Laser Enthusiasts Meeting in Newton, NC 8/15 and 8/16

[DJZ]

Hello folks, just wanted make it known that the 3rd annual SELEM is going to occur next weekend in Newton, NC. SELEM is mostly a light show thing, but if you like the light, you'll fit right in. I don't know how everyone feels about posting links to other laser forums, so instead I'm just going to copy and paste the details:

SELEM 2009 is just around the corner, so I guess it's time to roll out the details.

First, let's talk about the location: The venue is the Newton-Connover Auditorium (formerly known as the Newton-Conover Civic and Performance Place), which is located in Newton, North Carolina. (Figure an hour outside of Charlotte.) This is the same venue as the previous two years - they've just changed their name.

Dates and Times: Load-in of equipment starts Friday, August 14th at noon. The venue will be open from noon until 5 PM for load-in and setup. You don't have to show up on Friday, but if you've got a lot of gear to bring, it's a good idea to do it Friday when there's lots of help available... Also, don't forget the pre-SELEM dinner party. That starts at 6PM on Friday. We all meet at The Artist's Cafe (which is about 3 blocks from the venue) for dinner. Then we retire to the upstairs lounge for drinks, cigars, and lots of trash talking! This usually runs until 10 PM, if not later.

SELEM officially kicks off Saturday morning, August 15th, at 10 AM. We'll run until midnight on Saturday. Then we come back on Sunday at 10 AM and run until about 5:30 PM or so. After that, we pack up, clean up, and we're out of there by 7 PM.

Cost: This year the cost will be $35 per laserist. For that, you get admittance to the event plus an offical SELEM 2009 knit shirt w/ the logo embroidered on the front. If you want to order additional shirts, they will be $20 each. The money raised will be used to pay for the auditorium rental, plus the fee for the staff to babysit us while we play, along with the cost of the shirts. (By the way, these are not cheap t-shirts. They're 2 button collared, knit shirts, and are quite nice.) Unfortunately, because the venue has to be paid for in advance, the fees are non-refundable if you decide at the last minute that you can't attend. (Sorry..)

If you want to bring guests (wives, girlfriends, neighbors, teenage children, co-workers, etc), that is fine, but they will be your responsibility. Make sure they understand the rules. Note that only one person in your group needs to pay the $35 entry fee. But understand that your guests won't get a shirt unless you buy an extra one for them. Also note that any excess money collected will be donated to PhotonLexicon to help cover bandwidth expenses, etc.

We will have door prizes again this year. So far, we've got a set of ScanPro 40 scanners and a set of ScanPro20 scanners up for grabs, both donated by Dave and Adrian at LaserShowParts.com. We'll also have some used equipment up for grabs, including a 25 Mhz oscilloscope. As always, you must be present in order to win a door prize. More details on this as we get closer.

As for special guest speakers at this event - I'm still waiting for final confirmation from several people. I'm hoping that Mike Dunn will be able to make the trip, but he's incredibly busy right now and we're not sure yet if he can make it. Also, Greg Makhov from LSDI is thinking about attending, and if he does he'll be presenting his excellent lecture on color balance. But again, scheduling conflicts may prevent him from attending. More info on this as we get closer to the event.

I plan on setting up a "swap meet" area, either in the hallway backstage or in the lobby if we have a lot of gear, so that people can sell their used equipment if they want to. So if you have some equipment you'd like to sell or trade, bring it to SELEM!

The venue has lots of 110V power available on the stage. I'll have a distribution panel on stage that will supply up to 50 amps of 220v single-phase too. There is 450 amps of 208V 3 phase power available backstage, and there is a deep-sink in the mop closet backstage that should be able to provide 8 to 10 gpm for water cooling if needed. Figure 120 feet from the water source to the stage, and 80 feet from the 3 phase power to the stage. There is a loading dock backstage that is at the same elevation as the stage.

The venue has *plenty* of tables and chairs that we can use on stage for equipment and people. We'll be connecting to the house sound system again this year, but we'll also have the killer sound system that we've had at the previous Florida Laser Enthusiast's Meetings this past spring set up on stage as well.

The shirts are pretty much sold out and the entrance fee is still $35 to cover the cost of the venue. All are welcome!

 

[pullbangdead]

Wow, why Newton-Conover? I grew up not that far from there.

 

[DJZ]

Well they have a nice auditorium there and we get the whole place for 2 and half days for pretty cheap. We looked all over when we first started these and everything as nice as this theater was well over 1K. Newton is a bit remote, but it's worked out well the past 2 years in a row.

 

[DJZ]

By the way, for a taste of last years event, here's a youtube video: YouTube - SELEM 2008 Laser Light Show Video - Part 1

 

[carmangary]

I will be there. If you go I will give you a discount on Spaghetti and give you a demo.

 

[ElektroFreak]

wish I could make it.. you know it'll be a great time!