We need people to fill in various posts at various hours. If you are interested in working, please let us know which of the following specific shifts you want to work, and which job you would prefer to do.

Friday 3-6 (load in) – schleppers, door security
Friday 6-9pm — wristband checkers, class monitors, ticket table

Saturday 11-2– wristband checkers, class monitors, ticket table
Saturday 1-4– wristband checkers, class monitors, ticket table
Saturday 3-6– wristband checkers, class monitors, ticket table
Saturday 6-9– wristband checkers, class monitors, ticket table

Sunday 10:30-1:30– wristband checkers, class monitors, ticket table
Sunday 1:30-4:30– wristband checkers, class monitors, ticket table
Sunday 3-6 (load out) – schleppers, door security

For one three hour shift, a volunteer receives admission to all 3 days of classes & vending.

For two three-hour shifts (6 hours total), a volunteer receives admission to all 3 days of classes and vending, and their choice of admission to either the Friday or Saturday night party.

For three three hour shifts (9 hours total), a volunteer receives admission to all 3 days of classes and vending, and both Friday and Saturday night parties.

The parties themselves have separate volunteer crews organized by each sponsoring organization and are not counted or involved here.

If you want to volunteer, leave a comment or email to FFF.Carolinas@gmail.com with your name or scene name (whatever you prefer), your email and phone #, and what shit you want to take and what job you prefer.

We’ll get back to you with whether that slot’s open and other details.

Job descriptions:

Schlepper — help vendors get stuff in from their vehicles on Friday or back out on Sunday

Wristband checker — stand at a security checkpoint and make sure no one passes through without the right wristband color on. Different colors allow different access.

Door security — during set-up and break-down hours, make sure unauthorized people do not enter and that nothing “walks away.”

Class monitor — Check wristbands of folks on the way into the class. Then before the class begins, introduce yourself to the presenter as the class monitor before the class begins. If the presenter needs anything during the class (water, problem with the set up, etc) you fix it or tell us at the main desk about the problem. If they need you to bar the door during a delicate part of the presentation, do so.

Ticket table — sell admission to the event, parties, etc.

Groups signed on so far for this year:
Asheville Kinksters Association
Burke County Munch Group
CAPEX
Carolina Leadership
House of Decorum
Kinky Catawba
MAsT: Raleigh-Durham
SC-PX/SC-LOCK
The Society, Jacksonville NC

Many groups come together at the FFF to sponsor parties, classes, and events, to provide volunteer help, and to be a part of it all. This year we collected some statements and descriptions from each group so attendees could get to know them better. Every group or organization is made up of individual people and it’s these individuals you will meet at the FFF, introducing themselves here:

Asheville Kinksters Association
BikerDad: “I began Asheville Circle, now restructured as Asheville Kinksters Association, about 4 years ago. It all began as a way to pay it forward for Me and my wife and slave BikerDad’s lisa meeting at MDG events back in August of 2004. At first i wanted to keep the group private, but the Asheville area needed a public group. The rules and structure were based on the Black Rose group model, SSC, and RACK and we were reciprocal with several other groups. In 2009, our local and regional community came to our assistance to deal with a threat to the continued existence of the group and specific threats to several group members. I continued to keep Asheville Circle open and functioning and was awarded a Community Service award at SELF last year. Master Pam, a lifetime member of our group, was invaluable with her advice and support and accepted the award on my behalf. We decided to restructure and become Asheville Kinksters Association to better serve our members. We are now a munch group with a benevolent dictator (Me) and occasional additional events by invitation only. In the last few months, Me and my lisa have found our heart in the leather community, and My lisa is learning the art of bootblacking. We have not just a community of people who like to have fun, but are good friends who are there for each other in good times and bad.”

Burke County Munch Group
“The Burke County Munch started in November 2009 with its first munch. I had researched local groups and found everything to be so far away. I had managed to make it out to the Greensboro Floating Munch before and loved the whole aspect of it. Long story short, with some incredible people that work with me all of the time this group has grown to become a very good group. We have been meeting once a month on the second Monday of every month. We are working on having a “virtual” munch so we can all meet and be more flexible with people’s busy schedules. We just recently had our first social and I was very pleased with the turnout and results! The folks that help me run the group are the group members themselves because I try to implement democracy as much as possible. MistressKayla, subrandy, witchladyk, Lord_Dragyn, Dragyns_rowan, LadyLynnia and docfuzz have been very influential in the success of this group and I am very thankful. We aim to provide the Burke county area with a safe, sane and consensual community. We aim to hold events and socials to bring our community closer together.”

