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Memories of Dragon*Con…

Sep 20th, 11 / 0 Comments

The CON*tourage Rock Star Photo Shoot held Saturday Night was a huge success!

Ahhh, the memories! It’s now 2011 and what an amazing year… to be alive, to be at Dragon*con and to be a part of CON*tourage! It is rewarding in a very unique way to each one of us. Now that Dragon*Con 2011 is past us, let’s take a few minutes and reflect on our own Dragon*Con histories and remember why we started coming to Dragon*Con in the first place (everyone’s got their own story and we invite you to comment with your own stories) .

The reason I started coming to Dragon*Con was my interest in gaming way back in 1999. I was into a little game called Magic: the Gathering, and a fellow player invited me to Dragon*Con.  GWAR and Mark Hamill were the big draws of that year, so it took little to convince me, and let me tell ya’, after that weekend I was hooked through the bag. Here it is over 10 years later and I’m still enjoying every moment spent at Dragon*Con.

DRAGON CON 2011 PICTURES

This year was was jam packed full of wonderful new memories. Arrival at the hotel had that usual air of excitement, magnified by the re-designed Hyatt lobby which was a refreshing change (though the old lobby will always hold a special place in our hearts). Check in was a breeze and we were up in our familiar CON*tourage Party Suite within minutes, which was a relief after a year of hoping we didn’t get screwed. We got everyone situated, including a few newcomers.

Badge retrieval, while slightly faster than in previous years, there were still no shortage of people, and the line was ginormous. After a solid 2 hours, we had our badges and could move on to setup duties. Mark, Adam and I went on our run to get all the supplies from Adam’s apartment and a Wal*Mart run for beer, beer and more beer and a few other important items, like beer cups.

Then we got ready for the Meet and Greet. We had planned to hold the meet and greet in the newly up-graded Twenty Two Storys Bar, located in the lobby of the Hyatt. The bar was already jam packed and the level of people who showed up was astounding. This quickly became a problem with the bar staff who promptly told us we had to “Do this somewhere else.” After some confusion, we moved our entire setup downstairs to an unused corner of the hotel and we continued on as planned. The raffle was held for the remaining passes and it drew quite an enthusiastic crowd, with some winners screaming in triumph. It was awesome to see all of the people wearing CON*tourage T-shirts, and Syd and Rich made us a fabulous new CON*tourage flag that helped out a lot!

Next we returned to the suite to get the room ready for the Heavy Metal Party the following night. Setup was fantastic and we want to thank everyone who showed up to help. There were seriously too many people to mention, at it made setup so much easier this year. We had the party 85% ready to go by the end of the night and everyone got a chance to hang out and re-unite.

Friday Night’s Heavy Metal Party was EPIC beyond human proportions. DJ Nemesis rocked the house till after 3 AM with his amazing skills and quick wit. The party was simply a triumph of light, color, awesome heavy metal and a huge costumed crowd having a great time.  Amazing drinks were served by our most AWESOME bartenders, Syd, Rich and DJLawless mixin a few drinks as well. For the first time we offered our own Collectible Cups emblazoned with the Dragon*Con, Con*Tourage and our sponsors logos (yes, that’s right SPONSORS!). Thanks to Mark, Maddie, Tarra, Bonzo, David, Adam, Emm, Lin, David, Jenn, Wil, Ty, and the rest of the group for helping set up and being there for us! We love all of you!

Saturday Night we introduced a new theme, the ‘Fiesta Con Loco’ party and it was a huge success. We had Booze-Filled Pinata Bashing, Day Of The Dead Costume Contest, Nude Bodypainting by Antonio Tiggs, a sugar skull shrine to dead rock stars, Cerveza and Margaritas all to the backdrop of DB BNOT. It was a CRAZY PARTY and everyone had a blast. Huge thanks to Leah, Marie and Lin for creating so many awesome decorations and for helping out so much.

Also a HUGE shout out to all of our Board of Directors. Thanks for being there everyone, this year couldn’t have turned out better in my opinion.

