TRAVEL INFO BY SUGARBERRY

The Summer 2003 meet was held July 26th and 27th at the McHenry Flying Dragons Karate School in McHenry, Illinois, courtesy of Kit and her husband Wayne (Sir!)

The Summer 2002 get-together was on Satuday, August 10th and Sunday, August 11th.

The Midwest Pony Fest Summer 2001 get-together was on Saturday, June 16th and Sunday, June 17th.


(Site opened at 9:00 a.m. promptly.)

The address and phone number of the Karate School are as follows:
McHenry Flying Dragons Karate School
1323 N Riverside Dr.
McHenry, IL 60050
(815) 344-2990

Directions from Chicago via 294 (travel time approximately 45-50 minutes from downtown): Take 294 north to junction 53. Go west on 53 until you reach Lake Cook Road- the expressway ends and you will automatically be on Lake Cook Road going west. Turn right on route 12 and head north. You will pass through Lake Zurich and Waukanda and reach route 120. Turn left on route 120 and go west. You will pass through Lily Lake and go over a bridge. Take a right on the first road after the bridge, that will be Riverside drive. The Flying Dragons school will be on your left halfway down the block.

Directions from the north via 94/294 (travel time approximately 1 hour from Kenosha): Take 294 south to route 120. Turn right on route 120 and go west. You will travel a long time and then pass through Lily Lake and go over a bridge. Take a right on the first road after the bridge, that will be Riverside drive. The Flying Dragons school will be on your left halfway down the block.

Directions from the north direct (Lake Geneva, Elkhorn, etc.) (approximately 1 hour from Elkhorn): Go south on 12 until it connects with route 31. Follow route 31 south past Richmond into McHenry where it runs into route 120. Turn left onto route 120 and go past the second immediate stoplight to the third (right before the bridge), this will be Riverside Drive. Turn left on Riverside Drive. The Flying Dragons school will be on your left halfway down the block.

Directions from the south direct (Gurnee, Elgin) (approximately 40 minutes from Elgin): Go north on route 31, pass through Crystal Lake, and go into McHenry. Turn right onto route 120 and go past three stoplights to the fourth (right before the bridge), this will be Riverside Drive. Turn left on Riverside Drive. The Flying Dragons school will be on your left halfway down the block.

If you require a Metra train, trains run nearby to Crystal Lake and Fox Lake. Please check your local train schedule and notify me if you require a pickup. The Summer gathering will begin at 9:30 am and will last until approximately 9:00 pm, though folks are certainly welcome to come and go anytime. Overnight stayers are welcome, we have limited spots available so please let me know. There are tables available if needed, but they will need to be rented. If one is required, please write and we will arrange for them.

Food is a personal thing. McHenry is home to something like 14 pizza places, several sandwich shops, several ice cream parlors and the usual fast-food type places. Right across the street from the school is the Fox Hole (excellent local pizza), an Italian place (for the fancier side), and a sandwich shop. Many other food places available within a 1 mile drive.

Bring your trade stuff! You'll have lots of opportunities to see unique ponies and do some trading for many other ponies and items. There will be games, and prizes as well. Prize donations will be accepted for games (prizes don't necessarily have to be pony, but that would be great too). It's going to be a great time, so plan for it and we'll be looking forward to seeing you! If you have any questions, please feel free to write Rsund73845@aol.com.

Rana Sundell
a.k.a. Sugarberry

PHOTOS OF PAST MEETS

	Sunday, March 18 2001
	Saturday, June 16 2001
	Saturday, June 16 2001
	Saturday, August 10 2002
	Summer Meet Photos by Kit
	Saturday, July 26 2003

