Corflu Blackjack, March 19 - 21, 2004!

• New on 3/15/04: The wetlands hike is full. Also, new info about a Friday afternoon game/entertainment called Give me the files, Mr. Jophan. See below.
• New on 3/12/04: Details about the Friday wetlands hike are below. It's pretty full, so check to see if you made the group. Also, more members. Sadly, bowling has been cancelled.
• New on 3/10/04: More notes about the hotel situation below. Also, more thoughts from Auntie Joyce in response to a few new queries.
• New on 3/3/04: Plaza room block is FULL! Ken Forman reports that he is working with the hotel to get more rooms opened up at the Plaza.

Would you take a roommate? Attendees are having a devil of a time finding a place to stay. If you have space in your room and are willing to share, or if you need a room, you could email XXX to let us know. We are NOT offering to match people up, but we ARE offering to exchange people's email addresses. This service will abruptly end at noon 3/17. No guarantees whatsoever, this ain't "The Dating Game." Las Vegas is the fifth most popular U.S. vacation destination, folks.

Where?

Las Vegas, Nevada, downtown at the Plaza Hotel/Casino.

NO ROOM AT THE INN. The Plaza is full. After an exhaustive search, we were able to find ONE downtown hotel, the Nevada Hotel and Casino, with availability AND a reasonable rate: $59 per night, as of this writing. It's next door to the Golden Nugget; only a block or so from the Plaza at at 235 S. Main St. If you want to call the hotel directly, the number is 702-385-7311.

To book through Travelocity, go to the Travelocity homepage and click the Hotels tab at the top. In the box at the upper left titled “Find the Best Price Hotel” click on the hotlink that reads More search options: Address, Point of Interest, Specific Hotel. Put in the city and state and check in of March 19 through March 21 and under “What other options would you like to search,” enter Nevada in the Hotel Name Contains box. That should bring up the Nevada Hotel and Casino. You will have to be a (free) member of Travelocity to book the hotel through this site. You will have to pay for the hotel ahead of time with a credit card. You must cancel by March 15th to get a refund if you change your mind.

New on 3/10: Another attendee was able to find a room at the Budget Inn, three short blocks from the Plaza at 301 S. Main St. Their phone number is (702)385-5560.

Regarding the Plaza... this is now (as of 3/5/04), historical information: Ken Forman recommends calling them at their toll-free number, 1-800-634-6575. Mention that you are with Corflu to get into the room block. The negotiated rates are as follows: $49 Thursday, $69 Friday, $69 Saturday, and $49 Sunday. Non-smoking rooms are available, but the consuites (both smoking and non) will be on a smoking floor. In case you care... the Plaza does not have hair dryers in its rooms, but they are available on request from housekeeping.

How do I register?

Memberships are $45 pre-registered, and include the Sunday banquet (11:00 AM). At the door, the rate will increase to $55.

Contact XXXXX for more information. Send your name and address with a membership check, made out to Ken Forman, to:

Ken Forman
12845 3rd Street
Yucaipa, CA 92399-4548

What's happening?

The consuites will be ably staffed by veteran consuite runner Aileen Forman and Cathi Wilson.

The auction will be handled by Arnie Katz and a few players to be named later.

Preliminary Schedule:

• Thursday Night Party hosted by Arnie and Joyce Katz, 7 PM in the Katz' suite at the Plaza.
• Bowling for Egoboo: CANCELLED. The Castaways Casino and Hotel went out of business and closed their doors about 2 weeks ago. The only other convenient bowling alley near the convention hotel is outrageously expensive.
• Friday: Nature hike through the wetlands of Las Vegas: NOW FULL! We'll meet in the Consuites at around 11:00 AM on Friday morning. Aileen & Cathi promise to have bagels and Danishes for those of us who do carbohydrates. There'll be coffee, too. Plus, there'll be a supply of bottled drinking water -- we'll bring a cooler. Wear comfortable walking shoes, bring a hat, and "sunscreen...trust me about the sunscreen." Cameras and binoculars are a good idea. Signed up for the hike are:

  Tom Becker, Tracy Benton, Bill Bodden, David Bratman, Bill Burns, Ron Bushyager, Janet Carrington, Jim Caughran, Catherine Crockett, Moshe Feder, Ken Forman, Colin Hinz, Yvonne Rowse, Spike, Laurraine Tutihasi, Pat Virzi, DeeDee White, Ben Wilson, Janice Morningstar, Tom Springer, and Murray Moore..

• Late afternoon Friday: Give Me the Files, Mr. Jophan. This game is a competitive narrative in the form of a dialogue between two super-spies. The rules and an example of play may be found here.
• 6 PM Friday: Opening Ceremonies
• 7 PM Friday: Cocktail Reception
• a trivia contest that pits you against the best minds in fandom (editor's note – may need to change this)
• a gambling crawl hosted by Linda Bushyager – For those of you who'd like to investigate what casino gambling is all about, let Linda show you
• a Fannish Bheer fest hosted by Tom Springer (editor's note – remember to ask Tom if he'll do this... note from Ken – he doesn't have a choice)
• 11 AM Sunday: Brunch Banquet featuring the Guest of Honor speech, presentation of the FAAns and bidding for the next Corflu

Auction Items – Auction Items - Auction Items

Many notable fen have begun donating fannish paraphernalia, er…let me rephrase that…donating fannish kipple, er…that's not quite right either…donating valuable, nearly priceless flotsam and jetsam that may interest the bargain hunter.

But we think there should be more. All donations gratefully received with due respect and mental genuflecting. {Special nod of thanks to Bill and Lori Kunkel} Send items to Ken Forman, address above.

The auction will include items benefiting various fan funds.

Will there be a fanthology?

Possibly.

Smoke sensitive?

The friendly and helpful Joyce Worley Katz has this to say about navigating the Plaza if you are sensitive to smoke:

"...most casino hotels are set up so that you must cross the casino. And the vast majority of casinos do allow gamblers to smoke. So the individual must ask him/herself "just how allergic am I?" In the case of the Plaza, there are alternatives that can greatly reduce the amount of time spent in smoking environments. You can go in the front door, which leads directly to the registration desk, and then take the front elevators to the third floor, where a hotel hall turns into a cross-over to the convention area (and the back elevators which lead up to that tower's rooms.) If you are coming from the valet parking area, you go in the backdoor, then take the back elevators direct up to third, cross over and descend to the registration area on one. Your contact with the casino would thus be minimal.If a person is so allergic that even the most minute quantity of smoke is peanut oil to him/her, then be wary of all casinos."

What's a Corflu anyway?

It's a convention allowing paper and electronic fanzine fans to get together. Maybe you'd like to read this description.

Information on this page gathered by Tracy Benton. Please write to XXXXX with web page corrections. Write to XXXXX with questions or comments about Corflu Blackjack.

This page last updated on March 15, 2004.

Background by Boogie Jack.

Corflu 21 logo by Don Miller.