Upcoming Events: January 2009 & Beyond

*****
MewCon: December 31st, 2008 - January 1, 2009 - Vancouver, Washington
Website: http://www.mewcon.com

*****
RustyCon: January 9th-11th, 2009 - Sea-Tac, Washington
Website: http://www.rustycon.com/

*****
ConQuest NW: January 16-18th, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.conquestnw.com/

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Spark FX: January 21th-26th, 2009 - Vancouver, BC Canada
Website: http://spark.siggraph.ca/

*****
Confilkt: January 30-February 1, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://conflikt.org/

*****
Eugene Games Gala: January 30-February 1, 2009 - Eugene, Oregon
Website: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/EugeneGamesGala/

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Beyond Con: February 6th-8th, 2009 - Gig Harbor, Washington
Website: http://www.beyondcon.org/

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Gotta Con: February 6th-8th, 2009 - Victoria, BC Canada
Website: http://www.gottacon.com/

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Northwest Model Hobby Expo: February 6th-8th, 2009 - Monroe, Washington
Website: http://www.nwmodelhobbyexpo.com/

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Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival: February 7th, 2009 - Seattle, WA
Website: http://www.empsfm.org/calendar/index.asp?m=2&d=7&y=2009&eventID=457&CategoryID=163

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Game Design Expo: February 7th-8th, 2009 - Vancouver, BC Canada
Website: http://www.gamedesignexpo.com/

*****
Radcon: February 13-15, 2009 - Pasco, Washington
Website: http://www.radcon.org/news.php

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Northwest Scale Modelers Show: February 14th, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/northwestscalemodelers/

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Kei-Kon: February 20th-22nd, 2009 - Victoria, BC Canada
Website: http://www.keikon.org/

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Chibi Chibi Con: February 21st, 2009 - Olympia, Washington
Website: http://chibichibicon.net

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Senshi-Con: February 21st, 2009 - Anchorage, Alaska
Website: http://www.senshicon.org/

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Fragapalooza Winter: February 27th - March 1, 2009 - Grand Prairie, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.fragapalooza.com/

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Dak-Kon XIV: February 28th - March 2nd, 2009 - Courtenay, BC Canada
Website: http://members.axion.net/~murdock/tourney.html

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Dak-Kon XIV: February 29th, 2009 - Anchorage, Alaska
Website: http://www.senshicon.org

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Northwest Festivals & Events Conference: March 1st-3rd, 2009 - Ocean Shores, Washington
Website: http://nwfestivalconference.com

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Anime Oasis EVO: March 12-15, 2009 - Boise, Idaho
Website: http://www.animeoasis.org/

*****
Corflu: March 13th-15, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.corflu.org/

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Weathertop: March 13th-15, 2009 - Vancouver, BC Canada
Website: http://www.warhorn.net/Weathertop09/

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The Joy of Modeling: March 14th, 2009 - Vancouver, Washington
Website: http://ipmspearsonmodeleers.weebly.com/2009-invitational.html

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Brickfest: March 26th-29th, 2009 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://www.brickfest.com/

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GameStorm: March 26th-29th, 2009 - Vancouver, Washington
Website: http://www.gamestorm.org/

*****
Calgary Game Show: March 27th-29th, 2009 - Calgary, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.cal-con.ca/

*****
Boeing Employees Parasychology Club Spring Expo: March 28th, 2009 - Kent, Washington
Website: http://www.bepcweb.org/expos.htm

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Model Car Mecca: March 28th, 2009 - Surrey, BC Canada
Website: http://www.modelcarmecca.com/

*****
Edmonton Collectible Toy & Comic Show: March 29th, 2009 - Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.edtoyshow.com/

*****
Stargate SG-1 Atlantis Convention: April 2-5th, 2009 - Burnaby, BC Canada
Website: http://www.creationent.com/cal/sgvan.htm

*****
Washington State Science & Engineering Fair: April 3-4th, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.wssef.org/

