Lawrence, Kansas may seem like an unusual place to host a Convergence, but this university town, 45 minutes west of Kansas City, is the perfect setting for an intimate, friendly net.goth gathering, a "family reunion" of sorts that will focus on what Convergence is really all about...the people!

The town of Lawrence was originally suggested as the place to have a net.goth gathering. For example, this alt.gothic post about Lawrence from 1994 chronicles the beginning of it all.

To quote:

"Now, the location. There are various reasons for its selection. This weekend is not meant to be another 'let's go out to a club' type of event. We net.goths have a distinct community that we've formed, and this event is meant to be a reflection of that. We are capable of creating our own events without having someone do it for us. What I'm trying to create here is an event entirely created by and for US. Not for anyone else, but US. It was located centrally to be as fair to as many people as possible."

And so there it is, the concept wrapped up in a post to alt.gothic nearly ten years ago. It just so happens that there are net.goths in Lawrence.  It is a great city, and we could have a great little C10 here.  Not much flash...just easy-to-find friends in a cozy downtown. 

Drawing on the Wizard of Oz jokes which will inevitably arise, we are going with a classic movie theme, holding the evening events in a historic theatre.  Ticket prices for the weekend are estimated in the $30-$40 range.

Liberty Hall is the proposed venue -- a large and airy historic theatre built in 1882, with plenty of space and seating, a nice hardwood dance floor, and stage area.  Liberty Hall is a gorgeous building that holds events as varied as full theatre performances, radio shows, and a huge variety of bands.  The staff is friendly and fun and thoroughly prepared. And yes, Liberty Hall is a block away from the hotel, right next to the brewery!

This being a smaller city, evening events will end at 2 a.m.; however, there are coffee shops open all night with net access, sandwiches, and yummy desserts. Events at Liberty Hall are age 18 and over to enter, 21 to drink. There are no curfews or separated areas for age groups. All events, and the hotel are wheelchair accessable.
During the evening events, because everything is so close by, you can walk next door to the Coffeeshop, or the Brewery, or the Eldridge Hotel bar (with one room of victorian high back chairs, and one room with barstools that have vintage saddles on them to sit on- rock!) for a drink. You can even hop back to the hotel to change your shoes.


Friday Night

Just like The Wizard of Oz, everything starts in black and white!  Old School/Trad Goth -- whatever you choose to call it, DJs will spin it.

Friday

- Meet and Greet in the official hotel, with coffee and chocolate shop available.

- Vendors in the official hotel.  The vendors room is a nice open space in the main hotel.  It will be non smoking (with smoking areas nearby) and without a dj/band. 
- Daednu will coordinate the traditional alt.gothic.fashion clothing swap.  Bring clothes and accessories to trade and make friends at this casual, friendly event.

Sunday

- The vendors will continue to be open for business.
- A book swap! Read that book on the plane getting here, and trade it for another one to read on the way home.
- Yosa will coordinate the traditional agf shopping trip through the varied arts shops and galleries downtown.

Attendees will be invited to join us at the Replay Lounge (three blocks from hotels/venue) for cocktail hour.  The Replay is quiet in the late afternoons, has Guinness and cider on tap for $2 (double for $3.50!), pinball, and a rocking juke box.  It is a great spot to grab a drink. As you head back to the hotel, stop for dinner at one of the wide variety of restaurants. Cheap pool and cheaper drinks are found at the Bottleneck, also downtown, right past the big used bookstore.

There are two hotels downtown, close to each other and to the venues. Yes, within a block.  Both hotels have suites only, and these larger rooms' prices start at $90 a night. One hotel (the Historic Eldridge Hotel) has 50 rooms; the other (the Spring Hill Suites Marriott) has 104.   The Marriott would be the official hotel, with river-front patio, atrium with sofas, pool (pool party, anyone?), and complimentary breakfast off the main lobby.  The Marriott does not have a bar or restaurant, but it does have an espresso/chocolate shop in the lobby and lounge socialization areas.  It is one block from all of the downtown dining and drinking establishments. (And the 24 hour coffeeshop/used clothing store one block away serves food all night.)

For those who will be driving, there are numerous hotels with $45-75 a night rates within a short drive away, and the larger of the downtown hotels has a large free parking structure.  For people who do not drive, all of the events and the official hotel are within a two block radius.

Its central location in the U.S. makes Lawrence an affordable Convergence destination. Here are some sample airfares from Travelocity, as of September 14, 2003.

Flights to Kansas City from:

New York - $215
Washington (DCA) - $206
Chicago - $129
Seattle - $231
Dallas - $212
Los Angeles - $266
London - 356GBP/507EUR
Toronto - 461CAD
Montreal - 459CAD

Kansas City Airport is a forty-five minute drive away and shuttle busses available. The shuttle runs on the hour, and we recommend arranging for that service in advance. The cost is about $40, round trip.  Once you get to the main hotel, everything is a short walking distance (1-4 blocks).

There is also Amtrak service along the Southwest Chief route.

Lawrence is easily located off of I-70 for those driving here.

Lawrence, Kansas is a really great little city, with plenty of history.  If there is interest we can work out tours of historic homes, horse drawn carriage rides, and possibly tours of the locations used as stops on the Underground Railroad.  A 15 minute drive away is the Agriculture Hall of Fame!  Cheesy as anything, it is actually really interesting, with a room devoted to barbed wire throughout history and a Victorian-era horse-drawn hearse!  It has a large outside area with a traditional train station and prairie house set up for walking through.

Visit the Downtown Lawrence website for more information on shopping, dining, local attractions, and a map!

See a slideshow of beautiful Lawrence, Kansas at Lawrence Realty's website!