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This afternoon’s online meeting is a continuing experiment. If the local technology is performing properly and all has gone well, you are viewing a live-stream of this “Halloween” MonSFFA meeting, about to get underway. Those of you joining us online may follow along, and participate, by way of our ZOOM-chat.

Are you able to clearly see and hear today’s proceedings? We are testing various set-ups to ascertain which delivers the best results for our online participants. Please take a moment to leave a comment as to how well this live-stream/ZOOM-chat is working from your perspective. It is our aim to live-stream future club meetings, thereby creating hybrid events in which participation may take place both in-person and virtually.

Our October 2023 MonSFFA Halloween Meeting is This Afternoon!

We’ll gather at about 12:30PM; programming will get underway at 1:00PM.

The meeting will take place both live and in-person at the Lachine Legion, as well as online via ZOOM at: www.MonSFFA.ca

Please Note:

Any MonSFFen choosing to attend in costume are advised that their get-up must not include a hat, mask, or headgear of any kind. As a general guideline, if you’re not sure, don’t!

This restriction is necessary in order to remain in compliance with the traditions of our hosts, the Lachine branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.

Note that headgear is not to be worn within any Legion hall as a sign of respect for those servicemen and -women who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

MonSFFA honours this tradition; please keep that in mind when selecting your costume.

We’ll See You This Afternoon!

Today is Friday the 13th, so we’ll play it safe and host our October MonSFFA Halloween Meeting Tomorrow!

We’ll gather, then, on Saturday afternoon, October 14, at about 12:30PM; programming will get underway at 1:00PM.

The meeting will take place both live and in-person at the Lachine Legion, as well as online via ZOOM at: www.MonSFFA.ca

Please Note:

Any MonSFFen choosing to attend in costume are advised that their get-up must not include a hat, mask, or headgear of any kind. As a general guideline, if you’re not sure, don’t!

This restriction is necessary in order to remain in compliance with the traditions of our hosts, the Lachine branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.

Note that headgear is not to be worn within any Legion hall as a sign of respect for those servicemen and -women who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

MonSFFA honours this tradition; please keep that in mind when selecting your costume.

Our agenda includes, of course, Halloween fare, and more; here’s a few words about each of our two principal presentations:

Horror 101

Offering examples and advice from genre professionals, we will explore Stephen King’s “Three Levels of Horror, ” and augment his list with a few entries of our own, as we learn how horror writers and filmmakers manufacture the scares!

The Solar System Ain’t What it Used To Be!

From the earliest days of science fiction, space travellers went to the Moon, to Mars, to Venus, and to the other planets of the solar system as they were discovered. Early science fiction—prior to the late 19th century—treated the planets simply as different versions of Earth.

Science fictional tropes from the late 19th century right up until the Space Age declared Mercury to be an oven on the sun-facing side and a freezer on the other. Venus was a planet of swamps, jungles, and dinosaurs. And Mars was a cool desert planet, with all its water contained in the canals.

Then, science had its say. Starting in the early 1960s, the first interplanetary probes knocked down those tropes. Or, as T.H. Huxley (1825-1895) put it, “The great tragedy of science is the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact.”

But there were plenty of other ways to look at the planets, and more planets to look at!

So We’ll See You Tomorrow, Saturday, October 14th!

Safely the day after Friday the 13th, MonSFFA celebrates Halloween at its October 2023 meeting! Scheduled for Saturday, October 14, the meeting will take place both live and in-person at the Lachine Legion, as well as online via ZOOM at: www.MonSFFA.ca

Our agenda includes, of course, Halloween fare, and more; here’s a few words about each of our two principal presentations:

The Solar System Ain’t What it Used To Be!

From the earliest days of science fiction, space travellers went to the Moon, to Mars, to Venus, and to the other planets of the solar system as they were discovered. Early science fiction—prior to the late 19th century—treated the planets simply as different versions of Earth.

Science fictional tropes from the late 19th century right up until the Space Age declared Mercury to be an oven on the sun-facing side and a freezer on the other. Venus was a planet of swamps, jungles, and dinosaurs. And Mars was a cool desert planet, with all its water contained in the canals.

Then, science had its say. Starting in the early 1960s, the first interplanetary probes knocked down those tropes. Or, as T.H. Huxley (1825-1895) put it, “The great tragedy of science is the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact.”

But there were plenty of other ways to look at the planets, and more planets to look at!

Horror 101

Offering examples and advice from genre professionals, we will explore Stephen King’s “Three Levels of Horror, ” and augment his list with a few entries of our own, as we learn how horror writers and filmmakers manufacture the scares!

Plus…

Help us decorate for the occasion by crafting a Halloween-themed table centrepiece! Be creative, and bring your spooky creation in to the meeting for all to admire!

Folk participating online will be able to showcase their centerpieces via ZOOM.

From Los Angeles:

De Profundis #590 – October 2023

From Bill Burns at e-fanzines:

New today at https://efanzines.com are:

Octothorpe #92, a regular fannish podcast by John Coxon, Alison Scott and Liz Batty

Opuntia #557, edited by Dale Speirs

Leybl Botwinik’s CyberCozen – Sep 2023

Guy H. Lillian III’s Spartacus #68

—
Bill

Our October 14 club meeting will feature a Halloween theme!

We are tasking club members with the creation of a Halloween-themed table centrepiece—a Jack-o-Lantern, perhaps, a spooky gravestone, cats, bats; use your imagination! And, consider adding something sci-fi to your scary creation!

A visit to your local dollar store might provide a few props to utilize as part of your centrepiece!

Bring your finished creations in to our October “Halloween” meeting; your spooky centrepieces will be used to decorate the tables in our meeting room! Online participants may showcase their creations over ZOOM!