*****
Emerald City Comic Con: April 4-5th, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.emeraldcitycomicon.com/

*****
Norwescon: April 9-12th, 2009 - SeaTac, Washington
Website: http://www.norwescon.org/

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Sakura-Con: April 10-12th, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.sakuracon.org/

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Calgary Underground Film Festival: April 14-19th, 2009 - Calgary, Alberta Canada
Website: http://calgaryundergroundfilm.org/

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IPMS Seattle Spring Model Show: April 19th, 2009 - Renton, Washington
Website: http://www.ipms-seattle.org/Springshow/

*****
Just A Game Con: April 18-19th, 2009 - Corvallis, Oregon
Website: http://home.centurytel.net/GOMC/JAGC.htm

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Stumptown Comics Fest: April 18-19th, 2009 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://www.stumptowncomics.com/

*****
Supertrain: April 18-19th, 2009 - Calgary, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.supertrain.ca/

*****
Grindhouse Film Festival: April 22nd-23rd, 2009 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://www.grindhousefilmfest.com/

*****
Deep Red International Festival of Fantastic Film: April 24th-25th, 2009 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://deepredfilmfest.com

*****
Rose City Paranormal Conference: April 24th-26th, 2009 - Mount Hood, Oregon
Website: http://rosecityparanormalconference.bravehost.com/

*****
Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo: April 25th-26th, 2009 - Calgary, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.calgaryexpo.com/

*****
Washington Cultural Congress: April 27-29th, 2009 - Leavenworth, Washington
Website: http://wsaa.qwestoffice.net/congress.htm

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RenFair: May 2nd-3rd, 2009 - Moscow, ID
Website: http://www.moscowrenfair.org/

*****
A Festival For May: May 3rd-4th, 2009 - Carnation, WA
Website: http://www.camlann.org/may_fest.htm

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Pop Culture Fair: May 3rd, 2009 - Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.popculturefair.com/

*****
Deep Red International Festival of Fantastic Film: May 8-9th, 2009 - Seattle, WA
Website: http://deepredfilmfest.com

*****
LOGIN Conference: May 11-14th, 2009 - Seattle, WA
Website: http://www.2009.loginconference.com/

*****
Vancouver Digital Week: May 11-14th, 2009 - Vancouver, BC Canada
Website: http://www.vancouverdigitalweek.com/

*****
Game Developers Conference Canada: May 12th-13th, 2009 - Vancouver, BC Canada
Website: http://www.gdc-canada.com/

*****
All Fur Fun: May 15-17th, 2009 - Spokane Valley, WA
Website: http://www.allfurfun.com/

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Otafest: May 15-17th, 2009 - Calgary, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.otafest.com

*****
UFO Fest: May 15-16th, 2009 - McMinnville, Oregon
Website: http://www.mcmenamins.com/ufofest07/index.html

*****
Zompire: May 15-17th, 2009 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://www.zompire.com/

*****
Khan Con: May 16th, 2009 - Vancouver, BC Canada
Website: http://www.secondlevelwizards.com/

*****
Enfilade!: May 22-24th, 2009 - Olympia, WA
Website: http://www.nhmgs.org/conventions.html#enfilade

*****
Miscon May 22-25th, 2009, Missoula, Montana
Website: http://www.miscon.org/

*****
SubVERSION Anime Festival: May 24th, 2009 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://www.dreamlandjapan.com/events/

*****
Computer Graphics International May 26th-29th, 2009 - Victoria, BC Canada
Website: http://www.cgi09.org/

*****
Spokane Comicon May 30th, 2009, Spokane, Washington
Website: http://www.spokanecomicon.com/

*****
Western Canada Regionals Model Contest May 30th, 2009 - Calgary, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.mikegrantdesign.com/WCR/index.html

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Big Boy Toy Expo: June 5th, 2009 - Nampa, Idaho
Website: http://bigboyexpo.us/