CAPEX
Social Director Stick says “CAPEX, the Charlotte Area Power Exchange, is ten years old now, and still growing. We are a pansexual, non-profit BDSM organization dedicated to providing education, support and a social network for its contributors in a safe, responsible and discretion-conscious environment. We sponsor monthly educational sessions and socials, and are very glad to be sponsoring a party at the FFF for the third year in a row. Visit our site at www.capex.info for more info and please come up and introduce yourself at the FFF if we haven’t met yet.”

Carolina Leadership
NCMaster: “I am NCMaster of the Charlotte NC area. I have been active in the local and regional community for many years. I am excited to have FFF Carolinas returning again this year to our community. This event has grown each year and this year promises to be the biggest and best yet. The list of vendors and educational classes is most impressive. The Carolina’s Leadership Network will be presenting a series of classes on Leadership topics that will be very helpful for anyone that has an interest in being or becoming a leader in the community. There will also be classes on many other topics that will help you learn new skills and techniques for enjoying our particular kind of activities. The vendor fair alone would be enough to make your visit to the event worthwhile. A long list of vendors with everything from leather clothing to any type of toy imaginable. I plan to be there early and often to take full advantage of this opportunity. Mark your calendars and make plans to come participate in this excellent opportunity.”

House of Decorum
Ms. Jan writes: “The House of Decorum is our leather family.  There are two female dominants who head the family, myself and Ms Theresa.  I have 2 collared slaves, vinnie and megan, and Ms Theresa has one, liz.  We have one girl, callie, who is collared to the both of us as she lives out of town.  We also have Sir Bruce and his k who are extended members and very active in what we do. The House of Decorum is dedicated to the M/s and Leather dynamics.  We conduct workshops to teach this “way of life” and help others to better understand the “Leather” concept.  It is our passion to keep Leather and M/s alive for many years to come.  Because it is our passion, all of our workshops are free of charge. We are also a Coalition Member for the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF).  Each year we host a formal dinner with a theme as a fundraiser dedicated to NCSF.  Our previous dinner was a huge success and on December 11, 2010 we will be doing it again.   Details for that can be found at www.houseofdecorum.org/formaldinner.htm  I am now personally working with them as an advocate and volunteer.  I work to promote support and memberships to the organization by speaking on their behalf to groups and individuals, displaying literature at events, and selling tshirts and pins for them We currently are hosting a Leather Mentoring Program that runs for 9 months.  As an extension of that program we are hosting the Chicago Leather Tour which is a Deluxe Bus Tour from Greenville, SC to Chicago, IL where we will visit the Leather Archives & Museum as well as SINS Center, winner of Pantheon of Leather Large Club of the Year Award.  For more information on that go to www.houseofdecorum.org/chicagotour.htm The House of Decorum is dedicated to the community.  We volunteer when there is a need and we are able to.  We have held several fundraisers for fire victims, severe medical needs, etc for those in the lifestyle.  Our ability to help is limited but we strive to do all we can when we can.”

Kinky Catawba
Relly; ‘Before I tell you about our group, Kinky Catawba, NC, I would like to tell you a little about myself. My name is Kyle (Relly) and I am married to my beautiful wife and lifetime sub Emily (Dpolter). I met my wife while enlisted in the US Navy.
I am prior military, which feeds my desire for structure and discipline. The military also gifted me with plenty of experience in setting up and running events and leading others to make things happen. I plan on using what I learned in the Military to manage this group.
After joining Fetlife.com, I began to do what most people on Fetlife do; I began to search for people in my area that shared my common lifestyle interests. What I began to notice more than anything else is that there are a lot of people in this lifestyle around the Hickory area, but there wasn’t any events or munches going on to support all these people!
Me and my wife have been in this lifestyle for about 3 years. We watch, we learn, we try to learn more. The beauty of this group is we have people in it with years of experience in this lifestyle. I have the privilege of learning from and leaning on some of the pillars of this community. It is my hope that based on the strong backbone this group has, we will succeed.
Kinky Catawba, NC is a group born from a need. Relly and Dpolter took it upon themselves to start this group that meets every first Sunday of the month. Our aim is to provide a steady flow of events and munches in our area in an atmosphere that promotes not only fun and play, but learning and growth as well. We hope that the future will see our group growing in size and participation.”