We finished up with DJNEMESIS at the Dragon Dance for the ‘last hoorah’ of Dragon*Con 2011. What a year! It went flawlessly and we have you all to thank for such great times.

Next up: Spooky Empire’s Ultimate Horror Weekend in Orlando FL, on October 7-9, 2011 and then little 5-points Halloween festival on October 21, 2011.

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CON*tourage Presents – 8-Bit Showdown – The Video Game Party @ Play On Con

Jun 7th, 11 / 0 Comments
The Video Game Party

Click To See The Full Poster

Remember the feeling of an old-fashioned JOYstick in your hands. Remember when you could finally play video games at HOME!! CON*tourage proudly presents the 8-bit Party Showdown - THE VIDEO GAME PARTY – A TRIBUTE TO CLASSIC VIDEO GAMES and the SYSTEMS we played ‘em on! ONLY at Play On Con in Birmingham, Alabama on Saturday Night, July 30th in Suite 816. The party starts at 10 PM. We will have all of your favorite classic video games set-up to and ready to play your ass off. ALSO we’ll have Booze, ’80s Music, Dancing, Singing, and Costumed Freaks jumping around and other assorted mayhem.

Join us for the hottest late-night party at Play On Con. A night you will never forget, Compete in our CLASSIC VIDEO GAME COMPETITION. See all of the wild and crazy costumes and have the time of your LIFE! Don’t forget to visit our Facebook Event page and RSVP so we know your comin!

ALSO – Sataurday morning we will host our amazing and fantabulous PANCAKE CHOW-DOWN!  Come get your share of sugary carbs and refuel for another day at PLAY ON CON! ($3 donation requested)

And we are ACCEPTING DONATIONSto help keep the parties rollin! Just click on the ‘DONATIONS’ button on the right hand side of our site in the SideBar. NO DONATION IS TOO SMALL OR TOO LARGE. We appreciate it, and so will you when you see what we have in store for Ya’s!

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Had a blast at May-Hem! Next up – Play On Con!

Jun 5th, 11 / 0 Comments

Got to meet Anthony Micheal Hall at Spooky Empire's May-Hem!

It was good times in Orlando, Florida last weekend for Spooky Empire’s May-Hem at the Wyndham Resort and Hotel. This con was just as much fun as Spooky Empire’s Screamfest held annually at the same hotel in October. It was the first time they have held a con in May and it was a resounding success, albeit it was hotter than hell.

Met up with Pete Hickey, Will and Ty as well as many other friends including the boys from Evil Fire Lizards Dr. Skull, Cris Crum and Dean Martin, Plus Dementia and Florida Phil, Clutch Rocketship and the Wolfpack crew. It was an all day – all night CON*crazy weekend with a seriously impressive guest list including Bruce Campbell from Evil Dead, The Walking Dead cast, Anthony Micheal Hall from Sixteen Candles / The Breakfast Club and more recently The Dead Zone and also Alex Winter from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and The Lost Boys. The line to get a Bruce Campbell autograph was one of the longest I’d ever seen. He has a lotta fans. I myself am a Anthony Micheal Hall fan as The Breakfast Club is one of my Top Ten Favorite Films, So I got an Autograph (Which as you all know I rarely ever do) and a picture (graciosly taken for me by Dementia).

The pool party was as Epic as always with a live band playing all night long and lots of crazyness going on everywhere. Many of the stars came out to hang with the fans including Mr. Hall and others. It was a weekend that was way worth it. One thing we all enjoyed very much was a trip to Giadano’s Pizza for some of the most amazing Deep Dish Pizza on the planet. Mark your calendars for next year!

Now it’s on to Play On Con in Birmingham Alabama in July. Can’t wait to party with you all again. Stay tuned for the official party announcement and poster design for this event coming at you real soon. Love you all and keep rockin!

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The NEW “Old” Forum Is Now BACK FROM THE DEAD!

May 15th, 11 / 2 Comments

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood web-master, Master Andre, for a late-breaking news story! After long hours of trying to work with the now “Old”  new bbpress forum, WE, the CON-tourage party-masters have decided that the “Old” forum was a hell of a lot better! It’s a damn good thing we never turned the “Old” NEW  forum off completely, which makes this rather easy.