*****
Crypticon: June 5th-7th, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.crypticon.com

*****
ConComCon 16: June 5th-7th, 2009 - Surrey, BC Canada
Website: http://swoc.org/ccubed/

*****
Astronomi-con: June 6th-7th, 2009 - Vancouver, BC Canada
Website: http://www.astronomi-con.com/

*****
Northwest Comic Convention: June 9th, 2009 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://www.calcomiccon.com

*****
Anime Evolution: June 12th-14th, 2009 - Vancouver, BC Canada
Website: http://www.animeevolution.com/

*****
Northwest Pinball Expo: June 12th-14th, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.nwpinballshow.com/

*****
PAIZOCON: June 12th-14th, 2009 - Bellevue, Washington
Website: http://paizo.com/store/paizo/paizocon

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VulCON16/Galaxyfest 2009: June 12th-14th, 2009 - Vulcan, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.vulcantourism.com/vulcon-galaxyfest.html

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Northwest Renaissance Festival: June 13th - July 19th, 2009 - Nine Mile Falls, Washington
Website: http://www.nwrf.net/

*****
Olympia Comics Festival: June 13th, 2009 - Olympia, Washington
Website: http://olympiacomicsfestival.org/

*****
IPMS North Olympic Peninsula Model Show: June 20th, 2009 - Port Townsend, Washington
Website: http://www.nopms.net/

*****
Clarion West: June 21st-31st, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.clarionwest.org/

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Summer School In Forks: A Twilight Symposium: June 25th-28th, 2009 - Forks, Washington
Website: http://www.litfanevents.org/summerinforks/index.html

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Go Play Northwest: June 26th-28th, 2009 - Fremont, Washington
Website: http://goplaynw.wetpaint.com/?t=anon

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Fairy Congress: June 26th-28th, 2009 - Twisp, Washington
Website: http://www.fairycongress.com/

*****
G^2: June 27th, 2009 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://www.g2pdx.com/

*****
Fremont Outdoor Movies - Red White & Dead Zombie Party: July 3rd, 2009 - Fremont, Washington
Website: http://www.fremontoutdoormovies.com/

*****
Final Fantasy Concerts: July 9th-11th, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.seattlesymphony.org/symphony/buy/single/production.aspx?id=8150&src=t&dateid=8150

*****
BC Renaissance Festival: July 17th-19th, 2009 - Fort Langley, British Columbia Canada
Website: http://www.bcrenfest.com/

*****
Hot Rod Monster Film Festival: July 18th-19th, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.hotrodmonstersfilmfest.com/

*****
Casual Connect: July 21st-23rd, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://seattle.casualconnect.org/

*****
Summer Faire: July 18th - August 23rd, 2009 - Carnation, Washington
Website: http://www.camlann.org/summer_festivals.htm

*****
Portland Zine Symposium: July 24th-26th, 2009, Portland, Oregon
Website: http://pdxzines.com/

*****
CybCon: July 25th, 2009, Tacoma, Washington
Website: http://www.ggaub.com/tf/cybcon2k9.html

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SpoCon: July 31st - August 2nd, 2009, Spokane, Washington
Website: http://www.spocon.us

*****
Otaku-Con: August 3rd-4th, 2009, Spokane, Washington
Website: http://www.otaku-con.bravehost.com

*****
Fragapalooza: August 6th-8th, 2009 - Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.fragapalooza.com/

*****
Animethon: August 7th-9th, 2009 - Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.asapa.ca

*****
Dragonflight: August 7th-9th, 2009 - Bellevue, Washington
Website: http://www.dragonflight.org

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Fandemonium: August 7th-9th, 2009 - Boise, Idaho
Website: http://www.fandemonium.org/

