After 20 Years -- Looking Ahead
On August 26th, 1989, a group of "renegade" Doctor Who fans belonging to a local college-based club formed a private, non-profit organization. Adding a mix of other science fiction programs and comedy programs helped ensure variety at meetings. After the end of the classic Who series in 1989, MTL members kept the club alive with regular events (picnic, Ren Faire, etc), fanzines, a fan video production, a Monty Python night, two murder mysteries, local vendor tours, active convention support and local community events, such as public TV pledge drives. Eventually, Doctor Who made its way back in the form of audio productions (Big Finish), the 1996 American-produced TV movie and the new series launched in 2005.Today, The Milwaukee Time Lords remains a cohesive organization because we have a solid business model that sustains us and a sense of fun and adventure that make our meetings and events worth the effort. We proudly hold our club as an example of sustainable offline science fiction fandom. We move ahead into the future by making use of online networking sites such as our new Facebook page. Please stop by and become a fan. Share your thoughts about science fiction fandom and clubs. We still have our blog, but it could use more activity. If you want to join a Milwaukee Time Lords blog pool, please send a message and I'll give you access. Julie, website admin
Who Are We?
The Milwaukee Time Lords is a science fiction fan club with its original foundation being the British TV series Doctor Who. We are also fans of other sci-fi TV, including Star Trek, The X-Files, Babylon 5, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Xena, Farscape, Blake's 7, The Avengers, Sarah Jane Adventures, Battlestar Galactica, Torchwood, etc. Science fiction films and Japanese Animation are also popular with many members along with obscure works such as Tripods. We also enjoy British comedies such as Red Dwarf, Monty Python, Blackadder, Fawlty Towers and Absolutely Fabulous.Membership
The Milwaukee Time Lords is a diverse group which attracts a wide variety of people -- young & old, singles, married with children, and retirees. We are students, teachers, salesmen, computer operators, factory workers, nursing aides, among other vocations. All have joined because of our commonly shared interests in science fiction.Meeting Activities
MTL has public meetings twice a month, where after a brief business meeting, we have videos, games and food. Often times members are treated with surprises like behind-the-scenes specials, fan videos, bloopers or interviews. Some members meet for regular gaming, such as collectible card games, roleplaying and board games. Meetings are also great for the latest sci-fi news and to keep in touch with club friends.Events
We do much more than watch TV and play games. Like the Doctor, we get out to explore our area social, educational and cultural attractions. In the past, we have visited the Shedd Aquarium, the Adler Planetarium, Great America, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Time Museum and the Trolley Museum in East Troy. Our regular activities include Annual Safehouse Night, Renaissance Faire, lakefront fireworks, Summerfest and the Wisconsin State Fair. Our primary volunteer activity is answering phones during on air pledge drives with our local PBS station, Channels 10/36.
Special Events
Annual PicnicOne very special in-house event is our annual picnic in June held at Hoyt Park, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Our picnic features a game we created called "Whoball", which is a variation of baseball designed for people of any level of athletic ability to play and for fans of Doctor Who. Teams are divided into "the Doctors" and "the Masters" with the "Guardians" as pitchers. Objects tossed as "balls" typically include whiffle balls, old tennis balls, an Earth squishy toy, a squeaky dog toy and of course Barney the purple and green dinosaur for the 7th "Barney Inning". Implements of hitting the objects are randomly selected by the throw of a fuzzy die. Implements most recently used have included an aluminum baseball bat, a plastic 'bam-bam' bat, a toy red plastic boat, end of a hockey stick, a large plastic green piggy bank and a tennis racket. The combination of object tossed, implement of hitting used and the individual Time Lord at bat determines where the outfield needs to be. It's also an interesting science experiment where we determine what is and is not very aerodynamic when hit. (Barney does not fly very far, I can say that for sure, Julie-Admin) Other games include badmitton, croquet, frisbee or whatever other toys members may bring. We had a rocket launch last year (2008), thanks to member John Pointer. As is customary for Milwaukee area picnics, our food includes grilled brats, hot dogs and hamburgers served with fresh fruit, veggies, side salads and member supplied treats. When we started, we had a picnic then had our meeting in the evening. Now, our picnic runs the entire day, so we serve lunch and dinner and make best use of our picnic site reservation. This is a great way for visitors who are curious about us to meet us at Hoyt Park. Here is an old copy of the rules.
Update: For the first time in 2011 we chose "Doctor's Park" for our picnic.
Anniversary Dinner
Every year, we celebrate our club founding usually sometime in September. Typically we have dinner at an area restaurant, such as Athens. Then, we meet for games and videos at a member home in Milwaukee. This year (2009), for our 20th anniversary, our chosen special event is a Edelweiss Dinner Cruise.
Halloween Party
In the past we held a regular Halloween party at our meetings complete with a costume contest and creepy videos. Now, we go to Litheria, a boarding house on the north east side of Milwaukee, that has a Halloween party that offers excellent food, videos and games. The boarding house front entry area is dressed up in a theme largely for the trick or treaters. Past themes have included, X-Men, Babylon 5, the Golden Compass and Lord of the Rings. Trick or treaters must do a little "work" to earn their treats.
Dalekmas Party
Our annual Dalekmas party is typically held the second meeting in December and features a gift exchange and "pot luck" videos (bring and share). Members bring their favorate dishes and treats for dinner.
