Elections are coming! Will you step up April 20, 2019?

The future of KaCSFFS is on the Line
Where: 6819 Johnson Drive, Mission, KS--the Natural Grocers, in their in their "kitchen classroom" at the back of the store.
When: April 20, 2019, 5:00pm to 8:30pm
Program: SAVING THE CLUB! Let the candidates present themselves! KaCSFFS Elections
Food theme: Turns out we can have food after all! Bring (or buy at the store) your favorite finger-foods: neat to eat, tasty and fun!

Let the Candidates Step Forward!
Only candidates who voluntarily self-nominate are eligible to become officers of KaCSFFS. They also should have been an active member of the club for at least a year.

According to the 2018 Bylaws, "The voting officers of KaCSFFS shall consist of a Director, a Treasurer, a Secretary, a Communications Officer, a Quartermaster, and a Program Director."

The only current officer who's agreed to stay on for another term is Quartermaster Ty Gephardt. We have two candidates who have stepped forward so far, but there are other positions to fill! If two people volunteer for the same position, we'll vote at the meeting Saturday.

Here's Rosemary Williams, a couple of years ago at Costume Con 34, in a photo by April Cornette.

Director: Rosemary Williams has nominated herself for this important position. She's currently proving her administrative capabilities as Chair of ConQuesT 50! Outgoing Director David Means has agreed to stay on until she's free to take over after ConQuesT ends next month. changes. According to the Bylaws, the Director shall:

• Preside at regular and Special Meetings of KaCSFFS;
• Preside at meetings of the Executive Board;
• Appoint a representative who shall act in their stead when they are unable to be present;
• Appoint any pro tem officers as needed for the business of KaCSFFS; and
• Perform such other duties as may be necessary.

Tom Meserole, courtesy of the Shawnee Mission Post.

Treasurer: Tom Meserole has stepped up to place himself under consideration for the Treasurer's position. He held this office earlier in the club's history, and has volunteered to engage his organized mind and financial skills again, if the club agrees. According to the Bylaws, the Treasurer shall:

• Maintain the financial records of KaCSFFS;
• Collect dues and notify members who are in arrears;
• Keep the membership roll;
• Make a financial report at the Annual Meeting;
• Submit a financial report in writing to the Executive Board at least once each year, and at other times when specifically requested by the Board or Director; and
• Perform such other duties as may be necessary.

Quartermaster: Ty Gephardt is willing to serve another term. He has held this position since it was created in 2018. He oversaw the search for and rental of the current storage unit, and organized it for save storage and easy access to all of KaCSFFS' equipment and supplies. According to the Bylaws, the Quartermaster shall:

• Keep track of and maintain all equipment and supplies purchased by KaCSFFS;
• Arrange for their safe storage and transportation to and from whatever locations they are needed;
• Oversee the set-up, tear-down, and packing-away of said equipment and supplies; and
• Perform such other duties as may be necessary.

Secretary: OPEN Marisa Means has been Secretary since 2016, when she generously stepped in after Bryan Thomas Schmidt was unable to serve. Through her influence, her husband David also joined the Board as Director for the past two years. We KaXFEN deeply appreciate the Meanses' service to the club, but their lives have grown busier with new jobs and other changes. According to the Bylaws, the Secretary shall:

• Take and publish minutes of the official business meetings of KaCSFFS, the KaCSFFS Executive Board, and the ConQuesT committee;
• Carry on the correspondence of KaCSFFS as required;
• Maintain records of the corporate business;
• Certify any written ballots taken by KaCSFFS, except those affecting them personally; and
• Perform such other duties as may be necessary.

Communications Officer: OPEN Outgoing officer Jan S. Gephardt will gratefully train her replacement and entrust him/her/them with all the passwords, but her life has changed too, especially with her sf novel What's Bred in the Bone set to be published May 22 and her new role with the small press Weird Sisters Publishing. She's held the Communications Officer's post continuously since 2011 (8 years). According to the Bylaws, the Communications Officer shall:

• Be responsible for managing and coordinating all official club communications;
• Maintain oversight over all online and print publications, club podcasts, and publicity efforts; and
• Perform such other duties as may be necessary.

