The WSFA Journal

THE WSFA JOURNAL

SEPTEMBER 1981                              VOL. 5 NO. 4

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MINUTES

MEETING OF AUGUST 7, 1981

At Gilliland's, Rosa Oliver presiding. The meeting was called to order at 9:15 p.m. The minutes were approved as corrected. The Treasury stood at $6,799.80.

COMMITTEES

ENTERTAINMENT - A new soft drink called Materva was served. Phil Klass and his wife were to be there after the meeting (Editor's note: they are fun people to play poker with!). Lee has a tape of the "Dune Show." There was a movie party August 1 - 36 WSFAns saw "Raiders" and a good time was had by all.

PUBLICATIONS - The August Journal was distributed.

"FILM COMMITTEE" - Kim Weston reported that we got a new Elmo projector for $595 plus tax. It should have some modifications, which will cost about $50. We also got a 20 mm lens and a pair of auxiliary speakers. We now have the mixer. The club offered a resounding thank you to Kim.

MEMBERSHIP - We have taken in three new members, Frank Pellegrino, Sandy Brown, and Jul Ochs.

OLD BUSINESS - zilch.

NEW BUSINESS -

  1. A motion was made, seconded, and passed to hold another relaxacon the last weekend of February, 1982. Decisions on name and location will be made later. Jack Heneghan has checked some hotels.
  2. A motion that all paid-up members have their membership in the relaxacon paid by WSFA died for lack of a second.
  3. A motion was made, seconded, and passed to hold a Worldcon Vigil Party Saturday, September 5. Nancy Handwork volunteered to host it (see map).

ANNOUNCEMENTS -

  1. Sharon Harris has another illustration in Country Magazine. She's part of a cooperative gallery, "The Undertaking," and has a show on now.
  2. Invitations are being sent out for Pat Kelly and Miriam Winder's engagement party (August 22). Pat has extra maps if anyone needs them.
  3. See Rebecca Prather if you have any questions about finding her house for the first meeting in September. NOTE: Cleave Road does not intersect Route 50.
  4. Martin Wooster says Uniclone was held three weeks ago.
  5. It was Mary Morman's birthday.
  6. The Independent Space Research Group is holding a conference on amateur astronomy in September.
  7. Lee has Australian zines and program books if you'd like to see them.
  8. A commercially-sponsored rocket blew up on the pad, setting the project back a year.
  9. Sally Bensusen has an illustration in the September issue of Science 81.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:47 p.m.

MEETING OF AUGUST 21, 1981

At Oliver's, Rosa Oliver presiding. The meeting was called to order at 9:16 p.m. The minutes were approved as read. The Treasury stood at $6,749.34.

COMMITTEES

PUBLICATIONS - The Journal will be out at the next meeting.

OLD BUSINESS - Lee reported on hotels in the Baltimore area for the relaxacon. A motion was made, seconded and passed to decide on a location at the third Friday meeting in September, and to have all available hotel information printed in the next Journal.

NEW BUSINESS - The question of buying a duplicator for the club was raised, but no definite action was taken. More research on types and costs of equipment will be done.

ANNOUNCEMENTS -

  1. The next meeting is at Rebecca Prather's house.
  2. On September 26, Rebecca Prather is hosting a MENSA singles and Singletarians party. WSFA singles are invited (cost: $2.00/person to cover munchies).
  3. Round-to-Robin #11 is in the typewriter, and a jigsaw puzzle is out to be worked.
  4. Lee introduced Lynn and Ro Lutz-Nagey, fen from Cleveland who have now moved to the Baltimore area (Welcome!).
  5. John Sapienza has books for sale.
  6. Mike Walsh says the Chicago progress report has been terribly delayed, but that a "Not the Chicago Progress Report" may be out at Worldcon. Time magazine has a spread on Baltimore (August 24 issue).
  7. Live shots from Voyager II will be shown next week on cable channel 31 and on PBS.
  8. Bob Lovell has a non-returnable plane ticket to Denver for sale - PLEASE.
  9. Jack and Elaine are moving September 1 to a house near University & New Hampshire.
  10. Columbiacon may return! (GROUP GASP!)
  11. Edie has signup sheets for the Baltimore booth at Denver. Scott passed out "Vote for Baltimore" plastic bags, and has copies of Somtow's new book, Starship and Haiku for sale from the White Hart.

The meeting adjourned at 10:00 p.m.

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The WSFA Journal is the officious publication of the Washington Science Fiction Association. Perpetrator-in-chief: Jane Wagner, 1000 6th St. SW, #308, Washington, DC 20024 (202-554-2730). Unindicted Co-Conspirator: Joe Mayhew.

