We’re Having a Ball This Fall— In More Ways Than One

As I write this, we’re gearing up for our second watch party of the season for the original 2002 Fox broadcasts of Firefly.  Our first watch party on September 20 (“The Train Job”) had the largest attendance of any we’ve ever held, and while this week (“Bushwhacked”) doesn’t look to match that, we still have a healthy number of RSVP’s, so it should be a good time.  If you want to attend future watch parties, remember that you can sign-up for each individual episode’s watch party on our website up to one week before we screen the episode, at which point we will close registration so we can start planning for the shindig.

If you aren’t coming to the watch party on October 25, I hope it’s because you plan to attend the Browncoat Ball in Bethlehem, PA that weekend.  I say that not only because it would be shiny if the Rivers and Bridges Brigade had a contingent at the Ball to show support for our fellow PA Browncoats who are organizing it, but also because as someone who’s attended two Browncoat Balls (2017 in Gettysburg and 2021 in Salem), I know what a great experience it is to spend a weekend with other folk who love Firefly and Serenity as much as we do, touring the host city, dressing up real fancy, eating good food and dancing the night away.

If you plan to attend the 2024 Browncoat Ball, hopefully you’ve already gotten your tickets.  But if not, there’s still time to join your fellow Browncoats in the shiny town of Bethlehem.  Registration for the Ball won’t be cut off until Thursday, October 10th, but the Browncoat Ball room block at the Homewood Suites expired as of September 24, so you’ll have to reserve rooms at the regular rate if you want to stay in the hotel where the shindig is taking place.  Honestly, that’s probably still worth it.  According to the broad waves we’ve been readin’, all rooms are suites with a kitchenette, plenty big enough to share if you want to stay with friends.  A hot breakfast is included with your room, and there's free parking, which isn’t always a given nowadays.

Another very shiny feature of this year’s Browncoat Ball is that they’re offering Saturday-only tickets.  If you can't make it for the entire weekend, but still want to enjoy most of the activities, including the main shindig with dinner and dancing, then you're in luck.  Just head on over to browncoatball.com and select “Saturday-only” on the tickets page.  Once you register, you will get the Saturday track survey.  If you register and don’t receive at least one survey email, you should send the Browncoat Ball committee an email or PM them via “the Facebook.”

The team from the Delaware Valley Brigade has been hard at work making sure this will be a mighty fine shindig for everyone.  They’re collecting raffle items, our good friend Sean Faust is tuning his guitar and rehearsing his set list, the tours and side adventures are being organized, and lots more.  Remember to check the BCB 2024 Facebook event for the latest news, room and ride sharing, and even some funny memes.  And if you haven’t done it already, of course you should invite your friends to come along.

But if you’re like me, and you know a trip to the Browncoat Ball just isn’t going to be in the cards this year, you can always join your fellow Browncoats from our brigade for the Firefly watch party on October 25.  We’ll be watching “Out of Gas” that night.

I hope to see you in the world real soon.  Until then, keep flyin’.

-          Chris