Expo Icrontic 2020 is cancelled
Hi all, I know, I know. We're a little bit heartbroken too.
What we're reading about COVID-19 leads us to believe we won't be in the clear until August at the earliest. Even if all travel restrictions are lifted by the end of May, we feel it would be irresponsible to put 50+ people in the same house for 4 days. Gatherings of that size may still be banned at that point anyway. Postponing isn't a good option either: It's already hard enough to get everyone here at once, lots of folks are about to eat up all their PTO, and everyone is super stressed out just with their day-to-day.
As many of you know, we fund the annual website budget with Expo ticket sales. About 25% of your ticket cost goes toward this. With that funding gone, we've set up a GoFundMe for the next year of operations: https://www.gofundme.com/f/icrontic-newbuddhist-2020-fund
That leaves Oktoberfest as the next Icrontic event. Thankfully, it appears well out of pandemic cancellation range. What we'd like to do is extend that event by a day and maybe plan a group activity or three to give it a bit more structure. That will be Thu October 29 - Sun Nov 1, with folks welcome to arrive Wednesday. Activity suggestions are welcome.
If folks would like to organize alternate online gaming for the weekend of Expo (or really any time during these semi-quarantine weeks), please reach out and let's chat.
I hope someday this is all just interesting Icrontic trivia: the year we lost Expo.
Comments
2020 is cancelled. Can we just start in on 2021?
This is the saddest news, but we knew it was a possibility. :-( I'm definitely down for any online socializing you all would like to do!
CAD/USD conversion is shit but hopefully it helps. Only 19 more equal donations to go!
Sad news. Hope I can get all my existing travel refunded, or I'm coming to visit anyways whether you like it or not.
I was just wondering about this year's Expo. I might just have to come to October-fest then. I cannot go to long NIT seeing you all.
Duck Tape Challege is to make the best COVID-19 Mask.
On the topic of the fundraiser, I wanna announce that thru the efforts of @Tushon and myself over the past year+, by this time tomorrow we'll have reduced the web server costs from $180/mo to $55/mo while also making the whole setup far more robust. It's been a helluva project and it's finally nearly wrapped.
On a personal note, I want to admit something: I'm kinda relieved to be forced to take the year off.
We usually kick off our planning for Expo around Oktoberfest. Well, that's about when Kyle was killed. None of us have done much planning. In fact, we're months behind where we should have been to put Expo together for 2020. To catch up now would mean several full days of work for me in April, which is stressful when I just lost my job and should be focusing on other things. I also have no idea if I'd be able to take those days off for a new job.
And setting all that aside, I doubt I'm emotionally ready to host an Expo without Kyle. These last couple years especially, it was the one time I could count on him hanging around the house for longer than a conversation. I feel like I've made a lot of progress the last few weeks, but not that much.
Kyle had most of his Expo badges hanging from a pencil sharpener by the closet in his bedroom. I put them in a shadow box for the service, but I took them out again now and have them hanging in my office. Last weekend I went up to the attic and looked at a box of his stuff up there. At the bottom of it, I found his 2010 Expo badge. I came downstairs and counted them for the first time: he was missing 3 more! I was a bit amused so I texted Hendricks about it and he told me Kyle was super salty about missing some of them. Guess I have a small project this summer.
Sad to hear EPIC is out for this year, but I'm glad that this is also a relief for Linc. Stay safe everyone. Love you all. grouphug
Sorry to hear. Thanks to everyone in this community and I hope you're all staying safe.
After multiple support tickets and ridiculous wait times, we successfully withdrew the GoFundMe proceeds safely to our bank account. Thanks very much again to everyone that contributed.
Maybe in a few weeks or months when things are not so chaotic we could have a virtual drinks with friends night? Just something where we could all get together. Just a low key night but at least we could share some great story's, see a few familiar faces, and laugh a little. It might help some of us heal or at the very least take our mind off being stuck in isolation.
@jokerz4fun you should check out that thing we're literally doing on the regular here: https://icrontic.com/discussion/101330/pandemic-playtime-master-calendar
LOL never underestimate what Trump and his merry band of corrupt, racist imbeciles can accomplish!
As I'm writing this, there are literally more than a thousand people dying per day in the US. Few states even have a negative infection rate, let alone anything approaching containment.
I overheard Brian say last week he was skipping this event regardless, and I don't see any way that we get this pandemic under control before Trump is kicked to the curb in January, so get your mail-in ballots, fill 'em out, drop them off at City Hall (because apparently USPS is the enemy now too since they deliver the ballots that will end his presidency) and let's take out the trash so we can ever see each other again.
Oktoberfest 2020 is off. Sorry, all. Hopefully we can do something together online that week again. I would assume there will be no ICNY this year, either. I'll feel lucky if I even get to see my family for the holidays. 2020 is now the year we lost every in-person event.