Gen Con indy next year date.

Wicht · Aug 15, 2003

Does anyone here have any idea when the final decision will likely be made as to the date?

Michelle Lyons · Aug 16, 2003

Personally, if my child misses 2-3 days of school at the beginning of the year for a family trip (especially in Kindergarten or 1st grade), I don't think it's a huge issue. If you're worried about the material they'll be covering, you simply ask the teacher. If it's an unexcused absence then they can't make up the work, but at that age they have no homework anyway. You can discuss the letter A or color red with them at home and make sure they know the material.

I've got two boys in Kindergarten and Pre-K (hence the "color red" as school material), and I'd have no issue with pulling them out. They won't get perfect attendance that year, but there's really no better reason to skip school than a family vacation.

Barendd Nobeard · Aug 17, 2003

Drawmack said:
why school schedules would affect attendance

If GenCon is in late August, my children may be in school--and they were going to go to GenCon next year. So, that's two more people who can't go.

Additionally, if GenCon is in late August, I can't go. I work for a public school district, and our department has a "no vacation time in August" policy as we gear up for the new school year. When GenCon was the first week in August, I could sneak in the vacation days without a hassle. But at the end of the month, that's impossible.

If they're leaning toward a date in last August, it looks like I'm not going to GenCon next year. Well, then who's going to stalk Sandra Garrity!?!!? Uh, I mean, talk to her!

CaptainCalico · Aug 19, 2003

Wicht said:
Does anyone here have any idea when the final decision will likely be made as to the date?

The GC website lists August 19-22 as the dates for 2004. I'm happy - but I can see where some folks won't be....

d20Dwarf · Aug 19, 2003

The decision has indeed been made, August 19-22, 2004.

PatrickLawinger · Aug 20, 2003

Okay, I don't know the exact status on this whole thing, but I can say this, anyone from GenCon saying that the Brickyard was moved and thus the conflict would appear wrong. As I understand it, the Brickyard is ALWAYS the first weekend of August.

If it is held at the later August date suggested I know tons of people, including myself, who will not go. Anyone with young children attending school is most likely going to stay home. Hard core gamers from this message board are not likely to be a good indication, frankly, neither are the people that answered the online poll.

I used to live about 2 hours from Indy. GenCon for us this year was a "family" vacation to visit friends as well as for me to attend the Con, sign books, play games, drink, etc. Like most parents, my kids come first. I want to know who their teachers are, what their teachers are like, etc. at the beginning of school.

I don' t know about everyone else, but I'll be emailing Peter Adkinson to ask for a July date. This year's worked out fine for me.

That's just one opinion ...

Brown Jenkin · Aug 20, 2003

PatrickLawinger said:
Okay, I don't know the exact status on this whole thing, but I can say this, anyone from GenCon saying that the Brickyard was moved and thus the conflict would appear wrong. As I understand it, the Brickyard is ALWAYS the first weekend of August.

The Brickyard is always held on the first weekend of August. The issue though in 2004 is what IS the first weekend in August. The first Sunday in August 2004 is the 1st, the first Full weekend is the 7th-8th. So what happened is that the Brickyard was moved from the first Sunday to the first full weekend.

William Ronald · Aug 20, 2003

Barendd,

Does the August 19-22nd date work for you.

Maybe it might be best to work on having Gen Con around the second weekend of August. This might be a reasonable compromise.

Brown Jenkin · Aug 20, 2003

William Ronald said:
Barendd,

Does the August 19-22nd date work for you.

Maybe it might be best to work on having Gen Con around the second weekend of August. This might be a reasonable compromise.

The problem with August is the Indiana State Fair which starts the second Wednesday in August and lasts 2 weeks (upcoming State Fair Dates: August 11-22, 2004. August 10-21, 2005. August 9-20, 2006). This normally puts it it the Wednesday after the Brickyard, which is why Gen Con has been bumped up to July. Now in 2004 there was a quirk in the calendar with the Brickyard being on the 1st allowing Gen Con to sneak back into its early August slot, however with the Brickyard rescheduling to the 8th that open slot was removed.

Now we could compete against the State Fair but with 60,000-100,000 people a day we will have a hotel shortage. Now in 2004 the Convetion is fully booked the two weeks before with the Indiana Black Expo (Over 100,000) on Wed Jul 14 - Jul 18 using Halls A-G followed by the American School Food Service Assn. Annual Conference Wed Jul 21 - Jul 30 in Halls A-E and the State Board of Law Examiners-Testing in the Stadium at the same time. So the only options for Gen Con was the first week July which would put it to close to Origins or the end of August. So in 2005 we will go back to the End of July and fill our new regular slot between the Indiana Black Expo and the Brickyard 400 with the Indiana State Fair following the Brickyard.