THE SCHEDULE!!

Always subject to change, of course, but this is the schedule as close as we can stick to it.  (There will be a program with the schedule in it available when you enter.)

11:30 - Doors open. PowerPoint with sponsors, information about our beneficiaries, etc, will be
playing.

Noon - Introductions, CSTS Global Introduction (please, no filming), draw for our trivia contest.

12:15 - Sing-along to Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

1:00 - Evil Laugh Contest

1:20 - Costume Contest

1:40 - Live Auction
          Door Prize Draw

2:10 - "Name That Tune"

2:30 - Screening of Quintipus

2:40 - Whedon Trivia Bingo

3:10 - Silent Auction Closes
          Short Break before the doors close at

3:20 - Prefacing Remarks

3:30 - Screening of Serenity!

5:30 - Movie ends
          Door prize draw
          Closing remarks & acknowledgements
          Silent Auction items can be claimed in the Lounge immediately following

Some of us will be gathering in the Lounge to decompress and probably order pizza if you want to stay and visit.

NOTES:  All transactions, including tickets and auction items are by cash only.  There is an ATM in the lobby, if needed. If you ordered your ticket(s) online, please remember to bring your PayPal receipt with you.  There is no food allowed in the Auditorium - and only fluids with lids - however, there will be a 10 year celebration cake, made and donated by C&C Cakery, and small sandwiches, donated by Kathleen, which will be available mid-afternoon.  Both will be by donation.  You may eat on any of the benches outside the Auditorium or at the front of the building.

Remember, this is a fundraising event to help women and children - locally and around the world - so please give generously.  There are so many shiny items in both the live and silent auction.  (Scroll back through previous posts to remind yourself of what YOU want to bid on.) Above all, have a great time!

FINAL TRIVIA QUESTION!

Are you ready? 

Final trivia question (#7) is from Serenity, of course:  What does Mal say keeps a ship in the air?

Don't forget to e-mail all the correct answers - including the bonus ones - to cstsvancouver@gmail.com by midnight PDT this Friday, June 19th.  If there is more than one entry with all the correct answers, all the correct entries will be put in a draw to win.   You must be at the event on Saturday to claim your prize.  Good luck!

JEWEL IS STILL AWESOME - PART 2!

I told you there was more!  Jewel signed the Kaylee maquette, donated by Nina.

A Kaylee t-shirt which you will probably never want to wear:

And a hand-painted parasol, painted and donated by Jodie Bjarson:

Remember it's cash only and be prepared to bid high and often!

The last trivia question will be up on the blog later today.

JEWEL STAITE IS STILL AWESOME - PART ONE!

And gorgeous and glowing and of course we know she's talented - and also a very nice person! Jewel came in to sign some items for our auction on Saturday and let me take her picture with Julia Simpson's crocheted Kaylee Minion.  (She signed a tag which we will attach.)

 Side view showing the teddy bear patch.

 She signed three copies of the Serenity Official Companion, two of which we will be auctioning off and one we will be donating to another CSTS city.

Jewel also signed issue #3 of the original Serenity comics.  (Issue #1 & 2 are also included.) If you can't read it, it says "Not that you...spit..."  Jewel Staite

More signed items up later.

A GOOD DAY'S WORK

Thanks to Kathleen and Julia for several hours of volunteering Sunday afternoon in order for us to sort all the donations we had into silent or live auction, contest prizes, door prizes and grab bags.  Grab bags will still be $5 but are worth more so come early as they usually go quickly.  Remember, cash only for all purchases and bids.  (There is an ATM in the lobby if needed.)

Here are some pictures of the shiny items we were sorting.

Here are the contest and door prize packages:

We will also have some items for sale at the event.  Numbers are limited so it's first come, first serve.

Patches are $5 each.

The 10-Year Commemorative Coin will be $10.

And we have five Serenity ship magnets, donated to us by the wonderful Albuquerque Browncoats, for a minimum donation of $5 each.

BOOKS! DID SOMEONE SAY BOOKS?

We not only watch sci-fi, a lot of us like to read it, in graphic novels, short stories or novels.  We have books!

Leaving Megalopolis is an original hardcover graphic novel written by Gail Simone (Birds of Prey, Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Deadpool, etc) and illustrated by Jim Calafiore (Batgirl, Deadpool, Iron Man, etc.). 

A Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, signed by both:

A novel (Snyper) and novella (Murderous Row), signed by new author J. Merideth Harmon:

An anthology of connected stories - and a couple of poems - centering around a town full of superheroes and supervillains and a retired superhero who now owns a deli.  You can have The Deli Counter of Justice autographed by one of the authors, if you like:

The hardcover of Leaves on the Wind by Zach Whedon, a continuation of Firefly/Serenity, signed by artist Georges Jeanty, who also drew a picture inside each book:

 

WE'RE NOT JUST WHEDON FANS!

Most of us who come to CSTS events are Joss Whedon fans, but we are usually also fans of other TV series, books and movies in the genre.

For the costume contest, we like to stick to the Whedonverse, with a prize for the best Firefly/Serenity-related costume and one for any Whedon-related character - or would-be character.  Costumes need to be creative, homemade and in good taste, keeping in mind that there could be young children present.

For auction items, though, we are eclectic in our tastes, as shown by the photos below.  You've already seen the replica Battlestar Galactica original series lunchbox and the wonderful Game of Thrones cookbook and puzzle plus, but here are a few other items you may want to spend your money on.  (Cash only, please.)

An autographed picture of Clare Kramer aka Glory/Glorificus in Season 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

More lovely drawings from James Hanse.  First up from Game of Thrones, Daenerys:

What about Sherlock Holmes?

Or perhaps you prefer Indiana Jones?

Are you a Lord of the Rings fan?  Never been used extended version DVDs of The Fellowship of the Rings and Return of the King.

Tomorrow - some of the books we have.

TRIVIA QUESTION #6 - ALSO WITH A BONUS POINT

This is the second last week for the trivia contest so we're giving out another bonus point!  In case you're not counting, that will add up to 10 by the end of the contest.  Remember to save all your answers for one e-mail at the end of the contest and the deadline for entering is midnight, Friday, June 19th.  If there are multiple winners, we will draw one of them at the event.  You must have a ticket and be present to win.

Question #6 from Joss's version of Much Ado About Nothing:  Who played Dogberry?

For a bonus point from The Avengers:  What were the Avengers eating at the end of the credits?

And for some pretty pictures, here are some items you might find in a grab bag at the event.

Patches:

Buttons:

10 Year Commemorative Coins.  There will be a limited number of these for sale for $10 each.

Here's a closeup of each side:

ATLAS OF THE VERSE!

Thanks to a generous donation from long-time Browncoat and CSTS volunteer Kari Hartman, we have a mint edition of Serenity: Atlas of the Verse. This is now going for up to $200 on eBay but you will be able to bid on it in our live auction.  Here are a few pictures to whet your appetite. (Double click on a picture to see an enlarged view.)

The front cover:

 The inside front cover:

Some of the inside pages:

And we all know where small arms should go in a table setting, don't we? :D

WHY "CAN'T STOP THE SERENITY"?

A 10-year-old girl in Paraguay, pregnant and alone.

Jordanian women who do not have equal rights as citizens.

A human rights lawyer working for democracy in Libya was murdered and almost a year later, there has been no investigation.

Young girls are still subject to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Liberia.

Italian lawmakers are discussing laws that would decriminalise prostitution and make it easier for sex trafficers to take advantage of young girls.  They also want to teach secondary school boys how to "safely use people in prositution".

What do these have in common?  They are all projects that Equality Now (EN) is working on with their international partners - actions that need money.  And that's where we come in.

Each year Can't Stop The Serenity events are held around the world to benefit Equality Now and, in some cases, local charities.  Our local beneficiary this year is again the Avalon Recovery Society which provides drop-in centres for women who are recovering from addictions.  Money raised for Equality Now at CSTS events helps EN push forward with their mission to end violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world.

So when you are buying a ticket to your local CSTS event, when you are singing along to Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, when you are buying bingo cards or bidding on an item or two or three in the silent or live auction, and especially when you are watching Serenity, remember where your dollars are going and what good they will be doing and give generously. 

On a personal note, after 10 years and nine events, this will be my last CSTS as organiser so I would love to go out on a high note with our best donation yet! I hope you have enjoyed coming out to the events over the years - I know some of you have come almost every year - and I hope that someone else will step forward to organise future events. My thanks as ever to those who donate, sponsor, volunteer and support by coming out, enjoying and spending generously. We couldn't do it without you!

To see previous posts on Why "Can't Stop The Serenity"?, click for 2013,  2012, and 2011.

T-SHIRTS IN THE AUCTION!

We've been lucky to have several t-shirts donated to the auction throughout the year, most by Kathleen and Simon.  Take a look at these and open your wallet with cashy money to bid in less than two weeks!!