Registration Desk
Gettysburg Hotel, Atrium
Pick up your passports and other registration supplies for your Browncoat Ball weekend activities. Please bring any prop weapons you intend to wear for inspection and peace-tying per Browncoat Ball policy.
| Friday | 3:00pm-10:00pm |
|---|---|
| Saturday | 9:00am-6:00pm |
Hospitality Suite
Gettysburg Hotel, Room 206
Modeled after a companion’s sanctuary, enjoy our private space on the rim of our core activities. Light snacks and refreshments will be supplied. Knit like Ma Cobb, do origami, color, enjoy a fine selection of teas, or just socialize with other Browncoats in a low key environment. Peruse the shiny raffle and auction items. Bring your passport to get your Sihnon stamp.
| Friday | 5:00pm-7:00pm closed for Welcome Reception 10:00pm-2:00am |
|---|---|
| Saturday | 9:00am-5:00pm closed for The Ball 11:00pm-2:00am |
| Sunday | 9:00am-6:00pm |
Friday
Welcome Reception
Historic Train Station, 7:00pm-10:00pm
Built in 1859 to serve as the western terminus of the Gettysburg Railroad line to Hanover, Pennsylvania; the station served as a field hospital, a departure point for thousands of soldiers, and a place of greeting for President Lincoln when he came to deliver his Gettysburg Address. Just a short walk from the Gettysburg Hotel.
Join us for our festive Friday night reception. There will be light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. There will be live entertainment, games, and socializing with your fellow Browncoats. Peruse the shiny raffle and auction items. No dress code required, but dress for the weather. Bring your passport to collect Guilds of the ’Verse stickers.
Candlelit Ghost Tour
leaves from hotel lobby, 10:00pm-11:30pm
Any historic town has its fair share of ghosts and ghost stories, but Gettysburg was also the site of one of the major battles of the Civil War. Professional guides will take you on a candlelit walking tour of the local haunts. The tours leave from the Gettysburg Hotel lobby at 10:00pm sharp, don’t be late… like the ghosts of Gettysburg.
Saturday
Big Damn Breakfast
Ballroom, 7:00am-9:00am
Breakfast Saturday morning is included in Weekend and Saturday Only passes. Break bread with your fellow Browncoats before a day of historic adventure.
TRACK PERIOD I
9:30am-12:00pm
Balls & Bayonets Brigade Track
Battlefield Bus Tour leaves from lobby, 9:30am-12:00pm
What were you in the war? That big war you failed to win? You were a Sergeant, yeah? Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds… balls and bayonets brigade. Big, tough veteran. — Badger, “Serenity”, Firefly
Board a classic 1936 Yellowstone Bus (weather permitting) for a guided tour of the historic Gettysburg Battlefield. It is much larger than most people expect, more than 10,000 acres, and it is criss-crossed by more than 40 miles of battlefield avenues. There are more than 1,450 monuments, markers and plaques on the field. This tour will give you a clear understanding of what happened here, why it happened here and why Gettysburg is so important in American history.
Earth That Was Track
Downtown Walking Tour leaves from Lobby, 10:00am-12:00pm
Earth that was could no longer sustain our numbers, we were so many. — Teacher, Serenity
The “Earth That Was” track will focus on civilian life before, during and after the war with a walking tour in town.
Management Not Responsible Track
Gaming in Stevens Room, 10:00am-12:00pm
Management Not Responsible for Ball Failure — Sign, “Shindig”, Firefly
Stay back at the hotel, play games, and socialize with other Browncoats in the Stevens room at the Gettysburg Hotel.
Those Left Behind Track
Downtime/Vendors/Shopping, 10:00am-12:00pm
Take this time for yourself. Relax in your room. Visit the Hospitality Suite in room 206. Peruse the vendors in the Stevens Room. Explore downtown Gettysburg on your own. Shop for souvenirs.
Lunch on your own
Downtown, 12:00pm-1:00pm
There are many dining options for you to enjoy in downtown Gettysburg.
TRACK PERIOD II
1:00pm-3:00pm
Shuttle Track
Visitors’ Center and Museum, 1:00pm-3:00pm
Oh my god, he’s grotesque! Oh, and there’s something in a jar. — Hoban “Wash” Washburne, “The Message”, Firefly
Buses leave from the Gettysburg Transportation Center at 103 Carlisle Street at 1:00pm sharp. Don’t be late. Tell the driver you’re going to the “Visitors’ Center”. The Film and Cyclorama includes A New Birth of Freedom, a film narrated by Morgan Freeman and sponsored by The History Channel, and the Cyclorama, the nation’s largest painting that places visitors in the fury of Pickett’s Charge on the third day of the battle. The Gettysburg Museum of the American Civil War has 11 exhibit galleries featuring Gettysburg National Military Park artifacts and interactive displays and the Gilder Lehrman Institute Special Exhibits Gallery. Return buses leave the Visitors’ Center at 2:45pm and 3:45pm.
