Showing posts with label SF-F collectibles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SF-F collectibles. Show all posts

March 13, 2018

March meeting is a call to arms--Rayguns, that is.

What: Monthly KaCSFFS Meeting (Annual "Fiscal" meeting)
When: March 17, 2018, 6:00 set-up, 7:00 brief business meeting and discussion of collections
Where: The Writers Place, 3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111
Food theme: Martian-inspired food, OR Irish food (after all, it's ALSO St. Patrick's Day!)

Rayguns at the ready?
Come on, admit it. You probably have a raygun or two in your closet . . . if not proudly mounted over your fireplace!

If so, Bring it. Come prepared to share a short history and demonstrate the lights, sound-effects, etc., or your sfnal arsenal, be they rayguns a la Marvin, Barsoomian swords, or other weapons.

In a spirit of inclusion, of course, we're also open to Gravity Hammers, Noisy Crickets, Bat'leths, Reverberating Carbonizers, Jaffa Staffs, Blasters, Phasers, Light-Sabers, Series 4 De-Atomizers, or any other science-fictional dealers of pseudo-destruction. We want to see them ALL!

Bring out your SWAG!
We're fans. Of course we have collections of fun stuff--be it fun Stuff We All Get, or more exclusive collectibles. March is the month of Mars, so in honor of Marvin the Martian (and all the other Martian references throughout our favorite genres) please bring some Martian-themed show-and-tell items.

Even if you're light on laser weapons, if you have any Martian SWAG to share, bring it on! The program this month is a chance to wander around the displays, talk with fellow collectors, and appreciate the creative range of our favorite genres. The more the merrier!

What's an "Annual Fiscal Meeting"?
It's what you think it is. Eventually, it's time to pay our dues--and this month is it, if you want to be able to vote for (or become) new (or renewing) officers next month. Or vote for any important issues that come up from time to time.

For example, a quorum of our dues-paid members voted in December 2017 to adopt new Bylaws, which, among other things, changed our dues structure. Current dues are now $36 per year for a regular "General" membership, or $60 per year for a regular membership plus a full-weekend membership for ConQuesT, our annual science fiction convention.


ConQuesT will be held, as it is every year, on Memorial Day Weekend, May 25-27, 2018, at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center, Kansas City, MO. A regular weekend adult membership for this year's convention is currently $50, so the dues option offers a considerable discount for fans who live close enough to benefit from monthly meeting programs.

Speaking of Officers
KaCSFFS officers must be General or Life Members in good standing (yes, that means they, too, must pay their dues). The voting positions on the Executive Board are:

  • Director 
  • Treasurer 
  • Secretary 
  • Communications Officer 
  • Quartermaster 
  • Program Director

They must self-nominate, and if elected (or if they are unopposed) they will serve for one year. Voting (if necessary) and induction of new officers is done at the April "Annual" meeting. If any of these offices interests you, please feel free to come, pay dues, and nominate yourself for your chosen office at the March meeting!

IMAGES: Many thanks to CG Vector for the Marvin the Martian character image! The ConQuesT header image is from our ConQuesT convention website. 

July 27, 2017

Start gathering your treasures, and READ!

Just a couple of quick reminders: 
August is Swap-N-Shop Month.
The August KaCSFFS Meeting (set for Aug. 19, 2017) will once again feature a Swap-N-Shop event. Think of it as a community-wide garage sale for geeks.

Start collecting things to sell or swap now!


Moving to a new line of collectibles, or interested in cutting back on duplicates? Bring 'em to the meeting! You'll never find a more receptive group of potential buyers (and NO shipping costs)!


Culling your library? Box up those books! If your fellow KaXFEN don't buy them, you can donate them to the KaCSFFS Book Giveaway!


Bring games, models, art, gently-worn T-shirts, posters, geek-related hand crafts, jewelry, or anything else you think others in our tribe might enjoy.


Oh, and . . . bring along some extra cash, too. You never know when you might find unexpected treasure!

Are you reading Stupid Humans?
Take advantage of the opportunity from the Reviewers' Reading Circle, and get ready to ask reasonable questions during our live author interview with V. R. Craft, the author of the Summer Selection, Stupid Humans. 

The book is now available to members for free download as a reviewer's copy. We are featuring this book starting with the July meeting through the September meeting.

IMAGES: All the Swap-N-Shop photos on this web page are by Jan S. Gephardt, taken at the August 2015 KaCSFFS Swap-N-Shop event. The Stupid Humans book cover image is from Amazon. Many thanks to them!

July 11, 2012

An Indoor Garage Sale for All Things F&SF!

KaCSFFS Meeting Date Changed! 
Coming THIS SATURDAY!
   Due to a maintenance-related issue, our Writers Place location is not available on our usual third Saturday, so we have "traded weekends" with the Laser Rangers. 
   This means the meeting happens THIS SATURDAY, July 14.
   As usual, the General Meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. 
   There also is an open Board Meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m., at which the budget--and, we hope, bids for next year's ConQuesT hotel--will be discussed.


Summer Swap 'N' Shop
Robin Bailey sold books
at an April 2011 meeting.
   Now is the time to root through your library and collectibles: what can you part with, to make room for new things? Consider bringing SF & F-themed:

  • Books
  • Magazines
  • Games
  • Art for resale
  • Music
  • Collectibles
  • Mugs, bowls, etc.
  • Clothing
  • Miscellany

Paula Murray and Corey Barber, at
the April 2011 Swap 'N' Shop
Once you've found some treasures that need new homes, remember to ALSO bring:

  • Table/Display equipment (we can't count on using many of the Writers Place tables)
  • Your own cash box (or whatever) and change (all transactions are between individuals)
  • Bags for your customers' purchases (do you have extra plastic grocery bags to bring?)
Salad Days!
Unfortunately, no recipe came with this "T-Rex Fruit Salad"
photo, but we'd love to see you try something similar!
   The food theme for this meeting is SALADS. 
   No, don't make a face (well, maybe you could make one)! Get creative! Play with our food, and explore the wonderful range of possibilities that lie in fruit, vegetable, pasta, potato, and many other types of salads.
   We found a wide range of wonderful salad recipes at the Smitten Kitchen and Delicious Cooks websites, so you have no excuses not to bring something inspired!
   As ever, we will get competitive. We will vote on, and give recognition certificates for:
  • Best-tasting salad
  • Most creative (edible) salad
   One warning, though: KAXFEN DON'T EAT BROCCOLI. We know this from years of sad broccoli leftovers. So don't even try, okay??

PHOTO CREDITS: The Writers Place photo is from the Writers Place website. The two photos from the April 2011 Swap 'N' Shop were taken by Jan S. Gephardt. The T-Rex Fruit Salad photo is from the Buzz Feed website.