Well, how about this? You come to the party with a pout on your face, pretending the pout is your halloween costume, and we’ll pretend it’s a halloween party?
Yay!!
So, the MAD Dope-a-Ween franchise is up for grabs.
Before Jonathan Chance was even a Doper, yours truly hosted the first MAD Halloween party, all the way back in 2000. I might just talk with the wife, and see if she can be talked into a repeat.
RTFirefly, you might want to check my original Dope-a-Ween thread to see why I gave up on it (scheduling problems, mostly) before you sign on to do it. Seems that the NYC MegaDopeFest is going to be going on the same time as the prime Dope-a-Ween weekend. Not that the Dopers who can’t make it to NYC wouldn’t be happy to come (like, maybe, me).
BTW, will you be bringing the wife with you on the 16th? Of course, it’s fine if you don’t know yet. Curious, more than anything.
Alas, this is a conflict with my BIL’s 50th b-day party, so I must regretfully say “Oh, poop…”
I, too regret that you had to say that. 
I also might be able to swing this one.
FCM, I sort of thought you might not make it, just because it’s a fairly long drive from the Eastern Shore to western Maryland. I’m hoping to finally meet you face to face at a more “middlin’” location Fest.
Here’s the deal, folks: I’m going to make a big pot of chili. I don’t like it very spicy myself, so I’ll have a bottle of hot sauce on hand so you can make it just as bold as you like. I’ll be asking other folks to bring stuff. IMHO, each and every person coming can bring beer. I mean, after all, if you’ve got chili and beer, what else do you need? I also have a woeful lack of board games, so feel free to bring whatever strikes your fancy, as far as that’s concerned.
Actually, norinew, I’m not on the Eastern Shore - I’m in St. Mary’s county in southern Maryland. And honestly, I’d rather come to your place than to the b-day party, but my mom suggested very strongly that I should attend. So I shall. And I’ll be gracious and all that crap, even tho I’ll be missing a cool DopeFest.
<grumble grumble>
Well, pat yourself on the back. . .you’ve successfully fought ignorance today! 
Well, I’d rather have you here than at the birthday party, too, but I remember how moms and their “strong suggestions” can be!
No, the NYC MegaFest is the weekend of 10/23. Halloween weekend is the following weekend, and that’s when I’d have my party, if I host it.
At any rate, it’s not a done deal; Mrs. F. hasn’t given her OK yet.
Almost certainly not. She’s not a big Dopefest-goer even for local stuff, and Cumberland’s a fair hike.
Oh, I understand; I had originally planned my Dope-a-Ween for Halloween weekend, until nyctea scandiaca pointed out the Jonathan Chance always had his the week before Halloween, so the Dopers could do other stuff on Halloween. So I said, fine, I’ll do it the weekend of the 23rd, until Anita said, well, that’s the weekend of the MegaDopeFest. Got all that? 
At any rate, I’ll be happy to see you again!
Ah, I see now!
The source of the confusion is that nyctea had the facts wrong. Nate’s thrown three Dope-A-Ween parties: on Saturday, October 27, 2001; on Saturday, October 26, 2002; and on Saturday, October 25, 2003. (I’ve got a LJ post where I’m slowly accumulating links to the SDMB threads of all the Dopefests I’ve been to, for easy lookup.) The last Saturday in October, in each case - which is the prime time for a Halloween party, since hardly anyone ever throws a Halloween party after Halloween.
Likewise!
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So norinew, no costumes?? (pout)
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Northern Virginia-area MADS: do y’all wanna carpool/share hotel accomodations? (Anita? OpalCat? ultrafilter? Etc.?)
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The problem with a Dope-A-Ween on the actual weekend of Halloween is that some of us have tentative Halloween engagements with our non-Doper friends, so it might make it hard to get to the Dope-A-Ween. So that is why I suggested the weekend before or after. Such as, Nov. 6, perhaps? Just a thought.
However, RT, if you do have it on Halloween weekend, I will try my darndest to make it!
Alternatively, if Mrs. RT is not in the mood to host a bunch of costumed freaks, I would be more than happy to host it at my humble abode in Northern Virginia. Perhaps on Nov. 6?
Y’know, last year, I went to Dope-a-ween without a costume, in spite of the fact that it was a costume party; given that, hey, if you and moi wanna show up in costume even though it’s not a costume party, what the hell? Right? I mean, it’s not like I’ll refuse to let you in or anything.
Hey! I may actually be able to make this one! Being a newbie, I have never been to a Dopefest and met anyone face-to-face. 'Bout time I crawled out of my cave.
Wow. It’ll be good to have you! When I finally get around to mailing out invites, you’ll be on the list.
Thanks! I found your thread on the Bah’ai faith very, very interesting. It will be great to actually meet you!
I’m still not 100% sure that I can make this one, and I’d probably just drive back that evening anyway.
Anita, you’ve posted a couple of times to this thread, but haven’t indicated yet whether you think you’ll make it. Do you have any thoughts on this yet?
DancesWithCats, I haven’t heard from you since I emailed you my addy. My email didn’t by any chance piss you off, did it? I certainly didn’t mean it to; I was just funnin’ with ya!
It may be awhile before I get a definite answer from my wife. So the honor of hosting a MAD Halloween party is still up for grabs, AFAIAC. If you’d like to stake your claim to be the host, you can have the party whatever day you would like.