Omaha, NE Alpha Con No More!!!!!

I think that story that called the fans losers and the actors has-beens was in either thursday or fridays paper the week of the con. I'm not sure if anything like that was published afterwards.

 

Actually, the Civic was one of our smaller costs. Anthony was the "bad man". Evil.....but that is but my opinion after seeing the way that he behaved behind the scenes. I will try not to ruin anyone else's thoughts of him.

And our idea was to try and stay away from the "Hotel Convention Room" mentallity. Granted, our vision was big. But that is one of the main problems that I see with Omaha in general. It seems that most people are scared to death to see things get bigger and better. The fact that the city spent over $3 million on advertising for a positive vote towards the new Convention Center is proof that any progress almost needs to be forced down this city's throat. Now, point taken that things need to start out a bit slower. We did indeed blow our load on AlphaCon2001. Things have already been scaled down and a do-able cost sheet is already done and ready to be presented to our first potential investor next week. Hell, we already have a killer guest list of around 7 or 8 people that we know we can get for right around what we paid Anthony Daniels ALONE!

I hate to hand out a homework assignment for this coming Saturday's meeting, me being so new to your group and all, but I have a favor to ask. If you would all take a moment to compose a list of the things that you did like about AC and the things that you thought could have been done better, I would very much appreciate it. I promise you will not be graded. ;-)

That is the help that we are seeking for AlphaOmegaCon 2002. You guys (me included) are going to be the guage for what the FANS want to see. We have all of our questionaires and all of that from the Con, but we are interested in hearing opinions now that things have died down and everyone has gotten over the "THERE WERE STAR WARS PEOPLE IN OMAHA!!!!" syndrome.

SO, if that isn't asking too much I would indeed appreciate it.

Thanks so much!

-- Rusty

 

Wow... I can hardly wait until Saturday!! Sounds like a lot of people are ready to throw thier backs into alpha/omega-con! I can't wait!1 C-ya Saturday!! Jeff Schipman aka Dawmer

 

Craigrr:

Becoming less Wars-centric would be an excellent idea. Much as we would like to believe that Wars is the end-all be-all of media fandom, in the larger sceme of things it's not. Go to any of the fanfic sites on the web, and you will discover that Wars is only one of many, many fandoms. Trek -- the first great media fandom -- still occupies a prominent place in the media pantheon. And by fall of 2002, Lord of the Rings mania is going to be in full swing. Man From Uncle is still big, and so is Blake's 7, Starsky and Hutch, Red Dwarf, Dr. Who, you name it.

Opening up our playground to other fandoms can only do good for everyone.

Kate

 

Lune: Without trying to be sarcastic, Duh! Anyone fan with any sense realizes there are other things in life besides SW. There are however the folks who fit the stereotype of being a 30yr old virgin (not that there's anything wrong with that)living in their parent's basement, who have no life outside their chosen fixation, be it SW, ST or whatever. They're the ones who give the rest of us a bad name. They're the ones who can't seperate themselves from the fantasy, who can't step back & laugh at themselves and their obsession. They're the folks who were offended & upset by the movie "Galaxy Quest". They watch "X-Files" as if it's a documentary. And, they also usually lack poor social skills & basic personal hygiene( but that's a whole other matter).


I would be the last to say that SW is the be-all end-all of fandom. It's my main focus. The main reason I say the next should be less SW centered is because Omahahaha is simply not big enough. An all SW con would work in places like Chicago, New York, L.A., Denver, even maybe KC. I agree whole-heartedly with Starkiller in regards to progress having to be shoved down Omahan's throats. To go a little off-topic here, this city has the potential to become a huge metropolitan hub, but there's certain elements who don't want that. they want Omaha to remain their precious little secluded (backward & intollerant) burg. Their attitude seems to be "Change? We fear change."

