Written by Denise Gary
Photographs © Denise Gary
Dragon*Con is all about the fun! You would have to be a zombie not to have fun there. Kids Need to Read learned all about it thanks to a Facebook cause to get KNTR to Dragon*Con, sponsored by Mike Dougherty and the crew of Browncoats: Redemption!
There was merrymaking . . .
Troublemaking . . .
Camaraderie . . .
Sweetness . . .
Triple sweetness . . .
Evilness . . .
Double evilness . . .
And so much joke-telling . . .
We have so many people to thank for making Dragon*Con so wonderful. PJ Haarsma and I were invited to join the Browncoats: Redemption panel, which quickly overflowed the designated room, even after opening up the adjoining room! Fifty people had to be turned away. The two of us enjoyed being part of the gathering and watching the premiere of the intriguing Browncoats: Redemption teaser.
© Kelly Dougherty
The premiere of the film will take place next year at Dragon*Con 2010. All proceeds from the DVD release will be given to various Browncoat-related charities, including Kids Need to Read. The whirlwind that is Redemption writer/director Mike Dougherty quickly raised almost $700 for KNTR at the panel. We are grateful to all who answered Mike’s call to give. We accept no responsibility for the heinous act Mike put on in our booth to raise more funds for KNTR (see double evilness, above), but look for a possible repeat at Creation Entertainment Salutes Serenity and Firefly in November! He is wickedly hilarious!
Claudia Drinovsky conducted another incredible Jayne Hat Knit-a-thon for KNTR, knitting an amazing 14 hats while constantly working in the Austin Browncoats very busy booth. She gives new meaning to the word multi-tasking; it was more like octa-tasking! Claudia raised $2,148 for Kids Need to Read through pledges and hat sales. I ordered and purchased the first knitted hat, made especially for KNTR’s own Terrify’n Space Monkey.
Watching Claudia knit at every available moment gave me a deep appreciation for how difficult it is to pull off this fundraiser during the hectic schedule of Dragon*Con. We thank Claudia for her giving spirit! We also thank Beth Nelson and Austin Browncoats for allowing us to share part of their booth this year. It gave us a chance to spread awareness for KNTR, as well as witness the various costumes Beth showed up in every day. What a show!
I finally got to visit with Sending a Wave podcaster Wendy Scott after three years of internet and phone communications! Wendy conducted interviews for Sending a Wave with PJ and me at Dragon*Con. Wendy is always a hoot to chat with. We sincerely thank her and Andrew for their unwavering support of Kids Need to Read throughout the years. (Thanks for the “looks younger than I expected” comment on the previous podcast, Andrew! What a silver-tongued devil you are!)
Minister of Magic Jenn Clack stopped by our table to present KNTR with a $1,700 check for funds raised at Azcatraz this past July. We didn’t see Jenn with a wand, but she definitely has a magical personality. Kids Need to Read loves Harry Potter Education Fanon and is greatly looking forward to Infinitus 2010!
So here is to happy faces . . .
Familiar faces . . .
Volunteer fun . . .
And good times!
See more pictures of Dragon*Con 2009 in the KNTR gallery and join us at Dragon*Con 2010.
