The 2006 St. Louis Comic Cookout thread

[Rkolter]

Welcome to the 2006 St. Louis Comic Cookout!

LAST UPDATE TO THIS POST: 04-30-2006

When: June 3rd, 2006 (Saturday)
Where: The St. Louis area
The cookout website: http://www.reasonedcognition.com/cookout.html

Stats: 36 guests coming, 8 more maybe coming. Total possible is 44 people.

Related Threads
Unlike years past, I'm compiling a list of related threads. Whoever starts the thread is responsible for informing me of it's goings on... and if you want it posted here, with telling me to do so.

The Cookout RPG Thread

The You have Six Months Left thread

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The cookout is entering its third year now, and we expect more people than ever to show. Each previous year has been a real blast and Beth and I are looking forward to hosting this one especially. All the information regarding the cookout is available off the website, which will be regularly updated (as will this post) all the way until the cookout itself.

In brief, lots of us get together at our place. We eat a lot of food. We play games. We chat and mingle, we draw a lot, we roleplay, we watch anime, we blow up watermelons, someone gets tased. Then we eat more food. At some point, we sleep. People who show up the day before play poker with keencards for pencils, faubites, and other non-money items. People who are around on Sunday help us raid the local IHOP. It's a lot of fun! There are a few rules:

1) No alcohol or illegal drugs permitted. This is not a joke - you will be escorted off the property and/or turned into the local authorities. We've never had to do that, and it'd be fine by us if we never have to!

2) Ryan handles all explosives - better I get burned than you, and anyway, I get frequent flier miles at my hospital.

3) Only a person that volunteers can be tasered, and only during the one time of the cookout that we taser people. Orion and Chill Clan have been tasered. This year's volunteer is me. You are in no danger of being tasered unless you specifically volunteer (or break rule #1 above).

4) You're welcome to show early (I took the whole week up to the cookout off), however you may be put to work, and must tell us if you need crash space! Nobody is welcome to stay past sundown on Sunday the 4th without prior specific approval - Beth and I need a few hours to chill before the following work week.

So, what do you have to do if you want to join in the fun?

Post here, pm me, or email me. Tell me you're coming to the party (either maybe, or almost for certain), if you are bringing a non-CG guest, and what you plan to bring for us to eat or drink. If you don't know what you want to bring to eat, that's fine - but you won't be allowed in the door on the 3rd without some kind of food or beverage.

Side note - I am looking for a new quote for the cookout. The current quote is from JexKerome and he was enough of a jerk lately that I'd like to change it. I'm also accepting cookout art and if I get some, will make a special section for it in the webpage.

Side note Yes, this is six months in advance. Each year I have had requests to increase the warning on the cookout because for a lot of people, scraping up the cash to come takes quite a while. With people coming from all over the nation (and maybe even internationally this year), I wanted there to be as much notice as possible.

[Fading Aura]

Count me in! It was a blast the first two times - I can't imagine the third being anything less than spectacular.

I'm going to wait a month or two before deciding on a dish to bring. The first year I brought pineapple upside-down cake; the second quiche (one was made of love, according to you). I'd like to make something odd but surprisingly delicious this year. ^_^

[Carlin]

Put me down as a maybe. If I can find one or two poeple to pick up on the way there who can offer small help with gas or food on the way there it would definitly bump up the chances of this being a yes. Even then I would have to sleep on the floor somewhere, and eat nothing but an apple on the way, but I might be able to do it.

Anyone between Sioux Falls, South Dakota and St. Louis I can pick up? If you can help a bit with gas money then taking a detour is no problem.

[STrRedWolf]

Given that I've been invited, I'll make it a possiblity. Now to scrape together $300 between then and now.

[Kris X]

I'm going to the Zoo!

I buy the tickets next week.

[Cortland]

I'll be there! And hey, Crossfire, Lincoln is right along the way. Maybe you can car pool with me? We'll see how it goes--my parents are actually going to visit in the summer and might take me along on their drive back to North Carolina. In that case I would be flying back home.