That being said, to have more of a variety of genres, fandoms, etc., would only increase the attendence. I'm not into Star Trek (thanks mostly to the ST fans), Dr. Who & the other stuff, but they have their place right along SW, because without them SW might not be here. Hell, there was a pair of Klingons @ the SW Celebration. One even had a Luke ANH saber. One thing every fan of anything has in common is the fact they're rabid about something (some to unhealthy extremes)and we need a place to let that energy out. I think paring back the guest list and increasing booths is the way to go. get more fan groups like the 501st, theForce.net, T-Bone, etc. More comic book artists would be great too. I was overcome with joy when I learned Bernie Wrightson was going to be at AlphaCon. I've been a fan of his work for years. Anyhoo, to close this out, I'll work on a list of ideas for saturday. I can't wait to see everyone there.

 

Craig, speaking of Trek fans, where are they? Now Im not into Trek at all (blah), but if we're going to expand this beyond the Star Wars realm, wouldnt it be nice to have their input? I remember you said there was some "ship" thingie here, do you know how to contact them? Having an active ST fan base will not only help Alpha/Omega Con, but will ultimately help us.

Oh, and I thought Galaxy Quest was great! It rung true on many of the aspects of Trek fandom. Not to single them out, but I've meet some Trekkies that fit the sterotype, but never any SW fans that fit that. Not saying they dont exist, it just seems that SW fans are much more grounded.

Now regardless of what they do with next years con, your going to have some diehards who may not go. The SW ones who'll complain that the first one was all SW and now its a mix and they dont like it etc,etc,etc. And similarly the ST fans wholl say the first one was SW why cant this one be all ST? These people are few, but their out there, we all know this. Im sure they were quite a few Trekkies who didnt come to Alpha Con because of its all SW theme. So I guess in a round about way, Im trying to agree with you all, variety is the spice of life. But, dont make it too broad. You have to find a happy medium. You have to be able to let those fans who are only interested in one genre enjoy themselves and not feel forgotten or umimportant. The hard part will be finding that balance.

Mark

 

Mark- the only ship thing I can think of was in the movie "Trekkies" where there was a fan group who gave themselves ranks, ship duties, etc. There was enen a woman who wore a ST uniform to work and jury duty. She wanted everyone to call her Admiral. Very sad. I would love to see another SW themed con, but I think the only possibility of that is going to be the next SW Celebration. Like I said before, Omaha is too small to have a con geared to one specific theme. With the new movie coming out next year, maybe it could be a reality (Is it a possibility to approach Lucasfilm about backing? Just a thought). Maybe something like, SW, ST and Babylon 5. That's just an example but I think you get my gist. Just a general sci-fi con. I don't know. I wish i had the answers. All I know is we need to resurrect AlphaCon.

 

Mark, I think the "ship" thingie you are talking about is the International Federation of Trekkers, to which I am a member (don't hate me everyone!) It's an international Star Trek club with small pockets of "ships" all around the world. To my knowledge, there is no "ship" in Omaha, but I could be wrong.

I would love to see a diverse Sci-fi convention. Not only do I love Star Wars, but I am a big fan of Star Trek, Dr. Who, V, X-Files, Mystery Science Theater 3000, among others. I think to have another convention with a general sci-fi theme would be great.

I am looking forward to Saturday. It sounds like we have some great ideas about Alpha/OmegaCon. I will see you all Saturday!

Bob

 

Bob- I just wanted you to know I'm not trying to bash Trekkies/Trekkers. It's just that alot of the ones I've met take it more serious than most other people take ANYTHING. Even us SW Geeks. If you've seen "Trekkies" you know what I'm talking about.

So Bob, you're into MST3K, too?!? Rockin'! Hi Keeba! I don't suppose you have any tapes to swap do you? There's a bunch of episodes I'm looking for.

 

No offense taken. I have seen Trekkies, and I have been to several Star Trek conventions, so I have had the pleasure to see some of them in real life. I agree that some of them do take it a bit to far.

Let me know what MST3K episodes you are looking for. I might have them.

Bob

 

Actually the only title that comes to mind is either "Viking Women Vs. the Sea Serpent" or "Fire Maidens from Outer Space". Whichever one has the college home-ec short @ the beginning. I also need alot of the episodes from the past 2 seasons. I have close to 175 on tape, all in varying degrees of quality. Are there any episodes you're looking for? I can probably tell you right away if I have them.

