HalloweeM 34

FriPlay

Four different movements are planned.

Poker.

At 11:00 AM, Scott Chupack will present "Tales from the Poker Tables", stories and discussion of the highest stakes poker games offered in Wisconsin, along with Q & A. At noon, Scott will start the FriPlay Poker Classic. First place will receive a small prize as well as 50% additional chips for the WeeM Series of Poker Main Event on Saturday.

DREAD.

DREAD is a role-playing game of horror and mystery (fitting for Weem!) that uses as its task-resolution mechanism a Jenga tower. That is, if you are exploring the creepy cabin by the woods when a hockey-masked guy pops up and tries to stab you, you determine whether you survive by pulling a Jenga piece. If the tower topples, you've been offed! The tension in the story, naturally, accumulates until someone's character is almost sure to die... will it be yours??

Pub Crawl.

This year, the Pub Crawl will take place in beautiful downtown Arlington Heights, where 3 of the 4 corners at the intersection of Campbell St. & Vail Ave. are occupied by restaurant/pubs, with two more establishments within a block.

Crawlers will be transported by taxi or van from the hotel lobby to Crawl Zero. Expect to spend around $10 on transportation (round-trip, assuming 3 people per cab, including tip), plus the cost of your drinks and food. These establishments are a bit more upscale than those visited in the last few years, so expect the cost of drinks to be higher. Cab transportation will also provide flexibility for those who want to return early to the hotel. If groups of people want to organize their own cabs, that's fine, just notify the Crawl Commissioner of your plans.

Self-driving to and from the Crawl is not allowed. If someone can get a spouse or friend to play chauffeur or be the designated driver, that's fine. Don't put yourself and the organization at risk (not to mention the poor schmuck you plow into on the way back) by trying to save ten bucks on cab fare.

The Crawl is tentatively scheduled to take place between 12:30 and 4:30 on Friday afternoon. Interested crawlers are asked to contact Crawl Commissioner David Schmidt by phone 630-643-2850 or email the Crawl Commissioner. Please do not email after the Tuesday, October 27, but please RSVP so we can properly anticipate our transportation needs.

Downtown Chicago, featuring the CSO.

Mary Redmond, the Chicago Kidd, will be your planner and guide for a day in Chicago, featuring a behind-the-scenes tour of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. All are welcome, but people under 15 must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times. And please wear good walking shoes and dress for the weather, which could be cold or rainy.

We will have a behind-the-scenes tour of the CSO at 220 S. Michigan Ave. at 10 a.m. It will last approximately one hour, or more with the many Mensan questions you're sure to have. There will be a World Premiere performance at 1:30 p.m. that day of a CSO-commissioned piece by Primosch, Songs of Adam, along with Dumbarton Oaks by Stravinsky and Mendelssohn's Symphony #3, all conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. Purchase tickets in advance at cso.org ($18-$200), or hope for same day sales when we get there. The performance will run around two hours.

To join in this trip, meet in the hotel lobby at 7:45 a.m. We will need drivers, as there is no longer a hotel shuttle. Mary's car can take 6 passengers plus herself. We will drive to Metra Arlington Park train station, paying to park all day, so drivers bring change or get from your riders. Train tickets cost $4.30 one way, buy at the station. We need to be on the 8:29 a.m. train to city, which arrives downtown at 9:23 a.m. We can walk about one mile to CSO, or take taxis.

We are still gathering information on restaurants for lunch, and we will have some home-made maps of the areas mentioned here. The motto will be “No Mensan left behind!”

Additional attractions and personal recommendations “over by” the CSO:

Willis (formerly Sears) Tower

Enter the skydeck through security on Jackson Blvd., ½ block south and ½ mile west of CSO. Hours are 9 a.m. – 10 p.m. Tickets cost $14.95 – you may want to combine this with the hop-on/off trolley for $41.95 to see more major attractions of the city. Definitely novel, especially the plexiglass viewing rooms! Weather-dependent for best viewing. Security lines may be long—as much as an hour if the line runs outside on the sidewalk.

Architecture River Cruise

The Chicago Architecture Foundation is only a block north of the CSO on Michigan Ave. It hosts many walking tours from the offices, but I recommend the river cruise; you will have to walk about ½ mile north on Michigan to the Wacker bridge to purchase tickets and board. The cruise is about 90 minutes, hosted by excellent tour guides. Tickets are $28 and well worth it! Cruise times at 11, 12, 1, 1:30, and 2.

Millennium Park

Millennium Park is an award-winning center for art, music, architecture and landscape design. It is currently hosting the Burnham Pavilions, displayed in the Chase Promenade South area of the park, just north of the CSO. A wonderful walk is promised by this 24.5-acre park. Admission is free. Welcome Center is at 201 E. Randolph St., 2-3 blocks north of CSO, then ½ block east.

Art Institute of Chicago

Best-known for its collection of Impressionist art, the Art Institute of Chicago ranks in the top 10 art museums in the world! 'Nuff said? There is a 45-minute gallery talk at noon on Daily Life in Ancient Rome—free with paid admission. The museum is one block north of the CSO. Tickets cost $18 for adults, people under 14 are FREE. Seniors and students with ID are $12.

Return trains at 3:45, 4:05, and 4:39 p.m.

Let's go!

Most FriPlay activities do have limited spaces. We recommend you reserve early. Reservations must be accompanied by payment to maintain a place on list.

How to sign up

Please indicate your selection with your registration and payment. If you've already registered for HalloweeM and want to add a Banquet Meal, or FriPlay, either send postal mail and a check to the Registrar, or send email and pay through PayPal, as described on the registration page. For additional t-shirt possibilities, see the Shirt page.

Deadlines

Some deadlines are not yet set, but they have also not yet been reached.

• Saturday Banquet - Orders must be received by October 20.
• Shirt orders - October 1 if through registrar.
• FriPlay - until space is filled, although if minimum participation levels aren't reached by October 15th, any FriPlay event could be cancelled and fees refunded.
• Vendor space - send the vendor contract by October 8.
• And the cutoff for the HalloweeM room rate at the hotel is October 8.