*****
Innocente Seraphim: August 8th-9th, 2009 - Bellevue, Washington
Website: http://www.innocenteseraphim.com

*****
Gnomedex 9: August 20th-22nd, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.gnomedex.com/

*****
Con: Version: August 30th, 2009 - Calgary, AB Canada
Website: http://www.con-version.org/

*****
Salute to Supernatural: August 28th-30th, 2009 - Vancouver, BC Canada
Website: http://www.creationent.com/cal/supernatural_van.htm

*****
Yaoifest: August 30th, 2009 - Calgary, AB Canada
Website: http://www.yaoifest.com/

*****
PAX Prime: September 4th-6th, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.pennyarcadeexpo.com/

*****
ValhallaCon: September 4th-6th, 2009 - Bellingham, Washington
Website: http://valhallacon.com/

*****
Kumoricon: September 5th-7th, 2009 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://www.kumoricon.org/

*****
Twilight Festival: September 10th-13th, 2009 - Port Angeles, Washington
Website: http://www.portangelesdowntown.com/twilight.php

*****
SPARK Animation: September 16th-20th, 2009 - Vancouver, BC Canada
Website: http://siggraph.ca/festivals/information.php?fest=SPARKA09

*****
Fall Con: September 18th-20th, 2009 - Calgary, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.fallcon.com/

*****
Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival(MIFFF): September 18th-20th, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.mifff.org

*****
Rain Furrest: September 18th-20th, 2009 - Sea-Tac, Washington
Website: http://www.rainfurrest.org

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OHMS/Evergreen Air & Space Museum Model Contest: September 19th, 2009 - McMinnville, Oregon
Website: http://www.geocities.com/oregonshow/

*****
Portland Pirate Festival: September 19th-20th, 2009 - St. Johns, Oregon
Website: http://www.portlandpiratefestival.com/

*****
Shrewfaire: September 19th-20th, 2009 - Kings Valley, Oregon
Website: http://www.shrewfaire.com/

*****
Retro Gaming Expo: September 20th, 2009 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://retrogamingexpo.com/

*****
Foolscap: September 25th-27th, 2009 - Redmond, Washington
Website: http://www.foolscapcon.org/

*****
Conflux: September 25th-26th, 2009 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://www.myspace.com/confluxpdx

*****
Boeing Employees Parapsycology Fair: September 26th, 2009 - Kent, Washington
Website: http://www.bepcweb.org/expos.htm

*****
Revenant Film Festival: September 26th, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.revenantmagazine.com/RevenantFilmFestival.htm

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Sci-Fan: September 26th, 2009 - Lynnwood, Washington
Website: http://www.galaxyhobby.com/scifan.htm

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Northwest Events Show: September 29th, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.nweventshow.com/

*****
BrickCon: October 1st-4th, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.brickcon.org/

*****
H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival & CthulhuCon: October 2-4th, 2009 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://hplfilmfestival.com/

*****
VCON: October 2nd-4th, 2009 - Surrey, BC Canada
Website: http://www.vcon.ca/

*****
ConQuest Oregon: October 3rd-4th, 2009 - Hillsburo, Oregon
Website: http://oregon.avalongamecon.com/

*****
Calgary Comic & Toy Expo: October 4th, 2009 - Calgary, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.comicandtoy.ca/

*****
Final Fantasy Distant Worlds: October 8th, 2009 - Vancouver, BC Canada
Website: http://www.ffdistantworlds.com

*****
Tactical Solutions: October 9th-11th, 2009 - Spokane Valley, Washington
Website: http://tactical-solutions-gaming.tripod.com/

*****
Star Wars In Concert: October 13th, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.starwarsinconcert.com/

*****
Star Wars In Concert: October 14th, 2009 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://www.starwarsinconcert.com/

*****
DedFest: October 15th-18th, 2009 - Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Website: http://dedfest.com/

*****
Tri-City Independent Fan Film Festival: October 17th, 2009 - Pasco, Washington
Website: http://natmansblog.blogspot.com/

