CheeseVention 3 was the dawn of a new era for CV, and that meant moving it around the country to bring it closer to the fans. This year, the event was moved to Dallas. Also changing for CV3 was the entire format of the event - CV2 taught us that private locations made for more fun, so one of our co-hosts - CaptSlappy - was gracious enough to allow us to hold the bulk of the event at his house to watch his animatronic shows!

CheeseVention 3 kicked off in nearby Irving, TX at the Irving CEC store - this is a test market store, as it's right down the street from the corporate support center. Many new concepts are tested here, and several of which are never seen at any other location. Our CV3 group was able to partake in the new token card system that was designed to replace tokens to operate the games. Also by chance, the group was able to meet Michael Hill (programmer for Dept 18) who was at the store on his lunch break.

After the kick-off lunch, the group moved down the block to the corporate support center for photos of the building, and then it was off to CaptSlappy's house in Carrollton. At CaptSlappy's house the CV group was entertained with a Trivia Contest, a video showcase, and a rather insane game of "Skytubes" with custom CEC and SPP game pieces!

The true entertainment though, were Capt's animatronic shows. Fans were able to watch a working Dolli Dimples show, a working Rock-afire Explosion, and most interesting of all - a working Pizza Time Theatre Balcony stage (with guests Harmony Howlette & Madame Oink!)

The rest of the CV3 weekend was spent watching various showtapes on CaptSlappy's shows, and visits to nearby stores. One of these stores was the Richardson, TX location which was a former ShowBiz and had a 3-stage MMBB. The fans stunned the crowd by performing some Live shows alongside Chuck and were even given kudos by the management. Our night was capped off with a conclusion dinner at the sports bar restaurant, TJ Hartford's - a concept store operated by CEC Entertainment.

CheeseVention 3 was yet another grand experiment and was quite different from the CVs that preceded it, but in the end was a grand success and enjoyed by all the attendees. The change of location from MA turned out to be a winning move, and it was great to gather a new and different group of fans.

For more information regarding CV3 check out Billy Bob's Bulletin #65. You can also check out photos from the Irving CEC Meet-up, Gathering at CaptSlappy's, and other photos from the event.