3 p.m. Friday - Sunday night. Gaming starts. [Gaming Room]
4-5 p.m. Crafty Time. Bring your craft projects to work on and talk with fellow crafters. This can also happen whenever the Lincoln Board Room is not scheduled with activities. [Lincoln Board Room or other space that is open at that time]
5-7:30 p.m. Supper Break. Go out to a nearby restaurant or opt in to a group order. Coordinated by Scott and Irene Raun. [Group dinner: Lincoln Room]
5-7 p.m. Film [Jefferson Room]
7:30 p.m. Opening Ceremonies. Greetings, announcements, etc. [Jefferson Room]
8 p.m.-12 midnight. Game: HeroQuest with Thorin. Dive into adventure with the classic Games Workshop dungeon exploration game HeroQuest! This board game with sculpted components and roleplaying game elements lets you explore rooms, fight monsters, search for treasures, discover secrets... all that good stuff. Dungeon Master Thorin N. Tatge will take you through a custom adventure he designed some twelve years ago and never got a chance to run. It involves phlogiston. Up to 5 participants. Thorin Tatge. [Lincoln Room]
8:30-9:30 p.m. Presentation: Vampire Anniversaries. 2022 is a year of significant vampire anniversaries. Varney = 175, Carmilla = 150, Dracula = 125, Nosferatu = 100, Blacula = 50, Buffy = 25, and an unholy host of others. Come discuss these and others and stack your read/watch list for the year. Brian Forrest. [Jefferson Room]
10:00 p.m. - 12 a.m. Film [Jefferson Room]
11 a.m.-12 p.m. Panel: The Horror. The Horror [movies]. As movie fans hesitantly return to theaters, there have been some genre gems on the big screen, but they've had a very short shelf life. Spoiler Alert: If you have not seen MEN, NOPE or Cronenberg's return to his roots, CRIMES OF THE FUTURE, along with some that keep coming back, like MANDY with Nicolas Cage, you've been warned! Greg Larsen. [Jefferson Room]
12:30 - 2 p.m. Nature Walk in Hyland Lake Park Reserve. You may want to bring a camera, hat, walking stick, sunglasses, sunscreen, water bottle, etc. Website: https://www.threeriversparks.org/location/hyland-lake-park-reserve Address: 10145 E. Bush Lake Rd, Bloomington. Phone: (763) 694-7687. Meet in the hotel lobby a little before 12:30 p.m. to join a group and carpool if necessary. Coordinated by Linda Lounsbury.
12:30 - 1:30 p.m. Never Flitting: A Celebration of Edgar Allan Poe. Poe (1809-1849) birthed the detective story, wrote several of the most durable American poems, shaped literary criticism, and made himself an important amateur scientist (See John Tress' The Reason for the Darkness of The Night: Edgar Allan Poe and the Forging of American Science). We'll touch briefly on those, then focus on Poe's greatest contribution, as the central author of horror fiction. Other panelist-volunteers also welcome. Panel. Eric Melville Heideman, mod., Brian Perry. [Jefferson Room]
2-3:30 p.m. Minicon Brainstorming. Come share ideas about Minicon programming. This is an open meeting and a membership to Decongestant is not needed to attend. Katie Clapham. [Jefferson Room]
4-5 p.m. Nosferatu at 100. A century ago, this silent cinematic original spawned an entire genre of horror movies, from the iconic Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee in their evening wear and capes, to Buffy's Angel and The Lost Boys. Yet, the original model still continues to rise again, casting his SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE over Werner Herzog's 1979 remake and in places like SALEM'S LOT. Come learn of Count Orlok's legacy! Brian Forrest, Greg Larsen. [Jefferson Room]
5:30-8 p.m. Dinner break. Get together with some other fans and go out to a nearby restaurant or order in on your own.
6-8 p.m. Film [Jefferson Room]
8-9 p.m. Presentation: BLACULA is Beautiful. If you've never seen it, it was MUCH MORE than a novel twist on the vampire movie. Often mistaken for a mere Blaxploitation film of its time, the groundbreaking "Blacula" has turned 50! Starring William Marshall (Richard Daystrom from Star Trek's "The Ultimate Computer" and The King of Cartoons from Pee-Wee's Playhouse), it was both praised and derided. This low-budget film set new trends in the horror and vampire genres, with a strong political undercurrent that is as relevant today as it was in 1972, only most people missed it. Come discuss the film's approach, where it succeeded and failed, and its legacy. An audio/visual presentation by Brian Forrest. [Jefferson Room]
9 p.m. - late. Arcana Party. Arcana, formerly Minn-Con, formerly Octoberfest, has been celebrating, one way or another, the Weird, the Macabre, & the Dark Fantastic since 1968. Join us for conversation so great it's scary! [Eric's room, a.k.a. Krushenko's, probably 205]
9:30-11 p.m. Film [Jefferson Room]
11 p.m. - late. Music in the Board Room. Open for a music circle or other spontaneous activities. Music gets first dibs. Bring your instruments and a copy of Rise Up Singing and/or Rise Again if you want. [Lincoln Room]
12:30-1:30 p.m. The Future of Arcana. Covid changed the convention landscape more profoundly than we could have imagined, on top of all the other challenges of hosting a convention, big or small. Does Arcana have a future? Do you, the fans, want it to have one? Tell us what you think and we'll tell you what we know. Dwayne Olson, Greg Larsen. [Jefferson Room]
2-3 p.m. Discussion: What are You Reading? The Dark Fantastic Edition. Eric's free-wheeling discussion relies on YOUR participation to talk about the interesting works you've read during the pandemic. While the focus will be on horror fiction, discussion of other genres is also welcome. Don't be shy. Eric Melville Heideman, mod. [Jefferson Room]
5 p.m. Closing Ceremonies. [Jefferson Room]
After dinner to ??? - Dead Dog Party [Consuite]
Monday 3am - Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt rooms definitely close (the consuite can stay open).
Jefferson Room — Main Programming, Film + gaming after closing ceremonies
Roosevelt Board Room — Teen Room
Lincoln Board Room — Additional Programming + masked social space when there's nothing scheduled
Consuite — 209+211
Gaming room — 207