TO ACCESS THE NEW “OLD” FORUM – CLICK HERE

For those of you who used to have an identity on the “Old” NEW forums, you can pick up where you left off. For those CON-tourage members who started on the NEW “Old” forums, well, you’ll have to create a new profile and join in the new-new-old forum. If you forgot your username or password, let us know and we can look it up or change it for you. Well,  That’s all for now. Keep rockin!

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New banners up in our CON*links section!

Apr 19th, 11 / 0 Comments

CHECK IT OUT Y’all! We have added some new banners to a handful of different websites in the CON*links section of our sidebar! We encourage all of our visitors to check-out all of our links and see what kind of cool stuff is going on! If there are any links we missed or, if you know about, or own, a great website – submit the link to us  and we will kindly add it to the site. We appreciate link-backs too so any link traders out there, hit us up and we can spread the SEO love!

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CON NOOGA was a great Success…now on to THE ROAST!

Mar 5th, 11 / 0 Comments


First thing, Mark (aka Bama Spyder) and I want to thank all who helped out at CON NOOGA this year, we couldn’t have done anything without you! We love all of our crew! Thanks to all who attended, we hope you all had a blast! We returned from being beaten by the Pirates a year previous and have reigned SUPREME! The trophy was given by CON NOOGA chairman Todd Patton himself who personally congratulated us on the official win. People are going to tell tales of our ’80s ROCK PARTY for years and for many of us, it will be a night we will never forget. Next year we will return trumphant and host a most excellent celebration party, so mentally book yourself now!

Now on to the festivities at hand. The PhotoGnome ROAST of the Century! This event is shaping up extremely well. Tons of support for PhotoGnome has propelled this event into the stratosphere!  We have recently enlisted the services of the mighty THANDOR (of Boozepack fame) who now owns and operates an estabishment named Dune Lounge, located  at 2030 Powers Ferry Rd. SE, Suite 440, Marietta, GA  that we will be using to host the Roast. Thandor, as some of you might remember, beat us out of the party battles at Frolicon 2009 with his Pimps and Hoes’ Party. Now we join forces for this event spectacular.

To add to the excitement, The Big Leneski and his crew of misfits host an hour long talk show about general geek-culture, most of them with very special interviews! They’ll be promoting the PhotoGnome ROAST every Sunday night & also be at the event to record live, do interviews & be a media partner! Afterward polishing it up, they’ll post it online for all to enjoy.

The infamous and witty DJ NEMESIS will be taking helm as the PhotoGnome ROAST MASTER.

We are also very excited to have some great sponsors on board that will help make this event extra special, including Girls of the Con, Three Muses Clothing, CON-voluted, Play On Con, DriveThruRPG.com, SKW Productions, Quad @ Spring4th Complex and Dune Lounge. If you have a business or group you’d like to promote we are still accepting Roast Sponors which you can learn more about HERE.

Pre-register your regular tickets by March 8th ($20)…we’ll also have tickets available “day of” for $25 – time to break out your costumes and online leading up to the event!!! We also still have VIP ROASTER spots available ($50) if you have dirt on the Gnome and want to be a part of the ‘roasting’ action.

Needing to book a hotel for your stay during the PHOTOGNOME ROAST? We have decided to recommend the Extended Stay Deluxe Atlanta – Marietta (2010 Powers Ferry Rd NW, Atlanta, GA, 30339) which is priced at $61 but you NEED to book via www.Hotels.com to get the good deal. This is a great location as it’s just down the street from the Roast location (0.8 miles away). It’s where all of us cool kids will be staying!

2011 CON*tourage PhotoGnome Roast Sponsors

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CON NOOGA 2011 Party Poster Revealed

Jan 18th, 11 / 0 Comments

80s Rock Party Presented by Con-tourage.com

Here it is ladies and gentlemen. The first party of the year will be in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on February 19th, 2011. Where? At the one-and-only Con Nooga as a part of their ROOM PARTY BATTLE. Last year we were driven out by PIRATES!, but this year…VICTORY WILL BE OURS! Come and witness the awesome Rad-ness of the ‘80s ROCK PARTY hosted by www.CON-tourage.com.

