When I moved to Las Vegas, the big question everyone had was “What about Weetacon?”
Yup. What about Weetacon.
In June, Esteban and I flew out to Vegas to find a house and my friend Jake drove down to hang out with us. During that week, we ate many questionable meals, tried not to melt in record-setting heat (120 degrees LITERALLY in the shade) and sat in our hotel suite drinking Utah cold brew coffee with Bailey’s and brainstormed the million ways we could answer that question. There were two proponents for pushing the pause button — after all, not only would I be in grad school full time and unable to supplement the budget out of pocket anymore, I would also physically need to travel as well. It was an additional layer of complexity. Plus, I was insisting on remaining an active board member of my literacy charity in Green Bay, which ended up being a full time job three months of the year while we worked to create the largest literary festival Green Bay has ever seen.
So we talked about what a world without a Weetacon would look like. We also talked about doing it in Vegas. We also talked about just keeping calm and carrying on — the option that had the fewest votes from my concilliaries.
In the end, as supreme emperor of Weetacon, it’s my decision and so I’ve opted to not mess with the magic. Every year, we tweak the Weetacon formula — sometimes because we’re sick of doing the same thing and sometimes because we have to (for instance, the old farmer who owned the horses and sleigh and farm where we held the sleigh ride? He’s gone to the big wagon train in the sky, so sleigh rides aren’t feasible anymore) and this year is not any different. For instance, our Bad Bar was flattened last May, so we were looking for another location for the drunken debauchery/silly sober fun time already. We roll over any speed bumps and just get creative. For instance, June tapped out of making the brat and booyah extravaganza a few years ago, and Esteban took up the helm of stirring the Belgian Penicillin and grilling up the sausages. Over the years, we’ve modified the menu to accommodate allergies, vegans and gluten-free diets — but much of this depended on turning our kitchen into Weetacon HQ and now our kitchen is in another time zone. So this year, rather than trying to find a suitable replacement for Esteban’s amazing cuisine, we’re going big in another direction:
Weetacon Prom!
We’ve always had a big group meal and a private Bad Bar experience, so this year, we’re going big or going home. Prom King and Queen will be crowned, promposals are being proffered, and fancy duds are being sought. It’s going to be a night to remember, a fantasy under the sea, and all in the safe confines of the Weetacon Tribe. Plus, a nice sit down dinner that accommodates everyone’s dietary restrictions.
Additionally, we’ll have a group dine at Weetacon favorite chicken hall, Van Abel’s (home of pitchers of chocolate milk and all the BAAAAAARS you can eat) followed by our favorite private karaoke party with a KaraOREOke nibble bar. Plus, you know, good stuff like the world’s funniest charity raffle and basically an entire weekend hugging it out with the coolest people on earth.
I’m really looking forward to this, let me tell you.
To be honest, it’s an experiment. Weetacon excitement has been dwindling in recent years. We used to always sell out by Jan 1 but this year, we haven’t yet. So who knows what will happen next year. I love so many of these people more than anything — they have shaped my relationships and are people I trust explicitly with my life. They are literally some of my very very best friends. While I’m sure that we’ll always have a place to hang out together, it may stop being so open and start becoming invite-only. But for right now, even though we don’t know what will happen in the future, Weetacon 2018 is a go.
What does this mean for you? It means that there are still hotel rooms available and still time for you to register! All you have to do to register is send $149 (this covers the room, DJ, karaoke guy, dinners and other expenses we have as a group) via Paypal and you’re registered. Then you reserve your hotel room at the world’s best little Irish inn, St. Brendan’s using the group rate “WEETACON” for just $89 per night (which includes really good wifi and a pretty damned delicious breakfast, plus hot cookies in the afternoon — I am not making that up) and you’re all set.
Then all you have to do is plan a really great outfit for Saturday night (make sure your pants are ‘eating pants’) and figure out if you want to dress up for WeetaProm or go as a “chaperone” in regular clothes, and practice your moves for our legendary Soul Train Line Dance, because that shit? That shit is happening.
What are you waiting for? Weetacon is March 23-25 in Green Bay Wisconsin!
So, dear reader, do you want to go to prom with me?