MonSFFA will be visiting the Montreal Aviation Museum (MAM) on Saturday, September 9! Our plan is to meet at the museum about 10:30AM so as to begin our visit at 11:00AM. Note that the MAM closes at 2:15PM, summer hours having concluded.

Admission is $12, less for students, and for children 6-12. Entry is free for MAM members and Canadian Armed Forces veterans.

Getting to the Montreal Aviation Museum (MAM) by Car:

The MAM is located in “The Old Stone Barn” on the Macdonald Campus of McGill University in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue (see map, below). It’s out in the middle of a large, open field between Highways 40 and 20, at the western tip of the Island of Montreal!

Because of current roadwork in the area, which includes weekend road closures, note that the museum may not be accessible from Highway 40 on September 9. The Macdonald Campus can, however, be accessed by car from Highway 20 via either Morgan Road (Exit 42) or Saint-Pierre (Exit 39) and Lakeshore Boulevard. (Note that Lakeshore becomes Sainte-Anne west of Maple Street.)

From the 20, travel south on Morgan Road to the lake front and turn west onto Lakeshore; or, travel south on Saint-Pierre and turn east onto Sainte-Anne, which will become Lakeshore after Maple Street. Enter the Macdonald Campus and make your way north via campus streets to arrive on Poultry-Cottages Road, which crosses over Highway 20 and will take you to the entry lane leading to the museum (watch for the direction signs).

Getting to the Montreal Aviation Museum (MAM) by Public Transit:

We recognize that it’s a bit of a hike out to Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue by Metro and bus, but we hope this won’t dissuade you from joining us for this club field trip! We are deploying what cars and drivers we can to help make the trip a little easier for transit riders.

The 211 bus departing from Lionel Groulx Station seems the best option for those traveling from Montreal. This bus will take you all the way to Terminus Macdonald on Lakeshore Boulevard, which is the end of the line. Aim to arrive at Terminus Macdonald by roughly 10:00AM. From there, it’s about a 30-minute walk through the campus grounds and over Highway 20 along Poultry Cottages Road to the museum.

If need be, we will dispatch a car to the terminus at about 10:30AM to pick up any MonSFFen who have made the trip on the 211. It’s but a short 5-minutes to the museum by car, rather than the 30-minute walk! Please contact Cathy Palmer-Lister (president@monsffa.ca) in advance of Saturday to let her know that you plan to be waiting at the terminus.

Meanwhile, Keith Braithwaite can provide a lift for up to three people, and will be waiting early Saturday morning at the taxi/car drop-off/pick-up loop behind the Angrignon Metro station. He will be driving a white, late-model Honda Civic, and he will wait until 9:30AM. No longer! He’ll be able to take up to three club members—first come, first serve—to the museum. If you plan to avail yourselves of this ride, contact Keith (veep@monsffa.ca) in advance of Saturday so that he knows to look for you.

It is our intention to enter the museum as a group at 11:00AM.

We hope to see many of you at the MAM on Saturday morning, September 9!

CLUB FIELD TRIP 2023

MonSFFA will be visiting the Montreal Aviation Museum (MAM) on Saturday, September 9! Our plan is to meet at the museum about 10:30AM so as to begin our visit at 11:00AM. Note that the MAM closes at 2:15PM, summer hours having concluded.

Please also note that in wrapping up our August 12 club meeting, both the physical and online gatherings, we erroneously promoted September 9 as the date of our next club meeting. More accurately, September 9 is the date of the next club event, that being our field trip to the MAM.

As such, no standard club meeting, in-person or virtual, is scheduled for September. The next MonSFFA meeting will take place on Saturday, October 14 at the Lachine Legion Hall and, concurrently, online at www.MonSFFA.ca.

We regret and apologize for our error.

About the MAM

This local museum is known for its “hands-on passion” for Canadian aviation (focusing in particular on Quebec), the enthusiasm of its volunteer members, and for the airplane restoration projects it undertakes, including that of a WWII-era Fairchild Bolingbroke Mk. IV trainer/maritime patrol aircraft and light bomber.

In addition to the aircraft on display, the MAM features a collection of aviation artifacts, an art gallery, library, workshops, and a souvenir boutique!

Cost

Admission is $12; there are reduced prices for students and children aged 6-12. Entry is free for MAM members and Canadian Armed Forces personnel and veterans.

Location/Getting There

The MAM is located in the “Old Stone Barn” on the Macdonald campus of McGill University in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. Because of current roadwork in the area, which includes weekend road closures, note that the museum will not be accessible from Highway 40 on September 9. The Macdonald campus can, however, be accessed by car from Highway 20 and Lakeshore Boulevard.

Public transit will take you as far as Terminus Macdonald on Lakeshore Boulevard; from there, it’s about a 30 minute walk through the campus grounds and over Highway 20 along Poultry-Cottages road to the museum. Frustratingly, there is a bus stop at the museum (bus stop code number 58586) but unfortunately, this line seems not to operate on weekends after Labour Day. So, transit users should check with the STM for the Metro and bus routes that will most efficiently deliver them to Terminus Macdonald, then walk that half hour to the museum. We will also do our best to organize car pools as an alternative, departing at 9:30AM from the Angrignon Metro Station; watch this space for updates.

We hope to see many of you at the MAM on Saturday morning, September 9!

9) THANK YOU

We thank for their contributions to this afternoon’s meeting Joe Aspler, Carly Terreault, Keith Braithwaite, Cathy Palmer-Lister, as well as all of our contributing participants. And, we thank you who attended, both here online, and physically in the meeting hall; don’t forget to comment on today’s get-together.

10) NEXT e-MEETING

MonSFFA meets again on Saturday, September 9, 2023. Make a note in your calendars; we hope to see you all again on that date.

11) SIGN-OFF

Until next time, then, safe travels, and keep watching the skies!