Program Director: OPEN Other officers have filled in since Beth Moscato had the audacity to accept a much-better-paying job in another city, and skipped town. (She lined up a marvelous list of program speakers before we left, though, and we wish her all the best!) Beth proved what great programs can be developed, if you have a dedicated officer on the job. Now we need someone to follow in the same tradition. According to the Bylaws, the Program Director shall:

• Be responsible for coordinating and/or facilitating activities for the regular monthly meetings;
• Arrange for, and contact if necessary, any scheduled speakers or presenters to ensure their attendance;
• Notify the Communications Officer of the activities planned; and
• Perform such other duties as may be necessary.

Our Gracious Host 

Thanks once again to the good work of Tim Keltner, this month's meeting will be held at another Natural Grocers, the one at 6819 Johnson Drive, Mission, KS. It's between Metcalf and Lamar, on the south side of the road.We'll meet in their "kitchen classroom" at the back of the store.

IMAGES: Many thanks to April Cornette, via the publicly-shared album of Costume Con 34 photos on her Facebook Page, for the photo of Rosemary Williams, and to the Shawnee Mission Post for the photo of Tom Meserole. The Natural Grocers Logo is from the parent company's Facebook Page. 

The 8 best SF/F/Horror TV shows of 2018?

Did you enjoy genre TV in 2018?
Our annual review of the previous year's TV shows in our genre had to be delayed twice--and a substitute co-presenter called in--before we finally managed it (guess what kind of review the weather's getting!). FINALLY, however, we met, and had a lively discussion.

Carol Doms's longtime reviewing partner, Ken Keller, was unable to attend the March 16, 2019 meeting, but Rosemary Williams (Chair of ConQuesT 50) ably stepped in to "sub" for him.

Co-presenters and discussion facilitators Carol Doms (at left) and Rosemary Williams, at the March 16 KaCSFFS Meeting.

As there are every year, there were pans and praises, as well as mixed verdicts. The group reached consensus that the following 8 shows were among the most worthwhile viewing in our genres! See if you agree:

Altered Carbon
The group judged Altered Carbon "Good, but you really have to pay attention!"

Black Lightning
Some of the most enthusiastic comments came for Black Lightning. "Good writing and good acting! Well worth watching!" was the consensus of all who'd seen it.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
"This one's my guilty pleasure," Rosemary admitted, speaking of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. "There are all sorts of reasons I shouldn't like it, but it's very entertaining."

The Dragon Prince
Created by the people who produced The Last Airbender (NOT the live-action movie; "we do not speak of that"), this show was especially recommended by Rosemary. "They even use ASL (American Sign Language) correctly!"

The Purge
This horror show was recommended by Carol, who said she was surprised to like it as much as she did. The endorsement was seconded by attending members, including Tim Keltner, our venue-arranger.

The Rain
Several audience members, including Laser Rangers host David Sooby and a well-versed visiting librarian named Barb (friend of presenter Carol Doms) mentioned this horror series before our presenters even got to it.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
This one came recommended by Rosemary, as an entertaining improvement on the original.

The Terror
Both presenter Carol Doms and Laser Rangers host David Sooby recommended this "intense," "well-done historical" series.

So there you have them, in all their varied glory--our picks for 2018. Do you agree? Please share your opinion in the Comments section below!

IMAGES: Many thanks to Jan S. Gephardt, for the photo of Carol and Rosemary; to Cover Abyss for the Altered Carbon Twitter header photo, and Wikipedia for the Altered Carbon title image; to Wikipedia once again, for the Black Lightning title; to TV Line, for the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina image; to HerCampus for the title image for The Dragon Prince; to Wikipedia yet again, for the title card image for The Purge; to DreadCentral for the poster-image of The Rain; to Travis McClain's blog "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité" for the She-Ra and the Princesses of Power title image; and to TVSeriesFinale for the title image for The Terror.