MAsT: Raleigh-Durham
Meets the first Friday of every month at 7pm in Durham, NC. Directors are ~Gypsie~ and Master Rick, current M/s 2010 Title holders for S.E.L.F. MAsT: International’s Mission Statement (Masters And slaves Together International) states “MAsT is an association of individuals interested in engaging in personal relationships that are based upon the conscious exchange of power and authority. MAsT believes that such relationships can be a valid path to authenticity, self-actualization and happiness for such individuals and MAsT is therefore dedicated to equipping them with tools and resources that will assist them in developing relationships that are healthy, functional and real. Through the sanctioning of local chapters that meet on a regular basis, MAsT provides social and support opportunities for its members and fosters the beneficial exchanges of lifestyle knowledge and experience. MAsT is committed to demystifying M/s, D/s and other power exchanges relationships for those in the Leather/Fetish/BDSM community and on a greater level, to correcting the misinformation and combating the denigration that often occurs in our larger societies with respect to such relationships.” MAsT: Raleigh-Durham’s Mission Statement adds “MAsT welcomes people of every sexual and gender identity, race and ethnicity, body type, socio-economic status, physical capability, and religion or spiritual practice (including those with no spiritual beliefs),  as well as anyone interested in the M/s (Master/slave) dynamic, whether a Master/Dominant/Top currently in or not in, an M/s relationship or a slave/submissive/bottom currently in or not in, an M/s relationship.”

SC-PX/SC-LOCK
Precious writes “We are a pansexual group that promotes community, education, friendships and fun. As of January 1, 2011 we will only be known as SC-LOCK. We strive to provide educations events that are designed and geared towards all levels of experience  new, middle of the road or well seasoned. We aim for our social gatherings and events to be comfortable, welcoming and enjoyable, whether it’s your first or hundredth event. Our goal is to provide a safe environment that inspires friendships, camaraderie, and a chance to experience most of what our lifestyle has to offer. We recognize the tough times that most people are experiencing right now and we do our best to make the cost of these events as affordable as possible. Some of our upcoming events are our Kinky Karnival on August 28th, 2010 in the Greenville, SC area. In September join us in supporting the South Carolina Leather Contest being held on September 18th,2010 in  Columbia, SC. October brings our Masquerade Party with the always amazing Lady D, also being held in the Greenville, SC area. November 5th,6th and 7th bring about our big weekend event with 4 fabulous presenters Autumn Bound being held in the Pickens, SC area. Autumn Bound along with all our other events are shaping up to be an extraordinary time so get your RSVP’s in for these events as Autumn Bound is almost at capacity already.RSVP’s to these events to angel@sc-px.net.”

The Society, Jacksonville, NC
Miss Di will be representing The Society, a BDSM lifestyle group in Jacksonville, NC. “It started in May, 2006, and has grown significantly over the past year. It started as a play group, a close knit group of friends who would get together and play once a month. It is now a group that welcomes new and old alike to share the fun and excitement of learning new techniques and play styles. Though it doesn’t have formal demonstrations, there are so many talented members that the skills are shared freely amongst the members. Play styles such as electro-play, impact play, suspension, medical play, and interrogation are highlighted and celebrated at parties each month. Themes are arranged bi-monthly so spice up the parties and keep it all in the spirit of fun. Through the parties and the welcoming atmosphere, many new members of the community have found a place they feel comfortable and safe exploring and learning about BDSM. This new turn in the group’s dynamic has become the focus of the group, creating a safe, comfortable, welcoming environment for new and seasoned players to learn from each other.”

With more to come!
Want your group to be involved?
Drop us an email at FFF.Carolinas@gmail.com!

Many people were confused last year by the multiple tiers and price options so we’re simplifying as much as possible.