*****
Pop Culture Fair: October 18th, 2009 - Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.popculturefair.com/

*****
Steam-Con: October 23rd-25th, 2009 - Sea-Tac, Washington
Website: http://www.steam-con.com/

*****
Bellerose Con: October 24th, 2009 - St. Albert, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.bellerosecon.com/

*****
Victoria Comic Convention: October 30th - November 1st, 2009 - Victoria, BC Canada
Website: http://www.victoriacomicconvention.com

*****
GIRAF 4: November 4th-8th, 2009 - Calgary, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.giraffest.ca/

*****
AmberCon Northwest: November 5th-8th, 2009 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://www.amberconnw.org/

*****
Aki Con: November 6th-8th, 2009 - Everett, Washington
Website: http://www.akicon.org/

*****
BottosCon: November 6th-8th, 2009 - Surrey, BC Canada
Website: http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/BottosCon/

*****
Video Games Live: November 7th & 8th, 2009 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://www.videogameslive.com

*****
Emerald City Gamefest: November 14th, 2009 - Kenmore, Washington
Website: http://emeraldcitygamefest.org/

*****
Keep Portland Weird: November 14th, 2009 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://www.multcolib.org/events/kpw.html

*****
Portland Comic Book Show: November 15th, 2009 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://www.portlandcomicbookshow.com/

*****
Orycon: November 27th-29th, 2009 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://www.orycon.org/orycon31/

*****
Tomodachi Fest: November 27th-29th, 2009 - Boise, Idaho
Website: http://www.tomodachifest.com/

*****
2D Or Not 2D Animation Festival: December 5th, 2009 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.plexipixel.com/2dornot2d

*****
MewCon: December 31st, 2009 - January 2nd, 2010 - Vancouver, Washington
Website: http://www.mewcon.com

*****
ConQuest NW: January 15th-17th, 2010 - Sea-Tac, Washington
Website: http://www.conquestnw.com/

*****
RustyCon: January 15th-17th, 2010 - Sea-Tac, Washington
Website: http://www.rustycon.com

*****
Salute To Twilight Convention: January 15th-17th, 2010 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.creationent.com/cal/twilight_wa.htm

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Conflikt: January 29th-31th, 2010 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://conflikt.org/

*****
Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival: January 30th, 2010 - Seattle, WA
Website: http://www.empsfm.org

*****
Eugene Games Gala: February 5th-7th, 2010 - Eugene, Oregon
Website: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/EugeneGamesGala/

*****
Gotta Con: February 5th-7th, 2010 - Victoria, BC Canada
Website: http://www.gottacon.com/

*****
Radcon: February 12th-14th, 2010 - Pasco, Washington
Website: http://radcon.org/

*****
Dak-Kon XIV: February 27th-28th, 2010 - Courtenay, BC Canada
Website: http://members.axion.net/~murdock/tourney.html

*****
Potlatch 19: March 5th-7th, 2010 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.potlatch-sf.org/

*****
Northwest Festivals & Events Conference: March 7th-9th, 2010 - Seaside, Oregon
Website: http://www.nwfestivalconference.com/

*****
Emerald City ComiCon: March 13th-14th, 2010 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.emeraldcitycomicon.com/

*****
GameStorm: March 25th-28th, 2010 - Vancouver, Washington
Website: http://www.gamestorm.org/

*****
Washington State Science & Engineering Fair: March 26th-27th, 2010 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.wssef.org/

*****
Edmonton Collectible Toy & Comic Show: March 28th, 2010 - Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.edtoyshow.com/

*****
Norwescon: April 1st-4th, 2010 - Sea-Tac Washington
Website: http://www.norwescon.org

*****
Sakura-Con: April 2nd-4th, 2010 - Seattle, Washington
Website: http://www.sakuracon.org

*****
Game Design Expo: April 10th-11th, 2010 - Vancouver, BC Canada
Website: http://www.gamedesignexpo.com/

*****
Stargate SG-1 Atlantis Convention: April 15th-18th, 2010 - Vancouver, BC Canada
Website: http://www.creationent.com/cal/sgvan.htm