GAME AND CONTEST INFORMATION

Traditional Favorites that were held again this year
	Custom Pony Contest	Bring your favorite (or least favorite!) custom ponies (ones of your own creation) to compete for the title of Best (or WORST!) in the Midwest!
	Worst Fakie Contest	I think the name is pretty self-explanatory, but bring as many nasty, ugly poser ponies as you can possibly find! They will definitely come in handy for this Clash of the Crude!
	Pony Baking Contest	Everyone knows that Little Ponies LOVE to eat!  Bake something pony-related or bring some food item that relates to your pony persona (for example, Sugarberry might bring strawberries.)
	Dicey Pony Racing	A game in which the roll of the dice determines your pony's position on the board.  If you would like to play, please bring some small token such as a pony accessory or a craft you created  to contribute to the winners' pot.
	Pony Name Search	Somewhere in that sea of letters is a pony!  Find as many pony names as you can, but watch the clock! However, in 2003 the search winner was the one who could find all the pony names in the letters first.
New for Pony Fest 2003
	Custom Pony Race	We originally intended this game to be done in teams, but decided that it would be best if played individually. The original rules follow, however we played as individuals and pairs and the time allotted was one hour (following the addition of base coats of paint.) Join a team of two or three players (preferably pairs, to have more contestants in the game.) Each team should plan in advance with whom you intend to work, the theme of your custom pony or group of ponies, and how you will divide up the work. You may bring to the meet what we will term for the purpose of this contest a "blank palette" as well as any customizing supplies you want to make the final pony or ponies. A blank palette consists of the custom bait bodies, prepped with NO DYE, PAINT OR GLUED-ON DECORATIONS (but they may be haired in advance, if you choose to give them new hair.) That is, prepare your custom bait by removing its symbols and getting its hair installed in its head. If you choose to dye or paint the hair, you MUST DO IT DURING THE CONTEST. Also, bring accessories or products such as clay with which to make the accessories to the meet. You may not create accessories from clay or any other substance before the meet, they must be either loose findings or materials you prepare DURING THE CONTEST. At the meet, teams will get a set amount of time (probably an hour) to produce their custom ponies. The customs will be judged and the winners awarded prizes at the end of the contest!
	Pony Song Writing	In this game, you choose an original pony song and rewrite it to a new theme! For instance, entrants in the 2003 contest rewrote "Call upon the Seaponies" to the theme of the meet, with a flavor of "Call upon the Seaponies / When you need a snack! / Tasty as can be ponies / Better than Big Macs!"
Games Played at Summer Midwest Pony Fests 2001 and 2002
	Pony Bingo	Match the ponies' names to their pictures to win a prize!
	Pin the Tail on the Pony	Wear a blindfold, spin around several times, walk your dizzy self over to the pony's helpless bottom, and try to attach her tail where the sun don't shine!
	Pony Treasure Hunt	(Requires a small fee to play.)  Pony items, fakies, and more are hidden in the local park!  What you find is what you get to take home as your trophy!
	Rainribbon's Infamous Reading Contest	Make a fool of yourself reading Children's pony storybooks to an all-adult audience, for the grand prize of a brand new My Little Pony Round and Round Board Book!
	Most Pony Contest	Show your pony spirit by dressing up as the "Most Pony" possible.  Wear pony clothes, burn pony pictures into your flesh, or dye your hair!  The possibilities are endless! Unfortunately, we will not be playing this at Pony Fest 2003 because Tobi always wins hands-down, having burnt a pony permanently into her flesh!
	Pony Trivia	A trivia game testing your knowledge of all things My Little Pony.  Please prepare this contest ahead of time and email Rainribbon so that she can schedule it appropriately if you're interested in setting it up!
Other Game Ideas for Summer Midwest Pony Fest 2004
	Pony Racing	Humans run a jumping obstacle course while making horse noises by clacking together two hard objects.  Failure to produce horse noises or failure to make a jump results in point deductions.  Fastest runner wins!
	Pony Art Contest	Bring your best pony-related artwork to compete!
	Speed Drawing Contest	Draw a pony or ponies in a set amount of time and show them off!
	Speed Fanfic Writing	Write a story involving ponies in a set amount of time and then read it aloud!
	Rust Removal	Try to remove the most rust from rusty pony specimens in a set amount of time.  If you would like to set up this contest, please email Rainribbon ahead of time so that she can bring appropriate materials!
	Pony Twister	The same as regular Twister, but with a pony in each hand!
	Knockoff Knock-off	The new, improved fakie-bashing game, this is just like the carnival game that involves knocking over pyramids of small plastic cups, however cups are replaced with fakies! Whoever can knock over the most wins the grand prize!
	Bobbing for Seaponies	Although this idea strikes me as positively revolting, it appears to be a favorite at Pony Meets across America. Basically, bobbing for apples, although the targets are nasty, filthy, played-with toys and you don't know where they've been... probably in the mouth of some child... Eww. But hey, if you want to run this game and you can get people to play it, more power to you!

WHAT TO BRING

You might be wondering how to survive out here in the harsh, hot Midwest.  Well, wonder no longer!  Here are a few of the things you might want to bring along to Midwest Pony Fest 2004:

	A camera	You might want to take pictures of all the wonderful pony-related sights you see!
	MONEY!	You'll need money to pay for food, any games that require cash, and, of course, ponies!
	TRADE ITEMS!	Yes, there will be TONS of ponies up for grabs at the meet!  Definitely bring along those nightmarish little buggers that have been sitting on your trade list forever because you just can't bear to pay for shipping!
	A small, cheap item for Dicey Pony Racing	If you'd like to play this game, you need to have some small item to contribute to the winners' pot.  Anything will do, including small pony accessories or items you have made yourself. Also, bring a baby pony or petite pony you can use to represent you in the game!
	A Plain White T-Shirt	If you do not want to pay in advance for us to pick up a t-shirt so that you can have your Pony Fest shirt made, bring a plain white t-shirt on which we can iron the design!
	A sleeping bag	If you want to stay overnight, it helps to have something in which to sleep!  You might also want to bring a pillow and your favorite stuffed animal. Don't worry; we won't laugh. We play with ponies, after all.
	Nighttime needs	If you need any medicine, you might want to bring that along, not to mention a toothbrush, toothpaste, and nightclothes to spend the night.
	A pair of walking or hiking shoes with closed toes	In case we go somewhere on the second day outing such as Great America or some similar outdoor location, you might want to have shoes that allow you to attend.  A pair of sneakers would also be advised for the Pony Race competition.
	An outfit you don't mind getting dirty	We might be doing activities such as the Treasure Hunt and Rust Removal game in which dirt might be an issue.  Furthermore, you will be up to your armpits in filthy ponies if we go to the Antique Mall or the Flea Market on an excursion! You will not want to wear your Sunday Best to Pony Fest.
	A bathing suit	If we go to the Park District park, you can go swimming!  So you might want to bring a bathing suit.
	A change of clothing	In case you stay the second day, you might want to have some clean clothes to put on.  Little Ponies don't like to smell their friends.

2003 T-SHIRT DESIGN

So that you may decide more easily whether or not you would like to purchase this year's shirt, here is a sample of how the image (designed by Rainribbon and Ombrefeu) will look, as if it were printed on a gray shirt (the gray area shown will not appear in the shirt transfer):



You will also be able to purchase the iron-on transfer that will allow you to create your own Pony Fest shirt.  If you are unable to attend but you would like to buy a shirt, let us know and we will sell and ship you a shirt via USPS. <