User:Mikek999/sandbox

No sandbox experiments are currently in progress.

See previous versions of this "article" for a record of previous experiments.

Questions? How to Contact Us
Use these methods to contact the convention.

Snailmail


 * Con*Stellation


 * P.O. Box 4857


 * Huntsville AL 35815-4857

Email (inquiry about 2014 cancellation)


 * [mailto:canceled2014@con-stellation.org?subject=Con*Stellation%202014 canceled2014@con-stellation.org]

Email (general inquiry)


 * [mailto:constell@con-stellation.org?subject=Con*Stellation%20inquiry%20from%20the%20website%20link constell@con-stellation.org]

Phone


 * Google Voicemail: 256-270-0092

NASFA


 * The North Alabama Science Fiction Association sponsors Con†Stellation. To find out how to join this year-round club, or to get in touch with NASFA about any other matter, please see the External Links section below.

Con†Stellation History
The immediate precursor to Con†Stellation was ZerCon, a two-day convention in November 1981. While planning and executing ZerCon, we came up with the name "Con†Stellation" (or "Con*Stellation") for a planned ongoing series of three-day-weekend conventions.

The first Con†Stellation was held July 16–18, 1982, under the full name Con†Stellation I: The Pleiades. The time of year varied over the first few conventions, though at least one has been held each year since. After the first few years, the convention made the shift from a spring/summer convention to a fall convention. Each Con†Stellation has been subtitled with an astronomical constellation—usually one of the 88 official modern constellations, though the first one was named after an asterism in Taurus. The convention often uses the constellation as a theme in its advertising and for events at the convention.

Con†Stellation has been held at a number of Huntsville-area hotels over its history. Other than Con†Stellation II.V (2.5), each has been a 3-day (Friday to Sunday) event.

Con†Stellation 2012
Details of Con†Stellation XXXI: Perseus—held 12-14 October 2012 at the Holiday Inn Express in Huntsville AL—can be found at the link above.

Con†Stellation 2013
Details of Con†Stellation XXXII: Columba—held 11-13 October 2013 at the Holiday Inn Express in Huntsville AL—can be found at the link above.

Future Conventions
Going forward, the plan is to have each year's Con†Stellation in October. Stay tuned to this website for more info on 2015 and forward.

External Links & Fannish Oddities
Other Fannish Stuff in Huntsville

The sponsor of Con†Stellation is the North Alabama Science Fiction Association, aka NASFA—a general-interest science fiction & fantasy club headquartered in Huntsville Alabama. Besides planning and running Con†Stellation, NASFA has monthly meetings that bring together sf/f/h/etc. fans from Huntsville, Madison, and other surrounding areas. Each meeting features both a noisy lively business meeting (which often digresses forays into a variety of sf/f/h/etc. topics) and a program. That latter may feature a regional author, cover a science topic of interest, display some off-the-beaten-track videos, or address almost any aspect of science fiction, fantasy, and related genres. There's also a social aspect to the club, with an "After-The-Meeting Meeting" each month and occasional other events. To find out how to join this year-round club, or to get in touch with NASFA about any other matter, please visit the NASFA website.

Links to Other Conventions, etc.

Fannish Oddities
 * T-Shirt Retrospective
 * For the Con†Stellation T-Shirt Retrospective (of David O. Miller's wonderful art) click here.
 * Fannish Food Pyramid
 * Fans have long joked that the 4 Fannish{whatis|Fandom} Food Groups are Sugar, Salt, Fat, and Caffeine—or some variation. Some folks, for instance, add, um, adult beverages to that list. Others insist that chocolate is the perfect food. All of this rattled around in various fannish brains at Con†Stellation and the Fannish Food Pyramid (at right) was born. Early versions of this appeared at various Con†Stellation room parties in 2006. This is in its final form (circa 2006-7). This parody is based on the 1990's vintage USDA Food Guide Pyramid.

Area Guide

 * This section is in hiatus; check back later for new info.

Attractions and Events
We think Huntsville is a great place to visit and hope you do too. This section is somewhat hastily thrown together, but lists at least some of the many attractions you can visit and events you can go to in and around Huntsville while you're in town.


 * U.S. Space & Rocket Center
 * Space & Rocket Center Museum
 * Tours of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
 * IMAX and 3-D Movies
 * Space Camp
 * Space Academy
 * Aviation Challenge
 * Sci-Quest
 * Huntsville Botanical Garden
 * Scarecrow Trail Fall
 * Harmony Park Safari (not an official website)
 * Tigers for Tomorrow
 * Huntsville Museum of Art
 * Earlyworks Museum Complex
 * Alabama Constitution Village
 * Earlyworks Children's History Museum
 * Huntsville Depot and Museum
 * Von Braun Center


 * North Alabama Railroad Museum
 * Punkin' Pickin' Run Fall
 * Burritt on the Mountain
 * Merrimack Hall Performing Arts Center


 * Huntsville Ghost Walk Fall
 * Trolley Tour, Friday Nights
 * Walking Tour, Saturday Nights
 * Old Town Historic District Walking Tour Fall
 * Madison City Farmers Market Saturdays Spring-Fall


 * Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll Fall