Page 4/The Battalion/Wednesday, April 1, 1987 2,S00 expected to attend AggieCon 18 By Melanie Perkins Staff Writer The largest science-fiction and fantasy convention in the Southwest — AggieCon 18 — will converge on the Texas A&M campus Thursday through Sunday. Drawing more than 2,500 people annually from as far away as New York and California, the event is sponsored by MSC Cepheid Varia ble — one of the largest on-campus science-fiction organizations in the United States. Throughout the weekend, the convention will feature panels and readings by well-known science-fic tion and fantasy authors and artists, a masquerade ball, an art show with professional and amateur art, a 125- table dealer’s room, trivia games, a video program, autograph sessions, a banquet, parties and movies. Ben Bova, former fiction editor of OMNI magazine and president of the National Space Society, will at tend AggieCon 18 as the guest of honor. Bova has published several popular science articles as well as sci ence-fiction novels, including “Voyagers II: The Alien Within,” his most recent novel. He will address the convention at 3 p.m. Saturday in 601 Rudder. Other special guests include artist Rowena Morrill, author Christopher Stasheff, publisher Kerry O’Quinn .and author Steven Gould. A local band will provide music at the masquerade ball, beginning at 10 p.m. Saturday in the MSC. At the ball, a group of masked judges will award prizes for the best costumes. Just before the ball. Cat Boxe Theater — a Houston-based street theater troupe — will present a 10- minute play, “The Reverend,” de scribed as an irreverent, cynical and quite funny comedy. Guest art will be displayed in the MSC gallery throughout the week end, and works by other profes sional and amateur artists will be dis played in 701 Rudder. Art from both displays will be auctioned Sat urday night, also in 701 Rudder. Saturday at 6 p.m., the AggieCon banquet will feature a special menu including Cornish game hen. Toast master Gould will address the ban quet, and Cat Boxe Theater will pre sent “Little Red — the Hood,” an audience participation play. Seating is limited but tickets are available for $ 10 at Rudder Box Office. AggieCon 18 will show these mov ies: “The Sword in the Stone,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “Something Wicked This Way Comes” on Thurs day night; “Big Trouble in Little China,” “Escape From New York” and “The Thing” on Friday night; “Alien,” “Aliens” and “Poltergiest” on Saturday night and “Labyrinth” on Sunday afternoon. Proceeds from “Labyrinth” ticket sales will go to Twin City Mission Inc. This year, participants will be able to purchase movie tickets separate from regular convention tickets. AggieCon opening ceremonies are Thursday at 4 p.m. at Rudder Fountain. Tickets for the entire event are $9 for students and $13 for non-students and are available at Rudder Box Office. Programs, list ing events, times and locations, will be issued with the tickets. Reduced-rate tickets are available for those who wish only to attend certain parts of the program. Officials: Record lows ravaged state fruit crop (AP) — Farmers burned stacks of tires in orchards and ran water near the base of trees in last-minute attempts to save crops, but freezing temperatures set record lows across Texas Tuesday and ravaged many fruit trees, officials said. Texas’ $10 million fruit industry sustained sizable losses, Texas A&M University horti culturist Calvin Lyons said Tuesday. “We’ve had some major crop losses across the state,” said Lyons, who also works with the Texas Agriculture Extension Service. “There has been a lot of damage to our fruit.” Lyons said growers and county extension agents across Texas were trying to tally the wintry weather’s damage. He said it will take several days to determine how bad it was, but he estimated it could total millions of dollars. “It looks severe, but we won’t know for a few more days,” he said. Especially hard hit were peach crops in sev eral areas, including Fredericksburg, Weath erford and Stephenville, Lyons said. Grape crops in West and North Texas also suffered losses. “There’s been heavy damage in East Texas between last night and this morning — both peaches and blueberries,” Lyons said Tues day. “It’s almost a total loss,” Parker County peach grower Hugh Murphy said, estimating his loss at $30,000 to $40,000. But Lyons said he does not anticipate any damage to South Texas’ citrus crops because temperatures there did not get cold enough. Growers will have to evaluate the damage to determine if there is enough fruit left to warrant continued insect- and disease-control efforts, he said. “I don’t think it will be a total loss,” Lyons said of the fruit crop. Unprotected vegetable crops also were at risk and probably were damaged, but most of those can be replanted while fruits generally cannot, Lyons said. The National Weather Service said record low temperatures were set Tuesday at Brownsville, with 39 degrees; Corpus Christi, 30; Houston, 33; Port Arthur, 29; Austin, 30; anti Dallas-Fort Worth, 30. Tuesday’s forecast called for fair weather across Texas with a warming trend continu ing through today. Temperatures today are expected to be in the 70s and 80s, the weathei service said. Oil tycoon Murchison dies at 63 DALLAS (AP) — Clint|0n!:j i bison Jr., a legendaryMM who created the Dallas Go.) football team only to loseitJ with his fabled fortune! health, died Monday afol lengthy illness, officials said| was 63. Cowboys president Schramm said Tuesday, 11 very sad day because 1 Eveailable For more information on January, Summer & Semes!? environmental field research courses, come to: Koom 704A B Hwltler Tower Thursday, April 2. 1987 at 3:00 P.M or write: SFS, Box A, 376 Hale St., Beverly, MA 0/915 (617) 927-7777 THE WORLD IS YOUR CLASSROOM CASINO '87 APRIL lOth WHEN IN ROME... Tickets on sale at Rudder Box Office, MSC, Commons, Sbisa, Quad for $3.™ MOHAMMAD IN THE BIBLE DE I J FE1 t i I DE c I TA F s PU I 1; ti r STl a GR V 1 STl a PAI P GA’ C R ASI 4 un: ai ALC 5 ma: B EUI ALl ir SAN 31 DAI SF te PI S c at UNI in STU at NA1 at Item 21 P r cu AUST ment in Bill Clen half the; A-r ike In an story, Ch permittee Lecturer: Prof. Jamal Badawi (St. Mary’s Univ. Canada) Commetators: ^Reverend Don McCurry Yx Rabbi Petter Tarim Former Dir. of Zwemer Inst. Texas A&M Univ. Date: Thursday, April 2nd, 1987. Time: 7:30 p.m. Place: M.S.C. TAMU Room 201 FREE ADMISSION Saudi Students Club Call Battalion Classified 845-26111