So how about a Dopefest in Helena, Montana?
I’d suggest the BrewHouse - food, beer and a non-smoking atmosphere (if conversation lags we can always talk about smoking 
)
Here’s some suggestions for a date:
Monday, January 20 or M-Th of the following week (January 27-30).
Heck, planning would probably be a lot easier if there weren’t so few of us we could all go in the same pickup.
Reply here or you can email me at my off-Dope address.
Whistlepig
I would like to nominate this thread for
Best Dopefest Title 2003
Other than that, good luck. I"m in Michigan
Whistlepig, I used to live close enough, Havre, but it’s a bit of a drive to Helena from Phoenix. Sorry I’ll be missing out on the festivities. Maybe I’ll stop by when I visit family in Wolf Point one of these days.
Hey, I’m up for it! Us Montana Dopers have to stick together!
Don’t know which weekend is better, but I suspect the earlier one. My mom’s planning on coming up for a few days, and I think she said the last of the month. I’ll ask and let you know.
Woohoo! Montana Dopefest!
The only other Montana Doper I can think of off the top of my head is Derleth, who’s in Havre. Maybe he’ll do a vanity search and find this thread. 
I emailed Derleth and all the other Montana Dopers who replied/posted on the “Ask the Guy from Montana” thread.
Hope you can make it.
Whistlepig
I will be there. Is that thread still on the first page? If not, can you link to it, or send me the link in e-mail? I must have missed it; granted, I was out of town for about three weeks. I do sometimes feel a little isolated up here, Doper-wise.
I agree that that’s a great Dopefest name, and hope you guys have a great time.
According to Harry Turtledove, who may have been making it up, Theodore Roosevelt, during the period he had a ranch in Montana, had a buggy which he referred to as “the Handbasket” because he used it for going to Helena.
Gotta love the name Whistlepig though Teddy obviously thought of it first! <chuckles>
If any of you Monataites (?!?) ever get down to TX, we’ll throw a Texas-sized fest just for you!!
Drinking Pearl would be nice, but we’d probably have to bring some decent steaks.
[Texas Drawl]Honey, you couldn’t HANDLE a truly decent steak. Y’all haven’t ever tasted good steak until you’ve tasted a TEXAS steak![/Texas Drawl]
" . . . and the Montanan says, “Yeah, I used to have a truck like that.”
Wait, what was the OP?
Yeah! I’m in, and I’ll bring Montana Cricket, too. I’ll have to, since we’re together the rest of the time.
The 20’th would be good for us.
I always did have lousy timing—I was back in August, showing the Ottlets where I (mis)spent my college years. (Actually, I was only five months off; pretty good for me).
Anyway, have a good 'un. And if you run out of excuses to hoist one (unlikely), you can always use the Carroll class of '72.
Man, I’m jealous. I’m going to be in Great Falls in June, I guess.
Any of you Montana Dopers want to hook up then? Hello? Is this thing on…??
Good luck with it. I hope it goes well, and we expect lots of drunken updates!
I’m flattered you all remembered me, but I can’t make it.
`I have promises to keep.
And miles to go before I sleep.’
Or attend a Dopefest.
Ok, the 20th, 7 pm at the BrewHouse.
And we will recognice each other by?
Huh. Now there’s a good question. Lemme ponder it a bit and I’ll get back to you.
How does it work at other Dopefests?
Look for keyboard calluses.
The smaller Fests I’ve done have been done a couple of ways. When it’s really small (four or five people), pictures have been exchanged so you have a general idea of what the others look like before you get there, and you can spot them in the bar/restaurant/diner/Ren Fest/miniture golf course/whatever before you get there. If that’s not feasible for whatever reason, someone can make a sign and have people be on the lookout for that sign. (THOSE can get fun and creative! :))
Or, if you’re at a place that has reservations, just put it under the Cecil Adams party and have everyone that comes in ask for that. Whatever works best for y’all is the way to go.
I am so there. You gonna give directions for us non-Helena Dopers? I’m thinking I’ll have to get a hotel room, because I don’t want to drive the couple hours back to Missoula the same night.
And what TruePisces said. We can do nametags too, if you want (and if that’s not too geeky); that’s what we did in NYC last weekend.