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BIRTHDAYS

Aug. 16 Rebecca Prather
Sept. 12 Jane Wagner
Sept. 18 Steve Dolen
Sept. 20 Abraham Friedman

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The Worldcon Vigil Party will be at Nancy Handwork's (map below) Saturday, September 5, starting around 8:00 p.m. Good Luck to Baltimore in 83!

Nancy Handwork's
[censored]
Fairfax, VA. 22030
385-9233

[map censored]

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POSSIBLE HOTELS FOR THE RELAXACON

Twin Bridges Marriott - $45/night flat, jacuzzi and indoor pool.

Quality Inn (New York Avenue) - $25 single, $30 double, indoor pool, two levels of indoor parking.

Hunt Valley Inn - Escape Weekend package, $165 per couple for the weekend, including two breakfasts and two dinners (one breakfast is the Sunday brunch). Indoor pool and jacuzzi.

Quality Inn (Towson) - $45.50-$49.50 single, indoor pool with sauna, audio-visual center.

Crosskeys (Columbia) - $51 single, $61 double.

Ramada (west side Baltimore) - $34 single, $40 double.

Howard Johnsons (west side Baltimore) - $28 single, $34 double, outdoor pool but large indoor jacuzzi. Possible free suite.

Other submissions welcome. Decision to be made at third Friday in September meeting.

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NOTE: Membership in Worlds Beyond 81 (Falls Church, October) is $15 instead of the $20 previously listed. See Bev Brandt.

PENNSIC X AUGUST XIV-XVI

by STEVE SMITH

First a bit of background for those not familiar with the Society for Creative Anachronisms. Many years ago, or so the story goes, the King of the Middle Kingdom, one Cariadoc, delivered a strongly-worded insult to the King of the East Realm. About six months later, the King of the East Realm (one Cariadoc) chose to take offense at this insult, and the Pennsic War was the result. The prize was to be the Barony of the Debatable Lands (Pittsburgh). The loser of the war gets it.

And so it goes. After winning the first Pennsic, the East dropped nine straight. The pot has been sweetened in recent years by the Pittsburgh area's acquisition of a horde of (ech) John Norman freaks called the Tuchucks, who are just as unpleasant as you might imagine. Other kingdoms have also gotten into the act, resulting in a collection of alliances reminiscent of pre-WWI Europe. More importantly, Pennsic has become by far the largest SCA event in the country, and the SCA equivalent of a Worldcon. This year, the attendance was over 2,200.

As I've been to a number of Worldcons, but only one Pennsic, I'll have to rate it as I would a Worldcon.

(A) Facilities - Terrific. Cooper's Lake Campground, where the last several Pennsics have been held, is enormous. Water, portable toilets, and flat places to camp on are present in ample supply. Prices at the camp store for such necessities as ice and soda are considerably less than the robbery-with-violence charged by most con hotels.

(B) Programming - There are five major battles in the Pennsic War. These are the Battle of the Champions, the Field Battle, the Bridge Battle, the Woods Battle, and the Archery Competition. For details on descriptions, tactics, etc., ask the person standing next to you in chain mail. (If he or she doesn't know, ask why not.) This year, the East won all but the Battle of Champions, and won the war for the first time in nine years. The fact that all but the Archery Competition were held in rain ranging from drizzle to downpour didn't seem to stop anybody, but it sure tended to slow things down. Footing was bad.

There also was a court for the pomp, pageantry, and precedent freaks. I didn't go: fannish politics is nothing compared to SCA politics, and the SCA people seem to take it all very seriously.

(C) Hucksters - Items for sale ran from weapons to junk jewelry to advice on proper sexual protocol (kiss her hand - don't slobber), plus the inevitable T-shirts. Nobody was selling used books.

(D) Art Show - Small and confused. There is an "arts pentathlon" with obscure rules. Items to be judged (especially garb) tended to be piled in heaps, and the presence of large numbers of dripping wet bodies did not bode well for the calligraphy.

(E) Filksinging - There seemed to be at least two filksings going on all the time it wasn't raining, and the quality was quite high (except for those apparently inspired by large amounts of ethanol). Very little was of the "sing-along" type.

(F) Parties - These tended to be small and private. The nearest thing to a con suite was the "lounge," which had the only flush toilets on the campground. It was quite popular, and usually contained a filksing. Sunday night, everybody seemed to be getting rid of the last of their food supplies, resulting in a real feast. Needless to say, there is no hassle about cooking in the rooms.

All in all, it was an enjoyable weekend, and I plan on going back next year. Most of the people were friendly, and the official "animosity" between the East and Middle didn't seem to carry over into anything else.