My Pretty Floral Bonnet
Costuming & Props in Eisenhower Room, 1:00pm-3:00pm
You’ve been birddoggin’ this township a while now. They wouldn’t mind a corpse of you. Now you can luxuriate in a nice jail cell, but if your hand touches metal, I swear by my pretty floral bonnet I will end you. — Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds, “Our Mrs. Reynolds”, Firefly
“My Pretty Floral Bonnet” track will stay back at the hotel for presentations by Kara Bocek and Karin Bohleke about the historical fashions and uniforms that inspired costumes in Firefly and Serenity. Mike McGuirk will discuss the props of Firefly and Serenity, and selections of his collection will be on display.
Management Not Responsible Track
Gaming in Stevens Room, 1:00:pm-3:00pm
Management Not Responsible for Ball Failure — Sign, “Shindig”, Firefly
Stay back at the hotel, play games, and socialize with other Browncoats in the Stevens room at the Gettysburg Hotel.
Those Left Behind Track
Downtime/Vendors/Shopping, 1:00:pm-3:00pm
Take this time for yourself. Relax in your room. Visit the Hospitality Suite in room 206. Peruse the vendors in the Stevens Room. Explore downtown Gettysburg on your own. Shop for souvenirs.
TRACK PERIOD III
3:00pm-5:00pmManagement Not Responsible Track
Gaming in Stevens Room, 3:00pm-5:00pm
Management Not Responsible for Ball Failure — Sign, “Shindig”, Firefly
Stay back at the hotel, play games, and socialize with other Browncoats in the Stevens room at the Gettysburg Hotel.
Those Left Behind Track
Downtime/Vendors/Shopping, 3:00pm-5:00pm
Take this time for yourself. Relax in your room. Visit the Hospitality Suite in room 206. Patronize the vendors in the Stevens Room. Explore downtown Gettysburg on your own. Shop for souvenirs.
The Killer Angels Book Discussion
Eisenhower Room, 3:30pm-4:30pm
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara inspired Joss Whedon to create Firefly. It tells the story of the four days of the Battle of Gettysburg. We recommend you read it before coming to Gettysburg. If you’ve read it and would like to discuss it, come join us for a book discussion.
Dance Lessons
Grand Ball Room, 3:30pm-4:30pm
Dance Master Briant Bohleke and Dance Mistress Karin Bohleke will teach you the basics of the dances they’ll be calling during the Ball later Saturday Evening. They have extensive experience with historic dance, including Civil War era dance, and have recently watched Firefly and Serenity!
Downtime to prepare for Ball
5:00pm-6:00pm
No official activities are scheduled during this time to allow everyone to prepare for the Ball.
Serenity Salon & Spa of Gettysburg
Hospitality Suite, 3:30pm-5:30pm
Guests who want to have their hair and makeup done at the hotel by local pros can call the Serenity Salon & Spa of Gettysburg to make their appointment and pay in advance. Hair styling and up-dos $40, Makeup $25, Both $65. Tipping is optional. The appointments will run from 3:30-5:30 pm on Saturday and will be in the Hospitality Suite, Room 206 of the Gettysburg Hotel
Call (717) 420-5627 to make an appointment. Our contact’s name is Becky. Be sure to state the August 12th Ball at the Gettysburg Hotel and the special pricing. Walk-ins the day of can be accepted if the other appointments are done but they will have to pay cash.
The Ball
Cocktail Hour
The Atrium, 6:00pm-7:00pm
Mix and mingle with fellow Browncoats. Pose for photographs. Partake of the cash bar.
Banquet and Ball
Ballroom, 7:00pm-11:00pm
Join us in the Ballroom for the main event. Fill out cards and be announced in grand fashion. Interrogate the buffet. Enjoy music by the Smash the Windows band. Dance to the calls of Dance Mistress Karin Bohleke and Dance Master Briant Bohleke. Bring your passports to collect stamps of the planets of the verse. Raffles will be drawn and silent auctions will go to final auction, so bring cashy money or major credit cards. The D’Arbanville’s may not be there, but many Browncoats, friends old and new, will be.
Sunday
Breakfast on your own
7:00am-9:00am
While there are many dining options for you to enjoy in downtown Gettysburg we highly recommend the Lincoln Dinner.
Lunch on your own
12:00pm-1:00pm
There are many dining options for you to enjoy in downtown Gettysburg.
Serenity Valley Track
Premium Track: $50
The Alliance said they were gonna waltz through Serenity Valley, and we choked ’em with those words. We’ve done the impossible, and that makes us mighty. — Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds, “Serenity”, Firefly
We can’t visit Serenity Valley on Hera for at least another 500 years, but we can visit with some U.S. Civil War reenactors and discuss their uniforms, kits, and weapons. This includes black powder firing of rifles and a Civil War-style cannon. This track will leave from the hotel lobby at 9:30am and travel by bus to two reenactment areas. A boxed lunch will be served on the bus in between presentations by reenactors from the South and the North. The bus will return track participants back to the hotel by 2:30pm. This is a premium track with a cost of $50, limited to 30 participants. Sign up during online registration. First come, first served.