*****
Supertrain: April 17th-18th, 2010 - Calgary, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.supertrain.ca/

*****
Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo: April 24th-25th, 2010 - Calgary, Alberta Canada
Website: http://www.calgaryexpo.com/

*****
Play: A Video Game Symphony: April 2nd-4th, 2010 - Eugene, Oregon
Website: http://www.play-symphony.com/tickets.php

*****
UFO Fest: May 14th-15th, 2010 - McMinnville, Oregon
Website: http://www.mcmenamins.com/ufofest07/index.html

*****
Spokane Comicon: May 22nd, 2010, Spokane, Washington
Website: http://www.spokanecomicon.com/

*****
Anime Oasis EVO: May 27th-30th, 2010 - Boise, Idaho
Website: http://www.animeoasis.org/

*****
Miscon: May 28th-31th, 2010, Missoula, Montana
Website: http://www.miscon.org/

*****
ConComCon: June 4th-6th, 2010, Sea-Tac, Washington
Website: http://swoc.org/ccubed/

*****
Platform International Animation Festival: June 29th-July 3rd, 2010 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://www.platformfestival.com

*****
Gate Con: July 8th-11th, 2010 - Vancouver, BC Canada
Website: http://gatecon.com

*****
FanFair Fest: September 4th-5th, 2010 - Vancouver, BC Canada
Website: http://fanfairfest.com

*****
Kumoricon: September 4th-6th, 2010 - Portland, Oregon
Website: http://www.kumoricon.org/

Orycon30 Author Clips Posted on YouTube

Orycon30 authors Mary Rosenblum, Mike Shepherd, David D Levine, and Sheila Simonson speak about their published work and writing process on videos posted on YouTube at Oregon Writers Speak, http://www.youtube.com/oregonwritersspeak.

The site also features Patty Wells speaking about the programs offered to writers at Orycon. Videos shot and edited by Bill Johnson.

Emerald City ComiCon Holiday Notes

Happy Holidays from all of us at the Emerald City ComiCon! This will be our last update of 2008!

First off, I want to let everyone know that tickets for the show are on sale now: http://www.emeraldcitycomicon.com/tickets.php - remember to save money and time by pre-buying your tickets - and in the holiday spirit, for the right person, tickets make for great stocking stuffers!

We've added a couple of great media guests since our last e-mail. RAY PARK, the actor who portrayed Darth Maul and will be playing Snake-Eyes in the upcoming live-action G.I. Joe film. In addition, fan-favorite bastion of geek awesomeness and beard luxuriousness WIL WHEATON returns!

GRIS GRIMLY, who is an author & illustrator best known for his darkly whimsical children's books, including Neil Gaiman's Dangerous Alphabet, is making his first trek out to the show.

Eisner Award nominated writer JASON AARON (Scalped) and Standard Attrition blog-mate G. WILLOW WILSON (Air), along with legendary indy creator JAIME HERNANDEZ (Love & Rockets) will all be making their first appearances in the Northwest!

A whole mess of our good friends down at Periscope Studios will be joining us, including STEVE LIEBER (Whiteout), JEFF PARKER (Agents of Atlas), PAUL TOBIN (Age of the Sentry), DUSTIN WEAVER (Star Wars: KOTOR), COLLEEN COOVER (X-Men: First Class), KIERON DWYER (Fear Agent), RON RANDALL (Supergirl)and DAVID HAHN (Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four)!

Some local favorite creators return again, including STEVE SADOWSKI(Avengers/Invaders) , JAY FAERBER (Dynamo 5), SHANE WHITE (The Overman) and the writer of the top selling video game Gears of War 2 (and the GoW comic) JOSH ORTEGA!