A camp-out con? Why not? Why should the SCA have all the fun?

COUNTDOWN

Baltimore in 83!

MANIACS, UNITE!

WE ARE NOT ALONE - THERE ARE A LOT OF LUNATICS OUT THERE!!!!

While supposedly engaged in serious research for her boss at the American Society of Association Executives' library, your enterprising editor stealthily thumbed through the 1980 edition of the definitive listing of associations and organizations working for the public good (or indifference). Imagine her surprise upon finding listings for the below!

ACADEMY OF SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, & HORROR FILMS, Dr. Donald A. Reed, President, 334 W. 54th St., Los Angeles, CA 90037, (213) 752-5811.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS, George Chaplenko, President, Sperry Observatory, Union College, 1033 Springfield Ave., Cranford, NJ 07016, (201) 276-3319.

AMERICAN CRYPTOGRAM ASSOCIATION, E. Rogot, Editor, 9504 Forest Rd., Bethesda, MD 20014, (301) 530-1034.

AMERICAN RADIO RELAY LEAGUE FOUNDATION, Stan Zak, Secretary, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111, (203) 666-1541. Working to develop amateur radio satellite programs.

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF DOWSERS, Danville, VT 05828, (802) 684-3417.

ANCIENT & HONORABLE ORDER OF SMALL CASTLE OWNERS OF GREAT BRITAIN, c/o Hollis M. Baker, Secretary, 220 Lyon NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, (616) 458-1464. Membership limited to persons owning castles in Britain. Emblem is a wine bottle, wine glass, and radiator (symbolizing heating bills); motto is "Tax Vobiscum" (Tax Be With You).

COMMITTEE FOR REAL ALE, Lawrence V. McCavitt, President, 15 Orchard Ave., Brockton, MA 02403. (617) 583-0732. Holds an annual Beer Festival.

EMBROIDERERS' GUILD OF AMERICA, 6 E. 45th St., Room 1501, New York, NY 10017, (212) 986-0460. For people interested in the art of needlework.

FAIRY INVESTIGATION SOCIETY, c/o Mr. Leslie Shepard, 1 Lakelands Close, Stillorgan, Blackrock, Dublin, Ireland. For those who sincerely hold the fairy faith.

GNOME CLUB, Ann Atkin, Founder, The Old Rectory, West Putford, Devon EX22 7XE, England.

HANDWEAVERS GUILD OF AMERICA, Catherine A. Barnett, Executive Director, 95 LaSalle Rd., West Hartford, CT 06107, (203) 233-5124. For people who make handcrafted textiles.

INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF MAGICIANS, Mary T. Dowd. Executive Secretary, 28 N. Main St., Kenton, OH 43326, (419) 675-7150. For pro and semi-pro magicians.

INTERNATIONAL FLAT EARTH SOCIETY, Charles Johnson, President, Box 2533, Lancaster, CA 93534, (805) 946-1595.

INTERNATIONAL GUILD OF PRESTIDIGITATORS, Professor Abraham B. Hurwitz, Executive Officer, 3800 S. Ocean Dr., Hollywood, FL 33019. For persons interested in any phase of the magical arts.

LOVERS OF THE STINKING ROSE, Lloyd J. Harris, Head Garlic-Head, 526 Santa Barbara Rd., Berkeley, CA 94707. For garlic-lovers. Among other things, this group lobbies against mouthwash.

MAN WILL NEVER FLY MEMORIAL SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL, E. H. North, Jr., Thinker, P.O. Box 1903, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948, (919) 441-7482. For those who believe that the Wright Brothers will never get off the ground.

MEDIEVAL VILLAGE RESEARCH GROUP, J. G. Hurst, Executive Officer, National Monuments Record, Fortress House, 23 Sauville Rd., London W1X, England.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ROCKETRY, James P. Miller, President, P.O. Box 725, New Providence, NJ 07974, (201) 464-5092. For people interested in model rocketry.

NATIONAL WOODCARVERS ASSOCIATION, Ed F. Gallenstein, President, 7424 Miami Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45243, (513) 561-9051.

T.S.H.I.R.T.S., THE SOCIETY HANDLING THE INTERCHANGE OF REMARKABLE T-SHIRTS, John Munro-Hall, President, 2210 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 165, Santa Monica, CA 90403 (213) 383-0401.

UNICORNS UNANIMOUS, Gene Kidwell, Executive Officer, 1510 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90024, (213) 475-6344.

The SCA had a listing, but unfortunately WSFA did not. Maybe we should push our way into the "big time"?