Hey, Wakkanne here. Quite a few of you at Pluckmania expressed to me on the phone an interest in a get-together on the east coast. Okkay, so you talked me into it! (Well, not juuust Okkay. I also talked to JeffH, ChillyMouse, Vakkotaur, Keeper, Nakko, Plucky, Emmy, MarkBunny, Mr_Fu, KinkyTurtle...) Ahem, anyway... I am in the process of planning an Animania (which I have dubbed Wakkmania 2000) in the Ocean City, Maryland area for SEPTEMBER of 2000!! Whoa! "Wasn't Wakkmania 2000 supposed to be in May???" you ask? Well yes, actually, you are correct, but unforseen circumstances forced me to push back the date. More about this below.

WHO Will Be at Wakkmania 2000?

Wakkanne Bugzy Yakko82

Jonathan WakkyMouse JeffHBear

Signup

THERE IS STILL TIME TO SIGNUP!!! Just let me know before Monday, September 18, 2000. Those who are interested, please type your IRC nick, your real name (first and last helps), your approximate location (City, State) and your email address in the form below. I will add you to the mailing list and put you on this page as a possible attendee. I will only display your nick on this page. The other information you submit is for my records and will be kept confidential.

And you can always contact me at wakkanne@hotmail.com.

WHAT Is An Animania? What Do Folks Do There?

Most folks who attend these events have known each other for awhile and may have even met in person already. I'm not saying this to scare away the newbies. I just want to make it clear that Animanias are usually small weekend gatherings where Animaniacs internet friends meet each other for the first time in real life, hang out, go places, eat pizza, talk about and watch Animaniacs and generally have a good time. Animanias are NOT large conventions with hundreds of fans who do not know each other. Not scared? Good. Even if you're new you still have time to get to know us better. :)

History of Past Animanias
http://www2.cruzio.com/~keeper/m_histry.htm - get an idea of what Animanias are all about

Animaniacs Newsgroup
alt.tv.animaniacs
OR
http://www.deja.com - look up alt.tv.animaniacs through here

Animaniacs IRC (Internet Relay Chat)
Most of us hang out on IRC (Internet Relay Chat). IRC requires a client (software program) that you can download.
http://www.dal.net/clients.html - download an IRC client

#warnercafe and #watertower can be found on the small but stable IRC network, WTnet.
http://www.wtower.com/WTnet/ - WTnet's Homepage

Both #warnercafe and #watertower have their own webpages where you can learn the rules and news of the channels and who chats there.
http://pinky.wtower.com/warnercafe/ - #warnercafe, my home
http://pinky.wtower.com/watertower/ - #watertower

WHEN The Heck IS This Thing???

I had talked about setting a May date when originally planning Wakkmania 2000, back in January 1998. (You must imagine it was a pretty bold move at the time considering the fact that the fate of the world past December 31, 1999 was so uncertain. :) Anyway... At the time, I was attending Wor-Wic Community College in Salisbury, MD. Wor-Wic's school year ends in late April which would have made a May Animania an ideal time for me. Then in Fall of 1999, I started school at Salisbury State University and later discovered that SSU students didn't get out until the END of May. Dissapointed, but not defeated, I had pondered pushing W2K back to June. I then learned that Chilly was planning an Animania in New York/Pennsylvania for the same month to cooincide with Anthrocon 2000. Now how could I compete with that? Some folks were already torn between which to attend. It just would have be too close.

As it turned out, I was so busy with finals and final projects throughout May that I couldn't even get on IRC let alone plan an Animania. All of these events led me to June 2000. I still wanted to have Wakkmania 2000 this year (W2K just doesn't have the same oomph if set in 2001), but was stumped on when to do it. I talked it over with my parents and they suggested September. It seemed to work, so September it was, September it is, and September it will be. I'm sorry if I messed up anyone's plans because of it.

I realize some folks will be back in school by September (including me), but I believe that it would be easier for these folks to attend an Animania held during their first few weeks of school rather than their week of finals. This is what would have occurred had this event taken place in May.

September is an ideal time of the year to visit because that's when the resort begins to close down for the winter season. Yet the weather is still nice, the ocean is still warm, and the rates start to go down. There is really not much point to planning this event during the summer months. It would simply be too hot, too crowded, and too expensive. Ocean City, Maryland is one of the most expensive summer resorts in the world... or so they say.

Let's look at the 2000 price guide for the Quality Inn (54th Street). It's not your average hole-in-the-wall-hotel, but not your most expensive either...

• The weekend price peaks June 23 - August 27 at $189 a night or $234 a night for oceanfront!!
• In comparison, the weekend rates for September 10 - 16 are $109 a night or $159 a night for oceanfront.
• Move on to September 17 - October 8 and the weekend rates are $94 a night or $114 a night for oceanfront.

As most Animanias of years past, Wakkmania 2000 will occur over a long weekend, that is Friday to Monday. Friday, being the day most folks arrive; Monday, the day most folks leave; giving us all of Saturday and Sunday to do things together.

