#99-04-10
For Release: April 6, 1999
Contact: Peter Bailley


Gamers to Gather for "Squirrelcon" Gaming Convention, April 9-11 at Knox College

The Knox College student organization Gaming Information Network will hold a gaming convention, "Squirrelcon," April 9-11 on the Knox campus in Galesburg, Illinois. The convention will include a variety of role-playing games, card games and board games -- as well as The Duct Tape Challenge, in which teams will compete to build something entirely from duct tape. [Winner of the Duct Tape Challenge] Featured entertainers are Molly and the Tinker, an Irish comedy and musical act. All events are free and open to the public. The convention schedule is:

  • Friday, April 9, 8 p.m. -- Film Festival, featuring "Labyrinth," "Legend," "Clue," and "Mystery Science Theatre 3000." Wallace Lounge, Seymour Union.

  • Saturday, April 10, All Day -- Gaming Convention, featuring games such as "Vampire," "Trinity," "Immortal," and "The Recycled Magic Tournament." Ford Center for the Fine Arts

  • Saturday, April 10, 3 p.m. -- Concert by folk group Molly and the Tinker, Gizmo, Seymour Union.

  • Sunday, April 11, All Day -- Gaming Convention, continued. Duct Tape Challenge starts at 11:30 a.m., judging of entries at 3:30 p.m. Ford Center for the Fine Arts.

"The conference is designed to promote gaming as a creative outlet," explained Erin Hawley, one of the student coordinators of the event. "We want to dispel negative stereotypes and show how gaming promotes improvisational acting, creative thinking, and historical research."

Molly and the Tinker, made up of Brian and Diane Leo, have performed their Irish comedy act throughout the United States and Ireland and have produced eight albums. The concert is co-sponsored with the Knox College Union Board. The film festival is co-sponsored with the Knox College Physics Club.

Founded in 1837, Knox is an independent, four-year, liberal arts college, located in Galesburg, Illinois, with 1,100 students from 42 states and 33 nations. Knox's "Old Main," a National Historic Landmark, is the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.

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