[Bashies] Barliman's Bash 2003

[Curunir]

Greetings, y'all.  I'm working on getting a webpage ready for Barliman's Bash info, but
wanted to let the previous attendees and TOR.n staff in on the basic details first.

Barliman's Bash 2003 will be held in Toronto, Ontario from Wednesday July 23rd through
Sunday July 27th.  The overall format will be similar to past Bashes, with a reception to
be held on the evening of the 23rd (with a cash bar and an assortment of munchies) and a
banquet to be held on the evening of Saturday the 26th, again with a cash bar, and a
rather massive buffet-style menu.

Other organised optional activities are being worked on, and could include anything from a
sort of Fan Art Gallery/Contest/Auction to trivia to live-action Hall of Fire-style
discussion groups.  I regret to inform you that Orli will *not* be in attendance.  Even if
he offers.

The catering for the events involving food, the meeting space, and incidentals will once
again be paid for with a Bash Fee.  I've set the fee this year at $75.00, in an attempt to
ensure that there's enough money to book a hospitality suite of some sort, in which any
discussion groups can be held, or art gallery set up, etc.  At this point, cheques or
money orders made payable to Jason Wakeland can be sent to:

BarliBash
P.O. Box 375
Davenport, IA  52805-0375

Please let me know if you send a cheque or money order, so that I'll know to expect it.

After a minor difficulty involving the hotel I'd originally contracted with being sold to
the University of Toronto, I have signed with Marriott's Courtyard Downtown Toronto.  The
Courtyard Downtown is a new property, with large, well-appointed rooms and a host of
amenities.  The property is, as the name implies, in downtown Toronto proper, within easy
walking distance of all Toronto's main attractions - the shopping, theatre, and restaurant
districts, as well as the CN Tower, a host of museums, galleries, and so on.

The breakdown of room rates is as follows, in both Canadian (set in stone) and US (will
fluctuate slightly based upon the current exchange rate) dollars.

Standard room, per person, by number of occupants::

One occupant:     $149 Canadian, $99 US per night ($596 Canadian, $396 US overall)
Two occupants:   $74.50 Canadian, $49.50 US per night ($298 Canadian, $198 US overall)
Three occupants:  $55 Canadian, $37 US per night ($220 Canadian, $148 US overall)
Four occupants:  $45 Canadian, $30 US per night ($180 Canadian, $120 US overall)

King suites are also available, each with a fold-out sofabed in the room, but the price is
nearly double that of the standard room - if you're interested in those prices, please let
me know, and I'll be happy to chuck them your way.

To make room reservations, call the Courtyard at 1-800-847-5075, and be sure to let the
agent know that you're with the Barliman's Bash group to get these rates - the standard
rates for that time of year are $50 Canadian higher.

That's all I've got for you at the moment - the webpage should be up in a few days with
more information and some photos, at which point I'll email the full BarliBash list, but I
wanted those who've attended previously to know first.

If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to let me know - I'm doing everything I
can to make this the best Bash yet.

Yours,

Jason, aka Curunir