August 1, 2005 - When RiverCon, Louisville's long-running science fiction and fantasy convention, said its final farewell in 2000, several of its dedicated members stepped forward to fill the void. Now in its fifth year, ConGlomeration continues its mission to promote the celebration of the many vibrant aspects of science fiction and fantasy fandom. The festivities will run from August 12 - 14, 2005 at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center at 9700 Bluegrass Parkway.
Highlights for this year include Artist Guest of Honor, Mark Zug, whose works have graced the covers of novels by Tanith Lee, Diana Wynne-Jones, Star Wars comics, Popular Science and Amazing Stories magazines, just to name a few. Also attending is Media Guest of Honor, John Hudgens. Mr. Hudgens' work includes the majority of the animation for Microsoft's hit PC game Crimson Tide, and he has made a number of Star Wars and Babylon 5 fan films. His film, the spoof titled The Jedi Hunter, won the Audience Choice Award in the 2003 Lucasfilm awards. His latest work, The Sith Apprentice, a parody of the Donald Trump hit, premiered this year on March 29 at the Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards. Also appearing this year are song stylists the Great LukeSki & Tom Smith, artists Paul & Mike Bielaczyc of Aradani Studios and Costumes, authors Tony Ruggiero and Michael Williams, and previous Fan Guests of Honor, Steve and Sue Francis.
The Great Luke Ski will be appearing Saturday Only starting at midnight, as Spike in Once More with Feeling, a tribute to Buffy the Musical in the style of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. He will also perform 2 other concerts Saturday afternoon and at the Masquerade that evening.
Tom Smith will have 2 concerts one on Friday evening and one Saturday afternoon.
ConGlomeration is also paying tribute to the Rocky Horror Picture Show in honor of its 30th Anniversary, with a tutorial lesson for anyone who has never experienced the theatrics of a public viewing, and then following up the lesson with a late night showing of the cult classic.
Appearing for the first time in the Art Show area - life-sized replicas of the Lost in Space Robot and Captain Kirk's Command Chair, courtesy of Jeff Baete.
The convention will be experiencing an invasion from International Wenches Guild and members of the International Brotherhood of Rogues, Scoundrels and Cads. This year, the Wenches and Rogues will be serving arrest warrants for the charity Jail n' Bail. For a minimum donation of $1, Jail staff will search the convention to arrest and detain the attendee of the donor's choosing. The length of imprisonment is one minute per dollar donated. However, the "prisoner" may post bail, by paying the same amount that was donated to put him/her behind bars. Otherwise, our lovely Wenches will keep you company as your serve your time. (We'll even let you pay to STAY in Jail if you find our 'Jail Bait' too attractive to leave!) We are even letting you keep your Personalized Writ of Arrest as a keepsake. The Jail is located in the Convention Center lobby, and will be staffed throughout Saturday afternoon. All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society invites you to throw your friends and loved ones in JAIL!
Some other items of interest are the annual Masquerade contest, art show and dealers rooms. For the gamers, there will be twenty-four hour role-playing, tabletop strategy and card games, and computer games. Programming will include interviews with the guests, how-to demonstrations, round-table discussions, karaoke jam sessions, and a twenty-four hour screening room. There is also a 24 hour hospitality suite with free snacks and soft drinks.
Of special note is the second annual KidCon - a mini-convention within ConGlomeration geared toward those members between the ages of six and fourteen. Last year's KidCon covered such topics as making your own puppets, creating a 3-D clay alien, your first role-playing game, the Mad Scientist's Lab, and a mini-Masquerade.
Memberships for the entire week/files/storyimages/are $35 at the door.
For more information you can visit: www.conglomeration.org
