Author: Alan Pollard

Update #2

Alan Pollard
Just a reminder that the next virtual FKO, FK-NO 3 starts April 1st weekend. (Resists “NO Joke!” pun). We have an amazing schedule lined up and will be posting it Monday, March 21st.

We will be posting the sign-ups for the song contests on Monday, March 28th and the words for the Penguin Contest on Thursday, March 31st at 12:00pm eastern. Note: A reminder that this years song contest topic is “Building Bridges”.

The schedule is a very full one one but even so we should have more than twelve 15 minute sign-up slots available in addition to open filk. We shall have the sign up for those slots up Wednesday, March 30th at 12:00pm eastern.

Please come and join us for at least a little of the weekend, remember, one wonderful thing about a virtual con is that you can come and go as it suits your schedule. That is in addition to knowing that you like everything in your personalised con-suite, and that the bed your crashing in after the open filk is comfortable!

Looking forward to “seeing” you all!

Sally (FKO Conchair) Peggi (Filk Society President)

Note: A quick clarification of our last announcement regarding the Filk Society, and the committees retirement after the live FKO in the summer. August 12 weekend!

If no one willing, or legally qualified, to take over the Society comes forward; there is NOTHING stopping a group or individual from starting FilKONtario up again without the Society. We can even pass assets such as working files, artwork, website and Facebook etc on to such a group. Even things like the backdrop and some sound equipment for a VERY nominal fee. What we are not able to legally pass on are the mailing/membership lists or the financial assets. The first due to Ontarios privacy laws, and the second because any remaining monies has to be donated to another registered Ontario charity/not-for-profit. As a result, restarting FKO without the Filk Society would mean starting from scratch where memberships and financials are concerned.

We would all love to see the convention moving forward in some form after we leave, and are certainly willing to act as a mentorship resource for any group making that happen. With, or without, the Filk Society!

As mentioned in our last notice:

If there is anyone willing and able to form a Board and take over the Filk Society, please contact Peggi Warner-Lalonde by June 10 as this will affect our convention budget!

And remember:

August 12 is your opportunity to use all those memberships we have been rolling over, but please don’t book any flights until we are absolutely certain we are able to go ahead. We hope to give final confirmation by mid-June!

FKO Update

Alan Pollard

Message from Peggi Warner-Lalonde (President, Filk Society of Upper Canada) and Sally Headford (Con-chair, FilKONtario/FilKONtari-NO)

Greetings to everyone in this wonderful and diverse community of ours.

We, together with the members of our respective Board and Committee, feel that it is time to apprise ­that community of what will be happening with FKO, both this year, and in the future.

As you all know we are going virtual again this year. We have learned a lot over the last two years, and we plan on making this the best virtual FilKONtario yet. Mark your calendars for the weekend of April First. 🙂

But we have an even bigger announcement!

We are planning an in-person FKO for the weekend of August 12 – in part because the Hotel could not roll over the contract for another year (so this is also your one opportunity to use all those memberships we have been rolling over!). So add those dates as well, but please don’t book any flights until we are absolutely certain we are able to go ahead. We hope to give final confirmation by mid-June! We intend it to be a fun bash/celebration.

There is one other reason we wish to have the live con and to make it as big and as fun as possible.

While the Filk Society (and FKO) remains a financially viable entity, both the Society Board and the Convention Committee are retiring en masse this year. Therefore, we are also planning the August event as our retirement bash!

We are not getting any younger, and we feel that it is time for us to bow out, and to do so in a positive and open manner.

If there is anyone willing and able to form a Board and take over please feel free to contact Peggi, but be aware that it means taking over the Filk Society of Upper Canada. (It is the Ontario not-for-profit that runs FKO. As such it is a legal entity and subject to Ontario’s Provincial regulations as well as Federal legislation.)

Thank you, one and all!

Thanks from FK-NO

Alan Pollard

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in BTC/FK-NO this weekend. Fabulous music and great workshops by all. It was so good to see all of you and spend time with our filk family. Congratulations to the FHoF inductees and special thanks to the BTC crew who made this a con to remember. So many new voices heard and old friends seen. Thank you all!

Penguin Song Contest

Alan Pollard

This year the penguin song contest had a new twist. In keeping with the renewed popularity of sea shanties, we challenged our songwriters to create a sea shanty with the word “penguin” in it.

Winners:

Summer Russell – The Famous Frobisher

Jeff Urs – Up Anchor, Arthur Gordon Pym

Chris Clarke – Exiles, Thieves and Fools

 

As soon as we get permission from the writers we will post the lyrics to these great songs here.

For inspiration, the Con-com has written a teaser for FK-NO 2 in sea shanty form.
Enjoy it here-> Zooming In to FK-NO