by ebbierowe | Feb 10, 2020 | Uncategorized
A con is nothing without volunteers and JordanCon is no different. Volunteers are part of what makes the con run so smoothly, and you can be one. I know what you are thinking. “If I volunteer I will miss out on all the fun stuff.” But guess what, you won’t!!
Volunteer shifts are only 90 minutes (the length of a panel). Plus volunteer sign up doesn’t start until 3 days AFTER the schedule for Jordancon is released. This gives you a chance to look over the schedule, decide which panels you just can’t miss and when you have time to volunteer.
Now you may be wondering, “What can I even volunteer for? It is my first time at JordanCon.” Well, volunteering is a great way to meet people and get a real feel for the con.
You can volunteer to help with the Art Show, the ConSuite (That is where you go to get food. We will do a post about that later.), Registration, the JordanCon Store, or be on stand by for your selected period of time.
And there are other perks besides getting to meet people. You get an awesome Ribbon (or badge swag, as I like to call it). You also get to participate in an exclusive raffle for some pretty cool items. (I won two Wheel of Time graphic novels.)
Important things to remember:
- Volunteer Shifts are only 90 minutes each
- You get to choose where you volunteer
- You can sign up for as many or as few shifts as you like
- You get a ribbon
- You get to participate in an exclusive raffle
- Check the JordanCon Schedule to figure out when you can volunteer
And most importantly
- You can volunteer AND have a great time at JordanCon
Keep an eye out for more information about volunteering.
See ya’ next time!
by Writers Track | Feb 9, 2020 | Uncategorized
Your friendly Richard Fife here with some announcements for one and all!
Karaoke All-Stars!
The submission form for Karaoke All-Stars is now live. Sign up here! The rules are on the form, but to belabor the point:
- You may sing whatever you want, but keep it PG-13.
- Groups are allowed, but you can only sing once in the contest.
- There is only 1 grand prize, a set of Talent Pipes. And bragging rights about being the best.
- Your performance must be under 5 minutes.
- Costumes and alternate lyrics are allowed, dare I say, encouraged!
Karaoke All-Stars will take place from 8:30-9:30 pm on Friday night, followed by general Karaoke. See you all there!
“Writers Workshop” and “JordanCon’s Got Slush” Submissions Open!
The submission forms for JordanCon’s Got Slush and the JordanCon Writers Workshop are now open. Those links take you to pages about those events, or to be efficient, you can go to the submission forms here:
2020 JordanCon’s Got Slush Submissions
2020 JordanCon Writers Workshop Submissions
by ebbierowe | Feb 3, 2020 | Uncategorized
JordanCon is more than just panels; it is a chance for some hands-on activities. Every year Deana Whitney, Workshop Director, looks far and wide to come up with amazing workshops for con-goers to attend. The best part about the workshops is you don’t have to be familiar with The Wheel of Time to enjoy them. It is perfect for those of you who are attending with a fan but haven’t read the books.
While some of the workshops require preregistration before the con, you can register for most at the con. The signup sheets for workshops can be found near the registration desk. Be sure to ask when you check-in where to go to register for workshops. There is a cost to some workshops. The fee should be paid directly to the workshop instructor. Exact change is appreciated.
Workshops for JordanCon 2020
- Sign Language with Saki Marie – Easy conversational ASL signs for use in social situations.
- Braid Tugging with Melisa Grooms – Learn some great hair up-do styles perfect for the JordanCon Dance. Limit: 12, over 12+
- Fascinator Hats with Molly Weiss ($3) – Create a fascinator, bring a 12”x15” material to match or pick from the supplies. Fee: $3.00
- Dragon Eggs with Tina Pierce ($10) – Create scalemail eggs for your own horde Class Fee: $10.00 Class limit: 12, age 8+
- West Coast Swing Dance – Meet people while learning this partnered dance. Partners will rotate.
- Needle Felting with Karen Ahlstrom ($5) – Create 3D shapes with felted fibers. Class Fee: $5.00 Class Limit: 10 students, age 12+
- Friendship Bracelets ($3) – The art of tying knots to create beautiful designs and a token of friendship. Class Fee: $3.00. Class limit: 15, age 8+
- Designing Book Interiors – Presentation on designing printed book interiors for self-publishers.
- Drunk Writers – Writing workshop.
- Foam Axe Construction ($4) – Learn foam crafting by making a small hand axe. 2-hour class, Class limit 12 age 15+. Fee: $4.00
- Belly Dance Class – Shimmies and more to create new belly dance combinations.
