Saturday, October 28that theNaperville Municipal Center(400 S Eagle St, Naperville) we will be having our annualpot-luck lunch Kick-off Party to celebrate the impending start to National Novel Writing Month! Plan to bring your stuffed animal for the group photo (superhero/supervillain costume for the stuffed animal optional)! Feel free to bring your musical instrument for our regional song!Those needing tech help with NaNo can bring their laptop. A pen or pencil would also be helpful (for the ice-breaker and writing games).

Please RSVP in this threadandinclude what you are bringing to the pot-luck.

When and where will the kick-off be?

This years kick-off will beOctober 28th from 11:45-2:45It will be in theNaperville Municipal Center lunchroomin the lower level. Everyone bringing something is welcome to park in the underground garage. When entering the door from the parking garage, take an immediate right through the sliding doors and down the long hallway to get to the lunchroom.

What is the kick-off party?

This is our chance to celebrate the upcoming start of National Novel Writing Month (we can officially begin writing after midnight on November 1st), meet and chat with our fellow writers and share some good food. It will be a pot-luck lunch party,so please plan to bring a dish to share.

What will we do? Do I have to RSVP?

We will have a couple ice-breaker games, eat lunch, do a brief Q&A on NaNo in case there are any questions, play games and have fun! Note that RSVP'ing is highly recommended but is not required. If you are just finding out about the kick-off, come ahead! We should have plenty of food!

Can I bring a guest?

Definitely! The more the merrier! Bring friends, family. This, like all our regional events, is an all-ages affair.

Stuffed Animals

Bring your beloved stuffed animal (optionally in superhero or supervillain costume) forour group picture, mainly so we can toss them in the air.

Should I bring a pen or pencil?

Yes! We will have some writing games...

Ideas on What to bring for Food

• main course (always need lots of these); please specify if it is vegetarian
• side dishes (vegetable, pasta, rice, ...)
• raw vegetables & dip
• fruit salads
• green salads
• rolls or bread, cheese & crackers
• desserts
• cold soft drinks in cans or 2L bottles
• cold water in small bottles (or a water cooler and cups)
• plastic forks, knifes, spoons
• good, sturdy, full-sized paper plates
• sturdy small plates (for desserts)
• napkins

What to bring (other)

• Serving utensils for your dishes
• (optional: writing-related) card or board games
• stuffed animals (for the group photo)
• friends and significant others

Coming [28 definite + 2 tentative] - last updated 2017-10-28 6:50 AM

• NewMexicoKid (Tim) and Nan, Cracker Barrel chicken tenders (grilled and fried) and fried okra.
• Goddess_Astra,cucumber sandwiches
• Squiddish,a baked good of some kind (Games: Superfight & Gloom)
• [late] Me - n - Jesus,something
• [late] johnthetech- Cookies? More cookies?
• samcadams - drinks, cups, plates, and plasticware.
• TRRDEDEAN - Something fruit related
• Cee-Bee & Bart -vegetarian main course (Games:Story Cubes)
• OddSoul -deviled eggs
• fishmama -hot crabmeat dip with crackers
• PRJenkins -pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
• [late] Sea of Tranquility-Veggie Pizza (cold dish) and Homemade Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake
• prismaticjill42 -falafel, pita, and hummus
• Jennifer U and daughter - sweet and sour meatballs and salad
• ChaShiree - chips & dip and mini slider sandwich sliders
• witertodd07 - brownies
• Michael Phillip Daly - drinks/soda
• debko - not sure yet
• [really late: after 1pm] -Hamza K
• alkamy (Kira) -Pumpkin Soup (non-vegetarian)
• [late: 12:30ish] catatone1 - an unhealthy treat.
• kbolden + guest -Will bring plates, utensils, pasta/veggie dish
• allwritealready -cream cheese salsa dip thing.
• cableshaft and paperlanterns -Reeses puppy chow/muddy buddies and disposable cups for easy serving.
• [tentative] mochomito - cookies or something

My wife (Nan) and I will be there, bringingCracker Barrel chicken tenders (grilled and fried) and fried okra.

Provided i am not sick (lol) i plan to attend and i can bring cucumber sandwiches again!

Conditional RSVP. I may not have to work that day if my clients are away at a weekend retreat, in which case I will come! But they may stay home... in which case I won't come!

If I make it out, I'll bring a baked good of some kind because that's what I do~

(I'll also bring Superfight! because I find that it's a great game for storytellers to play. ;D)

I'll be late due to work. Not sure what, but I'll bring something.

OOOHHH!!! I am also currently cross stitching a book mark and i sooooooooooo hope i get it done before the kick off because i plan to donate it to the prize table! If i can get it done by the kick off! i keep saying it'll be done...but...life gets busy...

Coming, but late. Cookies? More cookies?

Update: Will not be late! Even more cookies!

(I'm also going to bring Gloom because that's a great story telling game, but it's also limited to four people because I have no expansions.)

And also no longer tentative, but definitely gonna be there.

I will be coming by myself and plan to bring something fruit related. Maybe chocolate covered strawberries.

Dave

TRRDEDEAN

I will come and bring Bart (if he doesn't end up with a work emergency). We will try to bring a vegetarian main course if we can think of a way to keep it at the right temperature.

Do we have many vegetarians? Do I need to think about vegans?

Also, I can bring Story Cubes if there's any interest.

I'll be there! I'm going to bring deviled eggs, because I got this amazing egg cooker thing, tested it out last week, and the eggs came out PERFECT and super easy to peel, so yay!

I'm coming and will bring a hot crabmeat dip with crackers.

Looking forward to the Kick-Off Party. I'm planning on bringing pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Thanks!

Hi! I will be there, but closer to 12:30pm. I'm working until noon and will head over straight after. I will bring 2 dishes: Veggie Pizza (cold dish) and Homemade Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake. Looking forward to it!

I will be there. I will bring falafel, pita, and hummus. I will also bring my husband so RSVP for 2.

Me and my daughter Leah. I will bring sweet and sour meatballs and a salad.

I will be there. Will be bringing chips and dip as well as mini sandwich sliders made out of hawaiian rolls

Looking forward to seeing everyone. I'll bring brownies, I think.

I am sorry to say I will not make it to the Kick Off party this year. Family events came up and I will be in St Louis this weekend. I will be there next weekend for write ins and I plan to make it to the TGIO party in December.

Are you going to join us for Dueling Trains next Saturday?

Should be able to make it - I think Ill pick up some soda or another sort of beverage.

poop...i have like...5 hrs or so more left on this damn book mark (out of the 20hrs i've already put in to it haha) LOL...If i don't get it done for the prize table for saturday...i'll save it for the TGIO party...and if i feel ambitious...i could try to make a second book mark

I'm pretty sure I'll be there. I'm planning on it. Have to figure out what to bring. Deb

I really want to join you guys, but I'm most likely gonna be real late since I have training for work that day until 1. Hope I get out early enough to make it!

I'll be bringing Pumpkin Soup (non-vegetarian).

- Kira

I will hopefully be there. I will be late (12:30ish). And Because of that I'll bring a unhealthy treat.

I'll be there with one guest. Will bring plates, utensils, pasta/veggie dish

Ill be there with a cream cheese salsa dip thing.

Maybe, Just me, I'll bring cookies or something

Looks like I am the first one here! Why, you ask?

Because my brain is dumb and somehow insisted that I needed to leave at 10:15 am to get to the kick off party on time...even though I only live in aurora...30 min away

Welp! An hour to write and plan and fill journals and if I get hungry I can eat my cucumber sandwiches