We have some great things planned for this party and into the rest of the year so STAY TUNED and get your CON-GEAR ready, ’cause we got some partyin’ to do!

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Tron Legacy Review

Dec 20th, 10 / 0 Comments

When I was 11 years old, I went to see the original TRON in a theatre that no longer exists. It was 1982, and video gaming was my entire world. I didn’t have a computer when TRON came out, I couldn’t afford one. I just had a dream and a few quarters to spend at the arcade I earned by delivering newspapers on my crappy bike. TRON was a staple game at the arcade, and it was a feeling like no other to grip that controller, drop a quarter,  hear the TRON music and be transported onto the grid every weekend. I remember pretending that very same bike was a light-cycle zooming through a computer generated grid.  It was a pretty poor substitute, but my imagination was ignited for a lifetime. 

 A long time has passed since those days. 28 years to be exact. A lot has changed in my life, and in video games. I have been there every step of the way. Ive owned countless video game rigs, computer systems and played thousands of hours behind the controller. When I heard TRON was coming back, after all these years, I was beyond excited. I wrote an article about the early footage over a year ago, way back before the re-design, when the Comic-Con trailer was leaked out and spread like a virus all over the internet. I have been patiently awaiting this film for decades and it’s finally here. Let me tell you, it does not disappoint. Its has once again ignited my creativity and imagination, and my passion for video games.

Visually it is breathtaking, and the 3-D, although not sickening or overpowering, is brilliant and adds amazing depth to the computer generated imagery. From the opening credits of a rezzed up Magic Kingdom (nice touch) to the last frame of the credits, it draws you in to the TRON world like never before. Sam Flynn (Garett Hedlund) is like-able and believable in the role of Kevin Flynn’s son and rightful heir to the ENCOM legacy. Of course Jeff bridges is back, (and what a career he’s had in the past 28 years) as Kevin Flynn and also, serving double duty as the CGI retouched CLU,  who I thought was tweaked just enough to be realistic yet obviously part of the computer world. Bruce Boxleitner, who played TRON / Alan Bradley in the original film also returns and does a great job playing his role in the story. Olivia Wilde plays Quorra, and is one sexy program. Some really great supporting cast players round out a very well cast film.

TRON Legacy does not rely on TRON to be seen and fully understood, however there are a myriad of special touches, nods and throwbacks to the original film that kept a smile on my face the whole way through. One very nice addition was a faithful recreation of FLYNNS arcade, complete with rows of video game cabinets from the 80′s, sound effects included, that holds a special place in my soul. Without giving anything away, TRON Legacy sets itself up for a sequel, and TRON 3 has already been confirmed. TRON Legacy has done well in its opening weekend and is sure to continue on through the holiday season racking up the bucks.

DAFT PUNK, the amazingly popular duo of electronic music were signed up to do the films score and what a perfect choice that was. The soundtrack stands alone as a masterpiece of the time and blends together so well with what you would expect that it heightens TRON Legacy beyond spectacular and into pure genius. Personally, its a no-brainer add to my I-Tunes library.

If you want to be dazzled by the latest computer generated images and a very good story, if you were a fan of video games and the original TRON, if you want to be transported to a science-fiction digital world, GO SEE TRON IN 3-D. There really is no other move like it.

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CON*tourage invades Birmingham @ THE NICK

Dec 17th, 10 / 0 Comments

The CON*tourage Crue back together again!

We had a smashing time this last weekend in Birmingham, Alabama. First and foremost we all came together to celebrate Mark’s Birthday (AKA Bama Spyder, AKA Axl, AKA Dr. Rockzo…the rock n’ roll clown – and so on). It was a great weekend and one we will not soon forget. We all CON*viened at Cosmo’s Pizza and had a few slices, a few beers and a few laughs before suiting up in FULL CON*tourage party gear to invade THE NICK.