- Black Work with Linda Taglieri ($5) – Classic hand sewing technique to create borders and trims. Class Fee: $5.00. Class limit: 8, age 8+
- Hand Quilting Techniques ($5) – Learn hand quilting techniques on a 12”x12” potholder. Class Fee: $5.00. Class limit: 15, age 12+
Be on the lookout for Workshop Director, Deana Whitney’s, blog for more details about the upcoming workshops. Any questions about workshops can be sent to workshop@jordancon.org.
by ebbierowe | Jan 17, 2020 | Uncategorized
Welcome to our New Member Monday post! We here at New Member Services want to let all those first-timers to JordanCon know about some of the things we have at the Con that you might want to know about. This week, we want to fill you in on our Charity Auction!!
As you may or may not know, JordanCon isn’t just an awesome Con featuring a lot of awesome Fantasy themed events and panels. JordanCon is also a 501C4 charity organization. One of the ways we achieve and maintain this status is through our excellent Charity Auction.
It is a silent auction that begins accepting items for bid on Friday at the start of the Con. The auction itself runs all day on Saturday until that evening. On Sunday, all the winners will be able to come and pick up the item(s) that they have won! With it being a silent auction, you and other Congoers can come by and bid on the many great, and sometimes one of a kind, pieces that are donated each year at your leisure.
All of the proceeds from the Auction go to charity. You might be asking yourself, which charity does JordanCon give to? Usually, the proceeds are given to the Mayo Clinic to be used for research to treat Amyloidosis. In case you’re not aware, Amyloidosis is the disease that took the life of Robert Jordan.
We have also given to other charities on special occasions, such as after the death of our beloved Steve Godecke. Steve was very active in the Con for many years and unfortunately lost his battle with cancer. That year we gave the proceeds to the Hospice care that took care of Steve in his final days.
With all this said, when you get to JordanCon, please take the time to come to the Silent Auction room and say hello to the Charity Auction staff and all of our great volunteers and see what great things we have up for bids!
by ebbierowe | Jan 10, 2020 | Uncategorized
Will JordanCon 2020 be your first time attending? If so, let me be the first to welcome you home. As you will soon find out, we are more than a con, we are a family.
Whether you are new to Cons or just new to JordanCon, there is a lot of information to soak up. In the hopes of making that process a little easier, the New Member Services team will be presenting a series of informational posts called New Member Monday. These posts will cover:
- How to Enter the Costume Contest
- Workshops & How to Sign Up
- The Awesome Saturday Night Dance Party
- The Amazing Art Show
- The Charity Auction
- How to Volunteer
- The Gaming Track
- Spoiler Free Panels
- Ribbons, Tiaras, and Kilts
We will also be answering any questions y’all have. Feel free to submit your questions to us via email at newmemberservice@gmail.com, or message me (Ebony Adomanis), Brandon Word, or Arthur Gibson.
by ebbierowe | Dec 26, 2019 | Uncategorized
Shenanigans is a word you will often hear associated with JordanCon. Shenanigans come in all shapes and forms: from tiaras to reenactments of famous paintings, to CouchCon. Today we are talking about tiaras and kilts.
Something you will surely notice is a number of people sporting tiaras of various shapes and sizes. Tiaras have become a bit of a tradition at JordanCon. Now I am sure you are asking yourself, “How did that happen?” Well after a little research, I discovered this tradition started with our very own con chair extraordinaire, Jennifer Liang.
JordanCon 5 hosted DeepSouthCon. Jenn wanted to run for president of the Southern Fandom. Her husband (and co-chair), Jimmy, was skeptical of Jenn’s determination when it came to this endeavor. As a result of his doubt, he foolishly promised her a tiara and sash if she won. Of course, Jenn won and Jimmy did, indeed, keep his promise. But how did this one tiara grow into a JordanCon tradition?
In 2017 Lisa Waldron Sommerfield talked about her talk show, Loose Poodle, where they do a segment called “Tiara Time.” Basically she and her friends wear tiaras and make drink recipes (which is right up JordanCon’s alley). She suggested, via the JordanCon Facebook group, that people wear tiaras and do shots of Tequila. This idea evolved into people wearing their tiaras on the Friday of the Con for a photo op, and “Tiara Time” at JordanCon was officially born. Tiara Time on Friday then grew into “Tiara Time, All the Time” for many con-goers. We still do the photo on Friday. Tequila is optional.
While all this was going on, there was a contingent of the con that could be found occasionally wearing kilts because, as Ross Newberry so eloquently put it, “Breezy.” About three years ago there was an informal discussion and the undue influence of the movie Mean Girls, and it was decided that “On Friday we wear kilts.”
Any JordanConer, first-timer or veteran, is welcome to participate in Tiara Time and/or the wearing of kilts. In fact, it is encouraged. But don’t worry. If Tiaras and/or Kilts aren’t your thing, there are many more shenanigans waiting for you at JordanCon.
