                             >> BBS HAPPENINGS <<
           A Roundup of News and Special Events in the BBS Community


--> LV-426 BBS Going Offline Soon

It looks as if the big quake of '94 may be responsible for downing another LA-
area board, this one a distribution point for the Underground Informer.  (The 
LV-426 computer took a big fall in the quake, operated fine for a while after 
some repairs, but seems to be succumbing to a kind of delayed quake reaction 
that we've heard about in some other area systems.)  As many recent callers 
have found out, LV-426 BBS has experienced intermittent problems and downtime, 
with the problems becoming more frequent in the last few weeks.  Sysop LV-426 
has been reduced to laboriously reconstructing lost e-mail and scrambled 
transfer sections because of these hardware difficulties.  

LV-426 BBS will go off-line as of May 1, 1994--provided the problems don't 
force it to happen sooner.  We will miss the board, but Sysop LV-426 intends 
to bring it back online after a period of time (undetermined at this point), 
as a Macintosh board.  (Yes, PC users will still be able to access the BBS 
then.)  Sysops who carry the UI and currently pick it up at LV-426 can call UI 
Master Distributor Beyond Eternity in Manhattan Beach (310-371-3734/1200-14400 
baud or 310-370-9464/300-2400 baud only).  We hope to be able to announce a 
new Master Distributor with a San Fernando Valley location in the next issue 
of the UI.

After LV-426 goes offline, messages for Sysop LV-426 will be forwarded if sent 
to any of the UI's e-mail addresses listed on the last page of every issue.  


--> Late News Flash!
--> Chatterbox! BBS Will Be New Master Distributor for the UI

Just hours before we were ready to release this issue, sysop Don Adler of 
Chatterbox! BBS in Van Nuys graciously agreed to become a new Master 
Distributor of the Underground Informer, filling in the San Fernando 
Valley/northern L.A. gap left as LV-426 goes offline.  Chatterbox! will have a 
special UI download area as of April 10, 1994, and it will be accessible to 
both sysops and regular users with an action command from the main menu 
screen.  A sysop information packet including registration form will also be 
available for download within a few days.  The UI is already readable online 
in the Chatterbox! [N]ewsletter section.  Sysops should find it easy to pick 
up their copy of the UI at Chatterbox! because the board has 22 lines, all 
running 14400-baud modems.  Access numbers for Chatterbox! are 818-718-1600 
(West San Fernando Valley), 818-995-6959 (East SF Valley), and 213-731-3434 
(L.A.).  Thank you, Don and co-sysop Mike!


--> It's Poppy Time Again!

Come spring, and one of the most beautiful sights in southern California is 
the brilliant orange of wild California poppies in bloom.  In celebration of 
this yearly event, it's time again for the Lancaster Poppy Festival on 
Saturday and Sunday, April 16 and 17.  The fun begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday 
and 10 a.m. on Sunday, lasting until 5 p.m. both days.  The festival is at 
Lancaster Park (10th Street West and Avenue K-8 in Lancaster), and there will 
be buses to take you out to the poppy fields.  Poppy Festival tickets cost 
$1.00, but kids 12 and under and senior citizens get in free.  (This news item 
courtesy of Stepping Stone Hotel BBS in Lancaster, CA.)


--> Dateline: Beeline
--> Event: Second Anniversary Picnic

Beeline is planning a festive barbecue picnic to celebrate the board's second 
anniversary.  The big event will be held on Sunday, April 17 at North 
Hollywood Park (north side of Magnolia Boulevard, just west of Tujunga 
Avenue), from 12 noon till whenever.  The picnic will cost $4 per person (half 
price for kids) and include hamburgers, hot dogs, punch and cake.  
Entertainment will be provided by Classy Lady 1853 and her Country Western 
Dance Team, "Silk 'n Spurs," and there will be drawings for FREE Level 7 
access to Beeline.  RSVPs are a must!  Contact Capri Bee 661.


