Costumes, treats, and Julia Mandala Headline October Meeting, 10/15/16

Susan Ives and Carol Doms
livened up the food table in 2013.

What: Halloween KaCSFFS Meeting

Where: The Writers Place

3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111

When: Saturday, October 15, 2016

6:00 Setup Begins!

6:30 Latest time the business meeting will start. 
7:00 The conversation with Julia Mandala begins! 

Food Theme: Halloween-themed Party Food! 

Consider dressing for the occasion 
KaXFEN usually come in costume for the October meeting, and we've had some strange and interesting looks over the years, from exotic wearable constructions to double-take-worthy makeup and special effects. But even if you don't feel like costuming up yourself, please come and enjoy the creations of those who do. 

Everyone in costume lined up for a photo at the 2014 Halloween meeting.

Every Halloween party needs food
If there's one thing we've learned, it's that KaXFEN not only love to eat--many of them also are excellent and creative cooks. Please bring something delicious and seasonally-appropriate to share. 

Tracy Majkol surveys the bounty at the 2014 Halloween meeting

Julia Mandala at this year's Archon.

Get ready to Meet the Author/Editor
Our main programming event this month is a live interview with our Reviewers' Reading Circle author, Julia Mandala. She will join us live and in her own costume via FaceTime, to discuss her new book book Blood Songs, our RRC Selection for October, and to tell us about the new Fantasy Writers Asylum imprint she's now editing for Yard Dog Press. 

IMAGES: Many thanks to Ty Gephardt and Jan Gephardt for photos of costumes and food from past meetings. Many thanks to Jim Hines, via Facebook, for the photo of Julia Mandala reading to an audience at this year's Archon 40 convention.

KaCSFFS Halloween Party-10/19/13

The Monsters' Tea

Aaron Hollingsworth, in freaky-face!

Date: Saturday, October 19th
    Setup: 5:30 (help appreciated!)
    Party: 7-9:00
    Business Meeting: After the party
Place: The Writers Place (It’s haunted, you know!*)-3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111
Theme: The Monsters’ Tea
Everyone is welcome!

The party-planners in our group have outdone themselves this year.  The Monsters' Tea of 2013 has a wide range of fun things planned--no matter what your Halloween favorite-thing-to-do may be!

Many thanks to Susan Satterfield, Susan Ives, Becky Rickart, Sherri Dean, Diana Bailey, and Jimmy Hollaman, for their efforts!

Pumpkin/Gourd Decorating

Go for cute, scary, or elaborate!

We’ll have a pumpkin/gourd decorating contest with the winners to be determined by vote of the attendees. Categories:
Scariest
Cutest or Funniest
Most Ornate
Please note: if you make a traditional jack-o-lantern, no candle flames can be allowed in the Writers Place – use a flashlight or something similar, instead!

Food (of course!)
We’ll a food contest, too, with the winner determined by vote. Bring your
scariest
funniest
tastiest
dish, and a card or note describing what the dish is supposed to be (just in case we can’t tell!)
The organizers are providing punch. Otherwise, bring your beverages or coolers.

Costumes (the best part?)
Costumes are encouraged. We mean –really-- encouraged.

These are BritishFest kids, but KAXFEN can get it right, too!

If you don’t wear your own costume, a special committee comprised of Susan Satterfield, Susan Ives, Becky Rickart, Sherri Dean and Diana Bailey may, uh, decorate you with costume materials they’re bringing. Awards will be presented to:

the scariest costume,
the funniest/cutest costume,
the best science fiction costume,
the best fantasy costume,
the most ornate costume,
the best kid’s costume.


Dance Events

It won't be complete without you!

Becky Rickart and Susan Satterfield will host a Halloween “limbo” event. Warm up your backs beforehand.
And we’re told there will be dancing – can you do “the Monster Mash? – hosted by Susan Satterfield. More prizes!

Halloween Quiz
Has, unfortunately, been cancelled. (Sorry for the disappoints all.)

(And some KaCSFFS Business)
And finally, the SCARIEST thing of ALL!!! Treasurer Cindy Norton will be collecting late dues from members and/or new dues from the ravenous hordes of new members sure to descend upon this fabulous … I mean … horrible event!

(Badges will be on site and ready-to-make! Come and get yours hot off the press!) 

There will be a short business meeting after the party.  Hang around afterwards, to help clean up.

IMAGE CREDITS: Many thanks to Robin W. Bailey, for the bizarre pic of our own Aaron Hollingsworth, Kristin, of the Homespun with Love blog, for the photo of the decorated gourd, Moose Mendolia for the parenting-advice photo from the BritishFest Facebook page, and Zazzle for the illustration of the dancing monsters.

*For more information on the haunting of the Writer's Place in Kansas City,  please check out Ghost in the Mirror: Real Cases of Spirit Encounters. (Excerpt from Google Books)