Either way, I will be there. Put me down for bringing corn on the cob.

[Carlin]

I'll be there! And hey, Crossfire, Lincoln is right along the way. Maybe you can car pool with me? We'll see how it goes--my parents are actually going to visit in the summer and might take me along on their drive back to North Carolina. In that case I would be flying back home.

Either way, I will be there. Put me down for bringing corn on the cob.

If you are driving, carpooling is definitly viable! And I need to stop and eat at Runza at the very least! Been wanting to do that for a good while now...

[Vorticus]

If the 2 confirmed forumites aren't myself and sparrow, add us to the absolutely coming list. I'll try to bring chips and some non perishable desserts. We'll be needing lodgings, and expect us to show up in the evening of the day before the cookout.

[Jim North]

No force in the cosmos can keep me from making it there.

Guests: Jim and Kat, a definite yes.

Arrival/Departure: Friday June 2nd to Sunday June 4th, just like last year. This isn't for sure, however . . . we might come even a day earlier to help y'all set up, monetary status permitting.

Accomodations: Initially, I would like to reserve one of the upstairs offices, like last year. I'll ask Kat, but I'm sure we'd be fine with sharing floorspace with one other person . . . we weren't very cramped for room or anything. However, depending on our monetary status, once again, we might end up staying at a hotel for the convenience of the other guests.

Gifts of Entertainment: I will be hosting an RPG session again, most likely D&D 3.5E this time unless other folks want something different. I'll be putting up a thread to discuss that and any other Cookout RPGs after I get home from work later on today. I have several two-player PS1 & 2 games . . . if anyone has a multi-tap and extra controllers, we could even have four-player matches. Kat has several different TV series on DVD (I'll list them all if folks are interested), and I'm sure I could talk her into bringing a couple up. I can also make it appear as if my thumb has been disconnected and then magically reattached.

Food: I don't know what we're going to bring up just yet. Kat's the cook, so I'll ask her after I come back home from work. We may end up having to bring just the ingredients and then fix up whatever it'll be up there.

Special Requests: Just something very small . . . the hamburgers last year had onions in them. While both Kat and I hate onions, I'm the only one who'll eat them anyway. The truly unfortunate part of this was the Kat didn't get to taste the flavorlicious explosion of wonderfulness that was Sir Kolter's grilled burgers. If it's not too much of a bother, could y'all set aside just a small portion of the burgers to be cooked without onions this year?

Aaaaaaand . . . that should be it. If there's anything I forgot, I'm sure I'll either post about it later or moan and groan about it the whole weekend we're up there.

[Rkolter]

Quick comments -

Crossfire - feel free to set up carpooling in the thread first, but until you know for SURE that you are going to make it, I won't put you on the carpool list on the website ('cause if you find you can't make it then people who contacted you from that list would be s.o.l.).

StrRedWolf - Of course you're invited - I invited your butt last year too if you recall! And to be clear, if you are a ComicGenesis artist, Keenspot artist, or a forumite (artist or not), you are invited. This includes all administrators, moderators, and owners.

KrisX - Beth keeps telling me to expect you and another forumite. You don't have to say in public, but if they don't post here, would you mind letting me know?

Vorticus - Can you carpool another person, or are you just bringing sparrow? I want to add you to the carpool list if you're willing.

Jim - Wow, and oh crap. I totally forgot about that. I will definately make some burgers without onions. I am thinking this year that I will simply add onions as a side thing you can put on your burger. Also, we will reserve one of the rooms for you.

Everyone check out Vort and Jim's messages - they give me everything I need to know as the host for this event. Thanks guys! I know most of you pretty well, but please don't assume I'll remember you told me a few days ago that you would need crash space or something. Instead, give me the following info:

Who are you bringing with you (if anyone)?

If you are willing to drive a carpool, then where are you starting from, what states will you go through, and how much space do you have?

When do you plan to arrive (May 30th - June 3rd)?

Do you need crash space?