EARLY BIRD VIP PACKAGE:
Only Available Until August 10th!
$240 for one person (save $40)
$285 for two people sharing a room (save $75)

Early Birds! Your package includes:
-hotel room for two nights (a $190 value including taxes)
-two meal vouchers good for breakfast or lunch in the hotel ($20 value)
-a $10 gift certificate redeemable at any vendor ($10 value)
-admission to
Friday night’s play party ($20 per person)
Saturday night’s play party ($25 per person)
all classes, demos, and discussion groups ($15 per person)
all vending hours

If you are signing up for an Early Bird package, be sure to provide us with your preferred name for registration with the hotel (we will handle your registration) and whether you want a smoking or non-smoking room.

The “buy now” buttons are found in our payment gateway page here: http://community.livejournal.com/fff_carolinas/profile (scroll down)

If you would prefer to make your own hotel reservations, you can do so, just be sure to ask for the “fleamarket” rate to get our $79 room rate, which will be the lowest rate offered that weekend. When you make your own reservations you can choose one, two, or more nights. To make your own reservation call the Ramada Conference Center directly at (704) 525-8350.

Event PreSale Package Until September 15th
$50 ALL EVENTS PACKAGE
-including a $10 gift certificate good at any vendor
-includes Friday night party
-includes Saturday night party
-includes three-day pass to all classes & vending hours
(does not include hotel room or meals)

A LA CARTE TICKETS prior to September 15th
$9 single day pass to vending and classes (Fri, Sat, or Sunday)
$14 three-day pass to vending and classes
$19 Friday night play party
$22 Saturday night play party

The “buy now” buttons are found in our payment gateway page here: http://community.livejournal.com/fff_carolinas/profile (scroll down)

After September 15th tickets will be available AT THE DOOR at the following prices:
$10 single day pass to vending and classes (Fri, Sat, or Sunday)
$15 three-day pass to vending and classes
$20 Friday night play party
$25 Saturday night play party
$50 ALL EVENTS (save $10 off the at the door price)

The full descriptions of vendor sponsor packages, amenities, etc. are online here:
FFF Carolinas: http://www.fetishfairfleamarket.com/?page_id=80

Deadline for vendors to to register for Carolinas is July 20th.
(After that date, prices will go up, if there is any space left.)

The online form for presenter proposals is also live! Propose your classes and demos by filling out the form here: http://www.fetishfairfleamarket.com/?page_id=62

Applications are being taken through June 1st at our online registration system at http://fffreg.perfectionsgroup.com

For complete instructions on how to use the system, please see the step by step tutorial on Picasa here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/117412917964928008611/FFFRegistrationTutorial#

If you used the system before for the winter event in Providence, then your contact info should already be in there, and you merely need to add an application for the Summer FFF in Boston. Skip the part of the tutorial about creating a company profile and go right to Application Management.

We will be sending out approvals by June 1st and payment will be due by June 15th. Instructions on how to pay will come in the approval email.

As with the previous few years, there is a two night minimum of Friday and Saturday, February 11 and 12, and you have until 6pm on January 11th to cancel your reservation with no penalty. At that time, the full amount of the reservation will be charged with no refunds.

We did have some problems with the national reservations number getting the details wrong for last year’s FFF and sometimes charging people at the time of reservation instead of the month before. I just did a test reservation myself and it all went smoothly and correctly, so I am hopeful the problems are largely resolved. If you have any problems like you are incorrectly charged or quoted the wrong rate, please be sure to let NELA know right away. Email hotel liaison Cecilia Tan at fffvendorcoord@gmail.com or call or text 617-290-9043.

Click here to book on the web: (https://www.mmxreservations.com/NELA/reservations)

More information about the event can be found on NELA’s website: http://neleatheralliance.org/cmsms/index.php?page=fff

To Our Community:

For Fetish Fair Fleamarket™ #34, NELA will be striving for greater accessibility.

Getting to the hotel: It has been recommended to us that if using a scooter or wheelchair it is best to enter the mall through the Borders bookstore entrance and take the elevator to the second floor then go from there to the hotel.

If traveling to the Flea by train with a scooter, make sure that your scheduled train has a german car as this works best with a scooter’s turning radius.

