I should preface that this post is going to include a lot of ‘thank yous,’ but what a weekend!

First and foremost, thank you to Gary, Adam, and all of their staff who run the Chicago events. We had an excellent time, and we look forward to collaborating with Creation again.

Second on my list is a big thank you to Jenn for stepping up and helping represent Fandom Rocks this weekend. She endured many hours on the road, talked with dozens of fans, and held her own at the table when I was presenting.

We left Champaign around 11:30AM on Friday and checked into the hotel right around 2:30PM. Unlike last year, setup and registration started on Thursday, and a full day’s activities were already underway. We rushed to the vendor’s room to setup. The event was at a different hotel this year, and the great thing about the new hotel was the vendor space was right in the foyer to the Grand Ballroom where all of the stage events were taking place. We had a great table in the middle of the room.

Almost immediately as we were setting up, fans started stopping by to talk with us. We had all of the drawing prizes spread out on our table, and the Supernatural tie-in novels were a big draw. So many fans wanted to buy them, and unfortunately we had to say no but they are part of our drawing prize package and a $4 donation is all it takes to be a part of the drawing. This is where I say thank you to Sandi for putting together such an awesome prize package!

Meanwhile on the stage, one of the weekend’s auctions was taking place. To our surprise, Creation was auctioning an item for us, and I was pulled away to go into the ballroom to tell a packed room who we were, what charities we were supporting, and collect the donation. Nothing like being throw right in! Jenn was a trooper and held the table and talked to the crowds while I gave a quick sound byte to the room and thanked Gary. The ticket was auctioned for $300!

Our favorite thing about this weekend was meeting so many fans. We saw quite a few familiar faces from last year and even more new faces. I went on stage on Saturday and gave our presentation to a small but a fun crowd. Thank you for your questions and letting me toss candy to you. This is a tradition I plan to continue, so everyone who missed out should be sure to stick around next time!

An important thank you I cannot forget is to all of the fans who stopped by to talk with us. We have close to 100 names to add to our mailing list, and thanks to all of your donations this weekend (plus Creation’s auction donation) we raised $700!!! Not only that, but we had a number of fans stop by after our presentation with item donations for the next Fandom Rocks auction. You rock!

The fantastic thing we learned this weekend was how much our campaign and charities spoke to all of the fans we met. Almost everyone was enthusiastic about supporting the Investigations Fund and/or Children for Tomorrow. It just shows our fandom truly is a caring and altruistic lot. Thanks for making our weekend so enjoyable.

One fan duo I would like to point you guys toward are some of the front runners of “Slay-a-thon: Make a Wish Foundation Benefit.” We really enjoyed talking with them, and they support a great cause. Be sure to check them out!

I also want to thank Chad Lindberg, Gabriel Tigerman, Charles Malik Whitfield, and Steve Carlson for giving us some of their time this weekend. We really appreciated it!

After many hours of standing and talking (and talking and talking) over three days, Jenn and I took a break to watch the Jared and Jensen panels. Immediately after, we had to pack up and hit the road back home. It was a great weekend!

If we talked to you, please comment and say hello! I have added the donors to the donation page. If you notice your name or country is wrong, just let me know. I will get everyone added to the announcement list ASAP.

P.S. Be sure to listen to our interview with Kathy Bauch of the HSUS while you are here.