What are you bringing to eat or drink to the cookout (telling me later is ok)?

Finally, for people who are coming early and crashing with us for an extra day or days (as well as people coming in early, staying in a hotel, but planning on visiting with us during the day) - we're happy to show off our town to you! Entry fees for any attractions are up to you though, as are any take out meals or restaurant meals.

Anyone who is a guest in our home, we will feed homecooked meals to without complaint or cost, however if you want to help out with the groceries, you are totally welcome to do so; this is also the only way you get to decide what is for dinner.

[Kris X]

KrisX - Beth keeps telling me to expect you and another forumite. You don't have to say in public, but if they don't post here, would you mind letting me know?

Well, er, uh.... Don't worry about it, they'll let you know.

EDIT: I'll post the other information when tickets are bought.

[RemusShepherd]

I'm a maybe. If that status changes to a 'yes', then I'll give you more information.

Honestly, I don't know how you people can plan 6 months in advance. I don't know what I'm going to be doing next week.

[Ekolter]

I'm a maybe. If that status changes to a 'yes', then I'll give you more information.

Honestly, I don't know how you people can plan 6 months in advance. I don't know what I'm going to be doing next week.

You have to attend to understand

We had reservations for this year's party the day after the last one ended.

[CJBurgandy]

anyone swinging by Anchorage on their way down?

no one?


alright.



Sadly I won't make it again.

[Protectmyballs]

I said in the other thread, I really want to go, but unless there's a carpool swinging by northeast Ohio that I can join, I can't do it.

[Orion]

Rkolter, put me down as a definite yes, I shall not be turned away!


Foodwise I have no cooking skills, so likely I'll be bringing some sort of sugar-based snack product like I always do. I'll try and come up with something more inspired but i make no promises.

Carpool currently have no plans how I'm going to get there. I may get a friend to drive me (in which case a guest might be included), or I may be forced to drive myself. If a carpool is flying by Memphis TN then let me know and I can chip in for gas.


entertainment I've got a fairly random DVD collection, but I'm probably at least bringing Magical Shopping arcade Abenobashi and maybe a few others. Who knows what I'll have in 6 months.
Since the numbers of the cookout continually grow I imagine we'll have a pretty big horde of people so I'm volunteering to take any excess if Jim's D&D party gets too large. If there turns out to be enough people to cram in then I'll play too, and maybe run a game the second day). The game will be Ninja Burger, either with the original Beer rule system or I'll convert it to PDQ, both can be learned in under 15 minutes.

[Pillywiggin]

I'm a definite maybe.

[McDuffies]

Maybe maybe. I will try to come, but that depends on many factors including my coggege/job situation, my family situation and my visa situation.

[TheSuburbanLetdown]

If Mcduffies is going, then I definitely have to go.

I'll go in the maybe pile for now. Depends on whether I can get Yeahduff to come.

[Pimpette]

I'm a maybe, leaning towards a yes!
(all depending on my financial and vehicular situations at the time, but things are looking favourable I think).

Guess I'll post my info now (everything that I know atm, anyway), because I'm so damn excited even if I don't know if I'm coming for sure yet.

Guests: If I come, I'm definitely dragging along K-Dawg and Tynan - and Dawg mentioned possibly also bringing Keff. Since I'm most likely going to have a small car, I don't think we'll be able to pick anyone up along the way, unless they're willing to squeeze. At any rate, I'm only a maybe, so planning carpools isn't a good idea right now.

Accomodations: I can sleep anywhere - hell I can sleep in my car if you run out of room, or I can pool funds with people and help pay for a hotel/motel room.

Entertainment: I've got a few DVDs that might be of interest, and I'll probably be bringing a game or two(ps2) (I'm a fan of side-scrolling fighting games).

Food: Not sure yet - I can make a really good nacho dip-ish thing, I may just pick up some stuff when I get there and make it in the morning. I'll definitely bring like ten bags of tostitos if I do that.



::squee::
I should be able to make it, I really want to make it, but I'm not a confirmed yes.
Yet.