 

Me again. My Friend Shaun who was at alphacon on Satruday says he is part of a Klingon group here in Omaha but they don't do anything anymore. I 'll ask him if he has any contact with any of them anymore. C-ya Satruday!! Dawmer

 

I started my fannish life as a Trek fan, then moved on into Wars a few years later. I've been a Wars fan pretty much since then. I have to agree that some fans -- fans from ALL fandoms, just not Trek fandom -- take it just a little bit too seriously. Just after I left Trek fandom, I went to a Trek con in KC just to get out of Omaha for a weekend. Talk about social pariahs! Just try being the only Wars fan at a Trek con. These people do NOT practice IDIC! (The KC con hasn't been put on for years, not since Kay Johnson died.)

I don't think there's any kind of organized Trek group here in Omaha any more. I know a couple of Trek fen, but they're not part of any organization.

Omaha is a tough town to crack if you are doing anything the slightest bit out of the norm. I belonged to the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) for eleven years, and for eleven years most of the local members hailed from someplace other than Omaha. We got all sorts of free publicity from the Wierd Herald and the TV stations, and it never did the slightest bit of good. Basically, we were not part of the West Omaha yuppie clone culture, so no native Omahan would give a thought to joining the group.

Besides, no convention that I know of depends strictly on its home city to provide all of its attendees. This goes for both sf cons and mystery cons. Cons always appeal to the outside world to come to them. We should be publicizing to KC, St. Louis, Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis -- every where in the midwest. But that's something for Dan and Rusty to decide. We can suggest, but that's all unless we intend to put up a majority stake. (Snicker, snicker, hee, hee. That's me laughing at the idea of putting up money for anything.)

One last thing -- when we talk about broadening our appeal to all of sf beyond Star Wars, let's not forget that sf also includes the print media. Sf's roots are in print. Media fandom -- Wars, Trek, Who, etc -- is actually the ugly stepchild of true science fiction fandom. (And if you don't realize that, just ask a print fandom fan; he'll very quickly set you straight.)

See you all Saturday evening.

Kate

 

Well, on the all around SF con, you cannot forget some of the earily Sf shows. War of the Worlds, The original, B&W Flash Gordon, and the other shows of the 30s, 40s, and 50s.

It would be interesting to see some of those shows, if you cna still find them and all.

 

So we gonna push this topic to a page 3 folks??

Seriously, we are building our own little Jedi Council here...

On the topic of "broadening horizons" past Star Wars, we did put out feelers on whether there would be an interest in other areas of sci-fi fandom and found that there simply wasn't the interest (I.E., fans buying ticket$) out there to support these other areas of fandom. We also feel that there are simply too many other Trek/Sci-Fi Cons, not to mention cons that spread themselves so wide that the whole thing ends up being a hectic mess, that a Star Wars themed Con would be the best area to start out with.

With Episode II entering theatres next year (my GAWD...to think that 2 years have passed since our first touch of Jar Jar's magic!) we think that with the guests that we can secure for AOC 2002 will be enough, along with the initial fan support of AlphaCon, to carry us into that all important profit! We have already begun throwing around ideas for 2003, and branching out is definitely in the plans as we move forward. But for the time being, we are pretty firm on the focus of AOC 2002. Again, we would like input knowing that we are gonna focus on Star Wars. When the branching does commence, trust...I have already started making notes of who among you to talk to. But for now, I hope that everything will be cool among the group knowing that as far as guests and focus, we are pretty locked. Your input on HOW to make this thing run better (again, personally I think AlphaCon ran smooth as butter, but we want ALL input) I.E. - suggestions on prices, organization of events, panels, films, EVERYTHING of that nature, would be awesome.

On a personal note, I would just like to say that I am VERY proud to see the amount of posts we are getting here in the Omaha section of the Midwest boards. It's growing and growing and I, for one, am very proud to be involved. Like I said before, we tried this out back around TPM, and were met with no interest. Be it these boards, AlphaCon, or WHATEVER...It is GREAT to see the Omaha Fan Force growing up.

Thanks to everyone who got this started. It is VERY appreciated!

-- Rusty aka TheStarKiller

P.S. -- Snooch to the Nooch. (Sorry 'bout that....watching the Clerks cartoon and had to do it. Feeling goofy tonight.)

