And we’re off! Can’t Stop the Serenity 2009 events have begun, and what a year it’s going to be!

Dallas has already started the ball rolling with May 24ths CSTS Dallas Women’s Music Showcase. The festive event featured Browncoat songstress Marion Call and a host of other local talent. Props to Tara and the North Texas Browncoats for this excellent kickoff!

The next event on the horizon is CSTS Toronto. The Toronto Browncoats are hosting a screening of Dr Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog on Saturday, 6 June 2009. Tickets are just $5 and are available at the North York Central Library Auditorium on the day. All proceeds go to Equality Now, so bring your family, bring your friends, and bring your voices. Costumes welcomed! (Details here). We’re sorry, but no working Freeze-Rays allowed.

Looking ahead, CSTS Philadelphia is screening Dr Horrible on June 12th, while CSTS Los Angeles kicks off the first of the Serenity screening events on June 14th! Then it’s off to the United Kingdom for Science Fiction and Fantasy Society’s CSTS Nottingham on June 16th.

You can find out when your closest event is being held by checking our Calendar of Events. If your city is not yet listed, visit our Forum to see if there is an event in the works. What? You can’t find your city anywhere? Well, why not step up and Host an Event!. Feel free to contact Tanya (aka Stoweaway), our delightful Mentorship Department Head, for any questions around putting on a CSTS event. Our next Event Registration deadline is June 1st (to allow you to be listed in Global promotional materials).

Need a little taste of what’s in store for the some of the events in 2009? Well, here’s just a sampling of what’s on offer…

• CSTS NYC includes a dinner dance with lessons available from professional instructors
• Fans attending CSTS Portland, OR will be able to enjoy a “Special Hell” screening of Serentity. Have you ever wanted to shout your favorite lines at the screen? Tell the actors to watch out? Warn Wash before that crucial moment when he meets his fate? This is your chance!
• CSTS Ottawa, Canada will have Don McMillan as a special guest, designer of this year’s CSTS promotional art
• CSTS Boston, MA will be collecting non-perishable food, so bring some along for your chance to win a Serenity film prop
• CSTS Daytona Beach, FL is also having a raffle, with prizes including autographed shinies from Geoffrey Mandel, Serenity‘s graphic designer
• And Browncoats in Tennessee will be camping out under the stars at CSTS Nashville, with a whole weekend of festivities planned

And don’t forget that you can win prizes donated by our Global Sponsors at each event, plus enter for your chance to win some fantastic goodies in the Grand Global Prize Draw. This special global drawing includes a pair of Gold Weekend Packages to Creation Entertainment’s 3rd Annual Firefly & Serentity convention this November in Los Angeles, CA (donated by Creation Entertainment), a custom made Serenity glass plate signed by Jewel Staite, Gina Torres, Summer Glau and Adam Baldwin (donated by Tami Lankford), a Dollhouse poster signed by Joss Whedon (donated by Buffyfest), a voice acting role on Firefly Between The Lines (donated by Between the Lines Studios) and an amazing two part prize donated by The Kids Need to Read Foundation and an amazing anonymous angel.

Watch this space for more updates!