeklatsches will
be filled on a first come, first seated basis. On Friday,
Saturday and Monday, kaffeeklatsches will be held in
Truffles in the West Hyatt Concourse. On Sunday,
kaffeeklatsches will be held in the Swissôtel. Come to the Con Suite.The Con Suite is in the old "Mrs. O’Leary’s" location, Hyatt West Tower, Second Floor. Thursday, 8:00-11:00 pm, Fairmont Hotel, Third Floor. Program participants may arrive 15 minutes early. Program participants may sign up for autographing times at Green Room.. Lynn Koehler Child Care is located in the Hyatt Regency Hotel, West Tower, Level 3. - George Krause There is little truth to the rumor that all of the issues of the Chicago Moon-Times were written and printed ahead of time in Los Angeles in order to save time. Robert Sacks, who intended to help cover Chicon 2000 for this daily newzine, unfortunately died at home on August 18. We'll miss his fair and thorough style of reporting; however, he'll leave a far more noticeable hole at Worldcon business meetings. Fandom often strikes me as being a legion of people who were always the smartest kids in their class, then, once they all got together, found brains were no longer enough and were forced to find brand new ways to vie for attention. Robert blazed his own path to fannish fame by becoming an expert in the constitution of the World Science Fiction Society, then sat every year in the front row of the business meeting and reveled as other fans responded in an avalanche of horror to whatever gratingly peculiar motion he’d made. Robert labored so hard to preserve that part of his image over the years that when he wanted to invest himself in Worldcons simply by doing quality work not everyone took him seriously. But he certainly carved out a niche for himself as a reporter for many daily newzines, beginning in the early 80's. He prided himself (quite justifiably) for reporting objectively about the business meetings, no matter what his own positions had been on the issues. He was eager to tackle any tough assignment, even writing up some of the Masquerades. But it really wasn't any good works he might have done along the way that made fans look at him in a different light. They came to respect his fundamental passion for being part of fandom — a group of people he obviously cared about, no matter what verbal brickbats came his way. Fans themselves may have been pleasantly surprised to discover how Robert had grown in their esteem over the years. Robert was named Fan Guest of Honor for next year's Balticon (and that celebration is going forward.) Far more unthinkable, he had been invited at the last minute to serve on the Chicon business meeting's "podium staff" - only a small step for Robert from his accustomed seat the front row, but a great leap for the Worldcon's most famous gadfly. Having received messages from many fans, his brother Steven asked online, "Please let the community know that I am deeply touched that Robert found so many wonderful and bright people to share his time and interests with; that I think that my parents would be pleasantly surprised at the warmth and high regard for him." Several fans have suggested remembering Robert during the business meeting by a moment of silence, a moment of frenzied debate, adjourning a meeting in his honor, or renaming the WSFS’s "Nitpicking and Flyspecking Committee" after him (yes, there is one). Whatever they decide, Robert has already been paid the tribute of having his dramatic moments at the business meeting remembered by everyone. One last thing remembered by those of us working on the daily newzine is that, for several weeks before he died, Robert's e-mail contained a signature line stating: "(Unavailable 30 August-5 September)" How did he know? Mike Glyer The Anime program in the will be held in the Swissôtel Alpine Ballrooms. You should be able find a schedule there. Space limitations prevent us from including the entire schedule here. Charles Benjamin Card 1983-2000 Charles Benjamin Card, son of Orson Scott Card, passed away of natural causes on 16 August 2000. Born on 28 July 1983, Charlie Ben was afflicted from birth with cerebral palsy, which prevented him from walking or speaking. Yet he blessed all those who knew him with his laughter, his kindness, his patience, and his love. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to the Gateway Education Center, 3205 East Wendover Avenue, Greensboro, NC 27405. Orson Scott Card will not be attending Chicon 200 and sends his regrets. (not to mention the evening and afternoon.) Welcome to Chicon 2000 where we have a stellar lineup of science fiction filk music talent, featuring concerts every afternoon. After dinner break, we’ll entertain you with theme filks: a circle of performers on a single theme or topic. All-night filk circles will follow. Head upstairs for a break in the Filk Suite Lounge in Room 427 (Hyatt West Tower). It features an elevator direct to the concourse level, and munchies. Don’t forget a permanent memory of Chicon 2000: the Chicon Worldcon Songbook, available in the Filk Suite Lounge for a $5 donation. Follow this column for changes as they happen Jan of the Magic Fingers Pan-Galactic Publishing is pleased to announce the imminent release of Ben Bova’s comprehensive guide to the saloons of downtown Chicago in two volumes. Look for them coming to a bookstore near you: Early Restaurant Reviews and Reactions
Leroy Berven A Good One for Foreigners If you want to eat in an old-fashioned, American bar, try Shuckers (go up Michigan and turn right onto Ontario). It looks a bit like the bar in Cheers (this from a woman who doesn’t have a tv), the food was simple, good and the helpings were generous. Beware the live pianist, though. Giulia De Cesare Discount for Chicon Members Bennigan’s Restaurant is giving discounts to Chicon attendees. (We got 20% off on dinner on Wednesday.) [Editor’s note: which location?] S. McGann The Closest Restaurant and Grocery If proximity to the Hyatt is a virtue, take the escalator in front of "Knuckles" (on the far side of the lobby) downstairs and you’ll run smack into the Urban Kitchen & Café, open for breakfast and lunch. And then as an added bonus, to the left of the café is the Urban Market, open ’till 8:00 pm. It has a selection that falls somewhere between a mini-market/convenience store (such as Stop-n-Go or Seven-Eleven) and a full-sized supermarket. As an added bonus, the market has a "by the pound" salad bar, soup bar, and sandwich counter for take-out. Hazel the Bear Restaurant guide update Galactic gourmandism losing out It's hard times for science-fiction theme restaurants, apparently. Since the restaurant guide went to press, Star Voyager in North Chicago has closed yet again, after reopening at the beginning of this year. Also closed is Eerie World Cafe on Ohio Street - apparently its recent name-change from the Jekyll & Hyde Club didn't work. And the opening of Mars 2112 at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg has been stalled due to construction delays. Its publicists hope it will be open in time for Windycon diners. Leah A. Zeldes The Chicon 2000 Committee wishes to express its condolences to Bill and Gretchen Roper on the sudden death of Gretchen's mother last week. Victoria Duntemann's condition had been deteriorating over the past few months and her passing was shocking but not unexpected. This incident culminates a series of difficulties in the Roper household over the past few months. The WSFS Mark Protection Committee is responsible for maintaining the registered service marks on "Worldcon," "Hugo Award," etc. Meetings of the committee are open to everyone. The committee usually meets twice at each Worldcon: once on Thursday evening to prepare a report for the WSFS Business Meeting, and again at the close of the Business Meeting. The WSFS Mark Protection Committee is scheduled to meet in the Toronto Room (Hyatt) at 9:00 pm (21:00) Thursday night. If time permits after the Sunday WSFS Business Meeting, the Committee will probably meet end of that Business Meeting in the same room (Regent at Fairmont). Kevin Standlee |
This is the web version of the daily newsletter of the Chicago World Science Fiction Convention (Chicon). Editor : Chaz Boston Baden Other Editors: Colleen Crosby, Shawn Crosby, Steve Davies Editor-in-training Michael Nelson Webmonger: Mel. White