The planned date for W2k is September 22 - 25. It would be even cheaper in early October, but after Sunfest, many places close and unexpected brisk weather could ruin any plans for some late summer fun.

So WHERE Are We Going?

Ocean City is the thin funny-shaped barrier island thingie that runs along Maryland's Eastern Shore, that FAT funny-shaped penninsula thingie! (Just check a map, you'll see what I mean.) Ocean City has 10 miles of clean sandy beaches and lots of groovy-faboo touristy things ta do while here! WHAT Will We Do There? There are plenty of things to do in Ocean City. For a few examples, there is of course the beach and a 3 mile long boardwalk. Nearby is Assateague Island with its famous wild ponies (hear that, Vakko? :). Sunfest happens at the end of September which kinda serves as the official closing of the tourist season. Like Sringfest, Sunfest always holds concerts and parades has lotsa crafts and food vendors, etc... One thing that I'd really like to do at some point during the trip is to go to the Jolly Roger water slides park. My class went to the water park during Senior Week in 1996 and I've wanted ta go back ever since!

Back in October/November of 1998, Berlin (about 6 miles away from Ocean City) became the filming location for much of the Julia Roberts/Richard Gere film, Runnaway Bride. I remember last year, the whole two weeks they were filming I made a detour through Berlin on my way home from school each day. :) The movie's coming to own on video at the end of June so we could watch it and then see the sights in person. If folks were interested, we could definately check that out.

WHERE Will We Stay?

We're going to be staying at the Quality Inn on 54th Street.

Quality Inn Oceanfront
Oceanfront and 54th Street
Ocean City, Maryland
410-524-7200
Toll-free 800-837-3586
http://www.ocmdhotels.com/qioceanfront/

It was my first choice although at the time I had thought that the motel was the one on 33rd Street! I had gotten the three Quality Inns in Ocean City confused and had based everything around 33rd street! I wasn't sure what to do! I finally decided to go with my initial choice, even though it's far up on 54th Street... it's not right near the center of everything, but it's not way out at the end of Ocean City either (145th Street). I think those who go will be glad that I went with the 54th Street Quality Inn.

The weekend rates for September 17 - October 8 at the 54th street Quality Inn are $114 oceanside and $94 atruim view. Either would be naf. It just depends on how much you wanna spend. The motel itself is oceanside and 26 blocks beyond the end of the boardwalk. In a way, this is a good thing! It's not smack dab in the middle of all the crowds. Its also not all the way at the END of Ocean City, which goes up

The selling point of this Quality Inn seems to be their "five-story atrium, home to tropical birds, lush landscaping and exotic plants." It would prolly make a faboo place for folks ta meet and chat and stuff. There's also an atrium cafe & bar. The website says: "Come experience the relaxation of dining in the tropical paradise of the Atrium Cafe & Bar. Enjoy breakfast or lunch and unwind beneath towering palms while we serve you one of our many specials. The Atrium Cafe & Bar is a unique spot to meet friends, sit back, and sip one of our famous frozen drink amid lush plants listening to the calls of exotic birds. The Atrium is an experience you won't want to miss!"

The weather has been pretty cool this summer so if it's too cold and folks still wanna swim, this place does have a heated indoor pool.

Also, "all units include color CATV with HBO, AM/FM radio, video cassette player (bring your own tapes or rent while you're here), alarm clock, folding doors between living and sleeping area, hide-a-bed couches in all rooms, two extra-long double beds or one king in atrium view units."

HOW Do We Get There?

Here's some important information on how to get to Ocean City, courtesy of http://www.ocean-city.com/transit.htm

Road Maps, Distance Chart, & Road Directions
Click on the above link for some nice car travel information. You can also check out http://www.mapquest.com/.

Salisbury-Wicomico County Regional Airport:
The regional airport is located south of Route 50, approximately thirty minutes away from Ocean City, off Walston Switch Road, just east of Salisbury. USAir offers regularly scheduled flights to and from Baltimore, Washington, DC and Philadelphia. For USAir reservations: 800-438-4322. Salisbury-Wicomico County Regional Airport: 410-548-4827.

I can carpool folks to and from Salisbury and Ocean City. That means anyone who's taking the plane (or even the bus, for that matter) into Salisbury can get a ride with me. Just be sure to email me if that is your plan so I can figure on how many to expect and make sure that after getting all the way to Salisbury, nobody is stuck without a ride. \\= 0 )>

Carolina Trailways Bus Station
Located on 2nd Street
410-289-9307

Some Ocean City Related Links

http://www.ococean.com/ - Town of Ocean City
http://www.ocean-city.com/ - Ocean City Tourist Site
http://www.oceancity.org - Chamber of Commerce
http://www.ocean-city.com/acomdate.htm - Ocean City Accommodations
sept00cal.html - Ocean City September 2000 Calender of Events