 

Well Rusty, we're glad to have ya. And we're proud of how this has taken off as well. We just want to keep it going. Bob and I both want to thank everyone who has joined and been involved with the Fan Force. I just want to let everyone know we have 100 people on our members list, with several people out of state who watch us and email us for info.

I understand why the focus will be on Star Wars again. Chances are the movie may actually still be in some theaters next September. So the carry over enthusiasim may be big. Im sure we'll come up with all kinds of ideas over the course of the 15-16 months. We will make 2002's con better than 2001's.

On an unrelated note, but I'll post it here, cuz this is where everybody is, one of the Texas fanforce chapters has challenged all other chapters to a logo contest. So anyone out there with some artistic ability interested in coming up with a logo for the Omaha Fan Force let us know. We'll decide on it at one of the meetings and maybe see about getting some t-shirts made up.

Mark

 

Rusty- Are you at liberty to divulge who you're looking at guest-wise for next year? On a related topic, the only reason I suggested a broader theme is just because of Omaha's size, but with next year being a movie year, a SW themed con could very well work. Believe me, no one want's to see a huge SW con more than I do !

 

Any word on what is going on with AlphaOmegaCOn 2002 and what is the word on the video that was done by TFN?

 

Sadly, the word is there will not be another convention in Omaha. There is no financial support for the endeavor. Apparently, Midlands Marketing feels there is more interest in a physical fitness convention than a SW/sci-fi con.

 

Well that bloody well sucks. Any word if Dan has got any support from independents for AlphaOmegaCon? Of it that also slagged?

 

That includes the private investors as well....no interest. If only someone had given it a chance....

 

Mother Puss Bucket!!! To quote the Joker, "This town needs an enema!" That really blows...

 

After trying every angle to get AlphaOmegaCon off the groung, Dan has been forced to move on. After meeting with certain individuals within the community, as well as trying to set up meetings with potential investors only to be given the run-around, he has realized what people who have lived here for a long time already knew...this town is dead. To quote Garth Algar, "We fear change.". Midlands Marketing has decided to instead bring us much more EXCITING shows, such as a FITNESS EXPO....all together..."Oooooooooooooooooo".

However, I think that we all owe Dan a Thank You for TRYING HIS HARDEST to bring something NEW and FRESH to this community. Unfortunately, because of short-sightedness on the part of the major players in this town, it is not to be.

Dan is on his way to San Antonio, TX, where he will be the new marketing and promotions manager for an up and coming theatre chain down there. It brings him back to his roots and puts him back in contact with the studios where I know he will ultimately end up.

I think we all wish him good luck and thank him for bringing such a memorable event to our pitiful little corner of the galaxy!

-- Rusty aka TheStarKiller

P.S. -- If anyone would like to wish him good luck, he can be contacted at djlldl@aol.com.

 

To quote Rattrap from Beast Wars... "We're all gonna die!"

It is sad that there will not be no STAR WARS Convention int he Midwest near those of us who live in Northwest Missouri and Omaha. However, we could always try to see if we can pick up what Dan started and branch out into other cities close by. Maybe get in touch with the other Fan Force Chapters in nearby states.

I enjoyed Alphacon and I was hoping that there would be an AlphaOmegaCon, but alass the wishes that you want sometimes does not come true. But what i said about contacting other Fan Force groups is a suggestion only, but with our duties in the world of School, Work, relationships, etc. It would probably be hard to do that.

I do know that coming up in I think october or november, there is a Convention called ShaunCon and the same one in the spring called ThunderCon. It is put on by the Role-Players Guild of Kansas City. I went to one, and it was ok, but it had RPGs as well as miniture games, like Warhammer 40K, Plus other games that people created to try out.

If any of ya want to attend it, I can get ya info, but I am not going as most of the time it can be a pain. I do know that on Saturday Night, they have a LARP of Vampire, at least they did when I was in the RPG of KC 5 years ago. But things change. Anyway, I hope to get up to Omaha and meet all you guys up there. Sinc eI joined the OFF at ALphaCon, but I live in St. Joseph Missouri.