We met up with our great friends ROCK U, the greatest fucking live karaoke band in the world and rocked out past 3 a.m. with those bastards! Everyone got up there to sing, many of us more than twice! We did all of our old favorites, “White Wedding,” “Crazy Train,” “Mother” and much more!. These guys know how to ROCK, and we rocked right along with ‘em. There were many new faces there too and we picked up some new followers along the way.

We’ve Posted new Pics on Flickr which you can access on the sidebar >>> and some videos up on Youtube for your viewing pleasure to commemorate a FABULOUS weekend. This is really what the FUCK its all about people!

We want to thank everyone who came out! Special Thanks to Adam (AKA Angus) and Jesse (AKA Nathan Explosion) who helped with setup and takedown. We’ll see you all in February for CON Nooga in Chattanooga, TN! And stay tuned for the big reveal of the CON*tourage Roast Honoree with the party happening April 2nd, 2011 in Atlanta!

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A Hoopy New Year note (why I hoop for him) Jan 2010 – Re-Posted from Cassandra White’s Facebook Page

Nov 11th, 10 / 0 Comments

This post is a re-post that I had to share to all here on CON*tourage  – it has ties to our friends at Wolf Pack Elite. This must be read and appreciated by all. It was written by Cassandra White – Hoopgirl who many of you have seen at DC and Spooky. Let it be said, that I barely know this girl except for meeting her briefly at Spooky Empire the last two years and seeing her do her hooping there, and I never knew Kris Bristow, but he looks like a guy anyone could have been friends with. It is about love found at Dragon*Con and the haunting face of the man she fell in love with and lost. It touched me. So Here it is.

This is a story. A true story of how I found something and someone special in a hoop. And how that someone helped me find myself in a plastic ring. I want to share it because everyone should know this. I want the world to know. We all have people in our lives that change us. He is mine…

The Jigger hoop
*This hoop has been retired, hung up, never to be used again. As Kris was the last person to use it.*

In the early summer of 2008, I was surfing videos on Youtube. Let’s face it. That thing is addictive! I ran across this 1987 video of Mat Plendl, National Hula Hoop Champ…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJQdMXEf5Y0 I thought, “I have to learn how to do that!” Yea right. So, i did the research and decided to purchase my first adult hula hoop.

Well, here I am. With a hula hoop and I can barely waist hoop with it! But I took it in my backyard and did everything I could that caused bruises, welts, cuts and scrapes. Annnnnnd i still sucked. Even when I did show a bit of improvement, I still never left my yard. Why? Well, let me tell you a not so secret secret. I suffer from Anxiety. I have for many years. It’s caused me to quit a job, lose friends and shut everything and everyone out of my life. Most people think it’s something you can just “get over”. Easier said than done when you aren’t the one with the speedy heart rate that feels like you’re having a heart attack. Or the feeling of a golf ball lodged in your throat. And the shakes that feel like a seizure. So, hooping in public was NOT an option for me. So it was just a yard hobby.

Fast forward to Labor Day weekend 2008 aka Dragon*Con. And allow me to introduce Kris Bristow. Kris knew of my Hula Hoop hobby, and asked me to bring my hoop to Dragon*Con to hula hoop for just him. Well, ok, for him. He also knew everything about my Anxiety. He was always there to rescue me from a social Anxiety attack, and I would never had to say a word. We actually had hand signs. Silly yea. But he always came to my rescue, taking my hand and saying, “hey let’s go outside for a second.” As not to draw attention to the fact I was having an attack. He’s so sneaky.

One night he actually got me dressed and out with my hula hoop. But I didn’t hoop. I just carried it around. Even that was brutal.

Here we are. The Annual Wolf Pack Elite DC party. Kris and I, along with our Cobra Nightwatch crew, in attendance of course. And my hoop, propped up against a chair. Then Kris asks me to please hoop. How could i say no to that face? It’s impossible, because I grow weak with just one look from him. I pick up my hoop and as shaky as I am i start spinning it over my head with my sweaty hand, then OOPS! The hoop flies out of my hand, into the crowd and hits a guy in a wheelchair. I wish I could say i made that last part up. Kris and my friends start making jokes to cheer me up. But there is no way I’m hooping now! Kris gives me a hug and says, “You’re like a hoop ninja. I know you can do it. Silly girl, don’t worry about those people. Just keep looking at me. It’s just me and you.” Well, who could argue with that pep talk?! So let’s give this another try. My Anxiety is through the roof after that slip of the hoop. But I started again. Crazy scared. Then I looked at Kris. There he was with a big goofy grin. He was my biggest fan. I stayed with him as I started to smile so big. Suddenly no one else was in that room but me and Kris. That’s when the Anxiety went away. And I hooped for him. You can say that sounds lame, but it’s the truth.