--> Dateline: Stepping Stone Hotel BBS
--> Event: Charity Bowling

On April 30th, Stepping Stone Hotel BBS will sponsor a "Bowl for Kids' Sake" 
benefit for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Los Angeles.  Prizes include a 
three-day, two-night stay at a Hilton hotel and Lakers tickets for two.  To 
enter, all you need to do is gather four friends who like to bowl and have a 
minimum of ten people sponsor you for at least $10.00.  Then call 310-652-4852 
to book a time between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. to bowl at El Dorado Bowl (8731 
Lincoln Boulevard in Westchester) and Bowl for Kids' Sake!  


--> Dateline: After Hours
--> Event: Parties and More

After Hours members are looking forward to their fourth Anniversary Party, to 
be held May 7 or May 14.  But before that special party, the board is planning 
a Karaoke Party at Shakey's in Marina Del Rey on Saturday, April 23 from 9 
p.m. till midnight.  

In other news, After Hours is offering a special for the first 25 users who 
sign up for the new membership option, auto-pay from their checking account.  
Those qualifying can purchase the standard $20/month Level 6 Gold and get a 
free upgrade to Level 8 Platinum, complete with stealthmode and full priority 
access.  


--> Dateline: Chatterbox
--> Event: Contest, Pizza Meet and More

Starting Monday, April 11, new subscribing members of Chatterbox BBS will be 
eligible to win a Practical Peripherals 14.4K modem.  Second and third prizes 
are six and three months of monthly level membership--free.  Although it has 
been a while since the big January earthquake, Sysop Don reports that Pacific 
Bell has finally gotten the board up to its full complement of 22 high-speed 
lines.  That means potential new subscribers will have no trouble getting 
through to Chatterbox.  The board has also recently installed a five-node 
Novell system, allowing real-time Internet E-mail and Newsgroups, as well as 
not having to go offline for Internet or Fidonet file transfers, as Major BBS 
boards typically must do.

On the social front, Sysop Dan and Social Director Mixilplix (where DO some 
folks come up with their handles?) announce the next monthly "Pizza Pig Out" 
for May 5 at 7 p.m. at Numero Uno on Van Nuys Boulevard in Van Nuys (one block 
south of Sherman Way).  According to Don, "Unlike our good pal and co-
conspirator in the BBS world, BARB (aka the Goddess of Blazin' Bytes), I think 
all BBS gatherings should be pizza parties and not just have the name 'pizza' 
in there somewhere."  


--> Dateline: Valley West
--> Event: Pizza Meet

New UI distributor Valley West BBS is having a user get-together at Casa De 
Pizza, 7543 Fallbrook Avenue (corner of Fallbrook and Saticoy in Canoga Park) 
on Saturday, April 9 at 5 p.m.  


--> Dateline: Stepping Stone Hotel BBS
--> Event: New Party Night

Stepping Stone Hotel in Lancaster, CA, one of the most active of all the area 
boards, has added another night of socializing to its busy calendar.  Every 
Saturday night, you can now find your SSH friends at Fundango's in Saugus, 
starting at 8:30 p.m. for karaoke fun plus dinner and drinks.


--> Dateline: KBBS
--> Event: New High-Speed Access

After veteran LA-area social board KBBS switched software from DLX to Major 
BBS, it had to happen sooner or later, and now KBBS members are no longer 
limited to a maximum baud rate of 2400.  Sysop Dale recently announced three 
new numbers for direct-dial 9600/14400 baud access:  818-886-3965 in 
Northridge, 213-651-1730 in Los Angeles, and 818-505-8459 in North Hollywood.


               >>> ATTENTION: Sysops and BBS Social Planners! <<<

If YOUR board's events are not getting coverage you would like to see in The 
Underground Informer, it just might be that you're not telling us about them!  
We want to know, and our readers want to know.  Send details to the UI at any 
of the addresses listed on the last page of this issue.  The UI also welcomes 
news about special events in the lives of BBS members, including weddings and 
birth announcements.

                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