Staying at the Westin: If you have not already done so, now would be a good time to give them a call about accessibility issues at the hotel. If you’ve forgotten to request a room with greater accessibility it’s not too late. These
rooms have roll in showers, and wider doorways. It may also be a good idea to give them a head’s up if you have a service animal. Especially if you have mobility issues, request that you stay in the west tower and if you need it ask for an early check-in and a late check-out. The hotel is much more likely to accommodate you now rather than when all their phones are ringing and there is a lobby full of folks all wanting attention. Service animals can be taken to the park for relief. We have requested that the concierge have extra plastic bags on hand.

Enjoying the Flea: We will have some Assistive Listening Devices borrowed from the RI Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to be synched with the microphone in each classroom. Please reserve a device by emailing nela.access@gmail.com.

If you would like to request an ASL interpreter, please email nela.access@gmail.com and we will make every effort to retain that assistance for you.

If you are an ASL interpreter and would like to volunteer some hours interpreting please let us know your availability by emailing nela.access@gmail.com. We realize that the charge for this service is a reasonable one and have built that cost into our budget.

We are also in need of volunteers to be on call at the registration desk to coordinate issues and answer questions for people with disabilities. Shifts of a minimum two hours Sat and Sunday (10AM – 4PM) are available with similar benefits as other volunteers. Assistance may include reading the schedule for a print-impaired attendee, giving “appropriate and detailed directions to a class”, arranging for an ASL interpreter for a class, or directing individuals to accessible bathrooms and other accessible facilities.

In order to make classes more accessible there will be designated seating for persons with disabilities in each classroom (as well as space for scooters and/or wheelchairs). If these seats are not required by persons with disabilities, the seats will be releasedshortly before the start of each class.

Our presenters have been asked to have handouts available to be printed before the event so that we can accommodate large print requests. Please make any request for a large print handout to nela.access@gmail.com. Please understand that some presenters may be reluctant to provide handouts before the event but may make them available upon request from a class attendee.

The Program Book will be available in advance of the Flea upon request to nela.access@gmail.com so that individuals with a print-impairment can access these materials for planning.

Our presenters have also been encouraged to verbally describe demonstrated activities and written/drawn presentation components wherever possible.

NELA is committed to improving the accessibility of the Fetish Fair Fleamarket™. We hope this is a good start upon which to build in the years ahead. Please email nela.access@gmail.com with questions or requests.

Thank you,

~Rae
NELA Board Chair

The class schedule is online for perusal, along with descriptions and bios of the presenters, here:
http://neleatheralliance.org/cmsms/index.php?page=programming

The vendor list is also online if you haven’t seen it:
http://neleatheralliance.org/cmsms/index.php?page=vendors

Meanwhile, we have some news from the Westin.
They are putting the reservation names through a random number generator to choose the winners of the five free rooms that will be given away (2 nights each!) as thank yous to everyone who booked their reservations before the end of December. The hotel is truly sorry about all the mix-ups, miscommunications, and errors which occurred during the reservations process, and they have sent us a letter to share with the community apologizing.

If you haven’t seen a copy of the Westin’s official apology letter to the community, you can download a pdf of the letter here: http://www.fetishfairfleamarket.com/wp-content/westin-apology-letter.pdf

We’ll announce the winners of the drawing by first name and last initial only. You do not have to do anything to “claim” your prize, just show up and check in as normal. You’ll still be charged for incidentals like room service if you use it, but two nights hotel stay will be picked up by the hotel for five lucky winners.

Now that we are within the 30-day non-cancellation window, any new reservations that are made are charged immediately. If rooms are available, you will be able to still get them right up through the day of the event. Right now we are not sold out, so if you have been thinking about getting a room closer to the flea, now would be a great time.

Friday night’s New Designer’s Fetish Fashion Show is shaping up nicely, too. Check out the lineup and info at the dedicated fashion show website, http://www.fetishfashionshow.com/2010.html

And if you want to make sure you get tickets to Saturday night’s Fetish Masquerade, you can pre-purchase them online from The Network/La Red, here: http://www.thenetworklared.org/masq2010.htm
Tickets for the masquerade ball are $25 in advance, $30 at the door, and they do sell out.

See you all next month!

Cecilia Tan
Fetish Fair Fleamarket(tm) #34
February 12-14, 2010
Providence Westin