The second time I hooped that night, Kris decided to video tape it, and struggles to keep the camera on a wobbly me…(warning, bad hooping ahead!)…

http://s11.photobucket.com/albums/a156/_Carolina_Girl_/DragonCon08/DC08%20Video/?action=view&current=MOV04681.flv

It didn’t matter how bad I was, he thought i was great. Later that night we headed to the Cobra panel where I gave another shot at hooping, with Kris by my side.

I started to video tape my practices. I’d show them to Kris and he’d praise me. He always found a way to tell me how great I was. There was no escape from his compliment downpours. I started to feel really good in the hoop. Beautiful. Untouchable. Strong. Thanks to Kris. I associated my Hooping with Kris ever since that party. I wanted to practice all the time so that I could get better to make him proud. Lame right? I thought about him every time I hooped, and when i did I had no Anxiety. He turned the hoop into my Anti-Anxiety shield.

Kris Bristow died August 15th 2009. The last hoop video he saw was my Never Give Up, What Hooping Means To Me contest entry. Where I talked about my Hooping and Anxiety. Another friend made me realize that Hooping is where I get my PMA (positive mental attitude) and that Kris was my PMA in that hoop. I won that contest on August 14th.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=213853590037

I never wanted to hoop again. Every time i looked at my hoops i saw him and it made me angry and sad.

Skip to Dragon*Con, September 2009. Over the summer, Kris told me that I should be the Hooping act for the Annual Wolf Pack Elite DC party. The party I did my first public hooping at a year earlier with Kris. I told him that i would only do it if he was there. Agreed. Well, now that he’s gone I decided to back out. I was too scared to do it. Then I started thinking about not doing it because I had to, but because I wanted to….for him….because of him. I got up there and pictured him as i looked over the crowd. Then it happened. That voice in my head “just keep looking at me.” And I stayed with him. And I hooped for him. No one else was in that room. Here came the smile, and the Anxiety went away.

I wasn’t awesome. In fact I tripped after the first 20 seconds. But I knew, once again, it didn’t matter because Kris would have thought it was great. The song that was playing was randomly chosen by the DJ because i didn’t have a song at the time since i was so frantic. The song says “every time i see you falling, i get down on my knees and pray.”..I cried after that performance…

http://www.vimeo.com/6557912

So there it is. If it wasn’t for Kris I wouldn’t be hooping. If i didn’t hoop, i would be hiding in my room overwhelmed with Anxiety. I wouldn’t have met all the people I know now that I met because of Hooping. I wouldn’t feel pretty and in control. Kris changed my life. I will occasionally go back and reread a note or a silly myspace comment he would leave me, telling me how great he thought I was. I still think of him every time i look at my hoops. I think of him while i hoop. I think of him when i think of hooping! It never ends. Some days though, it gets hard. To have something i love so much make me think of someone I will never see again. Sometimes I get angry and want nothing to do with Hooping. Other days I cry in the hoop. Then there are those wonderful days Kris gives me where I could hoop for hours upon hours. I hope to one day be able to control the sadness that comes along with my love for hooping and for Kris.

Never stand to close to me when I hoop in public. I don’t see you. I only see him.

Cellular nonsense

I wanted to share this story because everyone should know about good people. Kris is an amazing person who is doing something wonderful for me. The couple years I’ve known him he was always happy, upbeat and never had anything mean to say about anyone. He was truly a lovely soul. I never want his memory to fade away.

I kept this about Hooping. Anything else is really no one elses business. If you don’t care for my story, then don’t read it. And please keep your negativity to yourself.

Thank you

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