I promised a Gatecon report....
Aug. 16th, 2006 11:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sally_mariaI was so surprised back in April when ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
gayalondiel told me that the first Gatecon Stargate convention was being held in Cheltenham, but I knew I couldn't let the opportunity pass me by. It was being held at part of the University of Gloucestershire, the Park Campus - formerly the teaching training college that Roman Lady attended. ;-)
There was a Meet and Greet on Thursday, which I booked too late to attend, so my first contact was on Friday morning when I arrived just in time for the opening ceremony. (I should have been late, but fortunately they were running on fan time and so I had ten minutes to spare.) It began with a vid of previous Gatecon events to an incredibly catchy song - Absolutely Everybody - which was repeated at regular intervals throughout the weekend. Then it was time for the first Q&A session to begin. All of the actors (see here for who I'm talking about) were extremely entertaining but I made sure I had time to check out the dealer's room. (The apostrophe is in the right place, there was only one, with a lot of wonderful pictures of all the Stargate stars but nothing else - which was at least good for my credit card.) I did get some picture though, including a mount where you got to choose your own pictures and layout.
So I was able to get one with all my boys - now I've got to work out a way to attach it to the wall.
At lunch I dropped my coke bottle and it went everywhere - a blessing in disguise as when I was clearing up I met Starbird and she introduced me to some lovely people I spent the rest of the weekend with - shels, Mal, Richard and Gareth. In the afternoon it was time for people to have photos with the stars, which I hadn't gone for, and an incredibly difficult quiz (we got 9 out of 20 which was quite an achievement - how far apart did Sam set the claymores in Children of the Gods - I ask you!) Then Mal, shels and I decided we'd walk into town to get pizza - I knew being a local guide would be useful at some point. ;-)
Saturday morning was for the rest of the photos, so I decided to have a lie-in, but I did get there in time to get Steve Bacic's autograph. After more Q&As we ate at a local pub and it was time for the auction. Definitely an experience not to be missed - all the actors got behind earning as much for the charity as possible - something that obviously involved taking their shirts off at the slightest excuse. ;-)
Then it was time for the disco, and the queue for the bar stretched most of the way across the room - I don't think we drank them dry, but they certainly seemed to underestimate quite how many bar-staff they would be needing. The stars happily joined in dancing the night away and learnt several new dances - Star Treking was particularly successful. ;-) Finally at 2am it was time to go home and make an LJ post.
Five hours later I was up and around again, as I didn't want to miss the last of the Q&As, including Suanne Braun who played Hathor - a really challenging role, that involved her kissing both RDA and Michael Shanks. A lovely lady, and it was a shame she couldn't make it all weekend. Then the closing ceremony, and after lunch, time to queue for autographs. An interesting communal activity, that involved a certain amount of sleeping on the part of some fans, but eventually we made it and left with our programmes completed - and a Major Davis picture, for such a good-looking guy, Colin Cunningham certainly chose a fugly picture to go in the programme. Then it was time to say goodbye to everybody, with hopes to meet again soon.
I had a wonderful weekend, and now I have to decide whether I going to try to make it to Pegasus 2 in February, with at least the possibility of David Hewlett.
gayalondiel told me that the first Gatecon Stargate convention was being held in Cheltenham, but I knew I couldn't let the opportunity pass me by. It was being held at part of the University of Gloucestershire, the Park Campus - formerly the teaching training college that Roman Lady attended. ;-) There was a Meet and Greet on Thursday, which I booked too late to attend, so my first contact was on Friday morning when I arrived just in time for the opening ceremony. (I should have been late, but fortunately they were running on fan time and so I had ten minutes to spare.) It began with a vid of previous Gatecon events to an incredibly catchy song - Absolutely Everybody - which was repeated at regular intervals throughout the weekend. Then it was time for the first Q&A session to begin. All of the actors (see here for who I'm talking about) were extremely entertaining but I made sure I had time to check out the dealer's room. (The apostrophe is in the right place, there was only one, with a lot of wonderful pictures of all the Stargate stars but nothing else - which was at least good for my credit card.) I did get some picture though, including a mount where you got to choose your own pictures and layout.
So I was able to get one with all my boys - now I've got to work out a way to attach it to the wall.
At lunch I dropped my coke bottle and it went everywhere - a blessing in disguise as when I was clearing up I met Starbird and she introduced me to some lovely people I spent the rest of the weekend with - shels, Mal, Richard and Gareth. In the afternoon it was time for people to have photos with the stars, which I hadn't gone for, and an incredibly difficult quiz (we got 9 out of 20 which was quite an achievement - how far apart did Sam set the claymores in Children of the Gods - I ask you!) Then Mal, shels and I decided we'd walk into town to get pizza - I knew being a local guide would be useful at some point. ;-)
Saturday morning was for the rest of the photos, so I decided to have a lie-in, but I did get there in time to get Steve Bacic's autograph. After more Q&As we ate at a local pub and it was time for the auction. Definitely an experience not to be missed - all the actors got behind earning as much for the charity as possible - something that obviously involved taking their shirts off at the slightest excuse. ;-)
Then it was time for the disco, and the queue for the bar stretched most of the way across the room - I don't think we drank them dry, but they certainly seemed to underestimate quite how many bar-staff they would be needing. The stars happily joined in dancing the night away and learnt several new dances - Star Treking was particularly successful. ;-) Finally at 2am it was time to go home and make an LJ post.
Five hours later I was up and around again, as I didn't want to miss the last of the Q&As, including Suanne Braun who played Hathor - a really challenging role, that involved her kissing both RDA and Michael Shanks. A lovely lady, and it was a shame she couldn't make it all weekend. Then the closing ceremony, and after lunch, time to queue for autographs. An interesting communal activity, that involved a certain amount of sleeping on the part of some fans, but eventually we made it and left with our programmes completed - and a Major Davis picture, for such a good-looking guy, Colin Cunningham certainly chose a fugly picture to go in the programme. Then it was time to say goodbye to everybody, with hopes to meet again soon.
I had a wonderful weekend, and now I have to decide whether I going to try to make it to Pegasus 2 in February, with at least the possibility of David Hewlett.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-17 09:44 am (UTC)It's so much fun looking back at the memories through reviews and pictures :o) Can't wait for the DVD...and yes that quiz was absolutely nasty...i couldn't believe it when Alan said "and now for a couple of hard questions"...they were hard enough as it was!
Rae (the girl who took her 12 year old brother, and kept being told to cover his ears...yeah like he would let me!)
Would you mind terribly if i friended you? I practically live on livejournal...and would love to stay in touch with other people who went to Gatecon.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-17 06:12 pm (UTC)I tend to live on LJ myself and I'm always glad to add new friends, so you are more than welcome to friend me.
Oh crap, it's September!
Date: 2006-09-27 08:46 am (UTC)See ya at Peg 2! :D
Absolutely Everybody...
Christina (shelsfc)