Convention News

Your convention committee has plans for you!  The registration forms should be at meetings and in your hands by the time you read this article, so now it’s up to you to do your part:  Register!

So what are the plans for the convention?  What’s included in the price of registration?  While it offers many opportunities for fellowship and fun in sobriety, the convention is also a chance to immerse yourself in your program of recovery for the entire weekend.  To begin with, there will be meetings, meetings, and more meetings.  Of course there are the main meetings, including the big speaker meetings Friday and Saturday night and on Sunday morning, plus the H&I Breakfast meeting, and the Long-timers’ meeting.  In addition to the joint AA/Al-Anon split pitch, Al-Anon will be hosting their own meetings as well.  Then there are the young people’s meetings, gay and lesbian meetings, and Spanish speaking meetings.  Both AA and Al-Anon will have Marathon Meetings going on every day, too, and on into the night, and on Saturday, weather permitting, there will be meditation meetings in the Elk’s Grove.  So, if you find yourself out of sorts, or – heaven forbid – restless, irritable and discontented, or if you just want to top up your sobriety bank account, there will be a place for you to go throughout the weekend.  We’re hoping there will be something for everyone who attends the convention.

And what about the fellowship and fun part of it?  Well, among the hundreds who will attend that weekend, you’ll probably see familiar faces from your regular meetings, old friends you may not have seen since last year’s convention, and perhaps make new friends.  The tables around the Hospitality area are a good place for a cup of coffee and quiet conversation.

The SOBER game begins the more organized (if you can call it that) fun on Friday night, after the speaker.  SOBER is like BINGO, except when you think you’ve got a winner on your card, you yell … well, you get it.  This has been a lot of fun in years past, with a variety of games to test your skill, your luck and your patience.  The favorite among most alcoholics seems to be “Blackout” for some reason (can’t imagine why), where you must cover all the squares on your card.  Toward the end, there are always several players with “just one more” square to fill, and each time a number is called there are groans and sighs throughout the room – along with teasing from friends and cheers from those who got a little closer on their own card.  It’s a great way to wrap up the first day of the convention, and the winners go home with a nice cash prize.

Saturday, after the speaker meeting, is the dance.  The lights are turned down low, the music is rocking, and the dance floor is filled with dozens of alcoholics showing their stuff.  Many of those attending will have gotten dressed for the banquet, and both men and women will be looking real fine.  As a friend of mine says, “We clean up pretty good”.  If you don’t think there’s any fun to be had after getting sober, you need to come to the dance.  Even if you don’t dance yourself, just come to watch and socialize.  If you’re new, you may even find a strange expression on your face; it’s called a smile.  And all that is included in the price of registration.  What a deal!

Do you have to register?  We ask that you do, because it helps pay for the facility and for bringing our fabulous speakers from out of town.  Registering also lets you feel “part of” the weekend, rather than separate and different – most of us know what that’s like and don’t want to go back to it.  And we have scholarships to help anyone who just can’t afford to register.  See the Volunteer Chair, Marcus, or the Convention Chair, Maggie, and they will set you up. 

So get those forms in as soon as possible, because it gives us the funds to meet our up-front expenses.  And consider signing up for the package for the entire weekend, for even greater savings.  Whatever you do, remember to save the weekend of October 24, 25 and 26, and plan to join us. 

~ Your Convention Committee