Plus, all four creators from the webcomics collective HalfPixel return- BRAD GUIGAR (Evil Inc.), DAVE KELLETT (Sheldon), SCOTT KURTZ (PvP) and KRIS STRAUB (Starslip Crisis).

Speaking of collectives, appearing for the first time ever are a trio of creators from Toronto's Udon Studios - OMAR DOGAN (Street Fighter), JOE NG (Transformers) and JIM ZUBKAVICH (Street Fighter)!

That's it creator-wise, making our count roughly fourteen bajillion creators attending the show! That might be an exaggeration, but you lose count after the first few bajillion.

Lastly, please note that we've started listing discounted hotel rates for attendees on our hotels page located here: http://www.emeraldcitycomicon.com/hotel.php

That's it! Again, we wish you all Happy Holidays and very prosperous
New Year. We'll be back in January with another update!

Best,

Jim Demonakos
Emerald City ComiCon

Nishikaze – Lethbridge’s Anime Festival will not be held for 2009

LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA, CANADA – December 8, 2008 – Nishikaze, Lethbridge’s Anime Festival, tentatively planned for Saturday, March 14, 2009 has announced it will not be held for 2009. This would have been Nishikaze’s 5th year. Due to unfortunate problems with securing a venue for 2009, it has been the decision of the Chairman, Ryan Cradduck and the Nishikaze Organization Committee (NOC) not to hold Nishikaze V in 2009. NOC will turn its attention to hosting the event in 2010.

Keep watching www.nishikaze.org for details on Nishikaze V (2010). There you will find information on pre-registration dates and rates, artist and vendor table reservations, and 2010 performers and events!

About Nishikaze: Based in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, Nishikaze is Japanese animation and cultural festival operating as a non-profit organization. Originally started in 2004 as “the experiment” to see if this type of event would be feasible in a smaller centre like Lethbridge, Nishikaze has steadily grown every year. We look forward to our next
event in 2010.

Cynthia Cradduck
Website: www.nishikaze.org

Distant Worlds: Music From Final Fantasy Comes to Seattle

Distant Worlds: Music From Final Fantasy
Fri, July 10th, 2009 - 8:00PM
Sat, July 11th, 2009 - 8:00PM
Seattle Symphony
Benaroya Hall - S. Mark Taper Auditorium
Seattle, WA
http://www.ffdistantworlds.com/

Dear FINAL FANTASY Fans,

Happy Holidays! I cannot believe a whole year has passed since our premiere of Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY in Stockholm. I am excited to announce on our one-year anniversary that we will be visiting even more cities in 2009! We have confirmed concerts all around the world, including many concerts in the USA and for the first time ever in Asia!

A lot of fans have asked us when we will be visiting the east and west coasts of the U.S. and I want to thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words. Your requests have been helpful in planning concerts in these regions in 2009. Today, via pre-sale only, you can buy tickets to see Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY in Seattle with the Seattle Symphony for two shows only on July 10th and 11th at 8:00pm. The Emmy award winning Seattle Symphony orchestra will be performing in Benaroya Hall - S. Mark Taper Auditorium, noted for its architectural and acoustical splendor. See below for full details including the pre-sale promo code.

Tickets will also be on sale soon for two more USA cities: May 16th with the Baltimore Symphony in Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, a gorgeous venue known for its pristine acoustics and versatility and July 17th and 18th with the Grammy award winning San Francisco Symphony! I know everyone has been waiting for these, so keep checking ffdistantworlds.com for info about these exciting events. We will be sending out email announcements early in the New Year about Nobuo Uematsu attending all of these Distant Worlds concerts!

Tickets on sale now!

Tickets for Seattle Symphony exclusive presale offer are AVAILABLE NOW USING CODE 7097 BY PHONE AND ONLINE by calling 206-215-4747 or 1-866-833-4747 and on sale online now at ffdistantworlds.com/seattle or at seattlesymphony.org
Act fast! Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning at 10:00am on December 8th and start at $17.