According to the poll we've had running on the website for the past few weeks, 56% of you think great merch and shiny raffle prizes are what draw you to our Can't Stop The Serenity events. Well let me just say right now - you won't be disappointed. Even with a conscious effort on our part to cut down on our stress levels, we've still been working hard to produce a variety of unique products for which I can guarantee you'll be willing to hand over your hard earned coin. Here are a few special items you can expect to see at Phoenix's CSTS events:

 
Dr. Horrible Prop Bags
We know everything is better when followed by the words "sing along," but we didn't stop there. A select number of prop bags, disguised as Berry Good frozen yogurt bags and filled with goodies to make your singing experience more enjoyable, will be available for purchase. Better get there early though, because these are gonna go fast!

 
Merchandise
First off, we've got your official 2009 CSTS merch for your collection: T-shirts in both men and women's sizes, posters small and large, an embroidered patch, and even a collector's set of post cards with all the designs submitted to this year's CSTS logo contest. We've also got your Browncoat standards: "On The Drift" CDs from the Bedlam Bards, Quantum Mechanics Alliance Money Packs, and even a few hand-painted Kaylee-style parasols. But, the "green" highlight on our merch table will be recycled CSTS t-shirts from the previous years of our events. We've made pillows, shopping bags, modified t-shirts, and even a couple of lap quilts. You can show how eco-friendly you are, pay homage to the history of a great charity event, and accessorize your home all while donating to a very good cause!

 
General Raffle
Our general raffle holds some exciting new things this year. For example, you can win your very own terrifying space monkey! Not into monkeys? We've got Firefly t-shirts, Serenity and FruityOaty Bar lunchboxes, a few Serenity trading cards starter decks, and even a handmade leather gun holster for your own Moses Brothers Self-Defense Engine Frontier Model B pistol, to name a few things. We've split the lot between the two shows and with just over 20 prizes per show and a maximum of 154 people in the theater at once, the statistics are looking pretty good for you (well, at least they're better than the Powerball). General Raffle tickets will be $1 each, or get 8 tickets for $5 or even 20 tickets for $10. (editors note: we've increased the number of tickets you'll get for $10 as of 9/16/09)

 
Big Damn Raffle
If you've been to one of our previous events, you know we just love to give away awesome stuff packaged with more awesome stuff. And we couldn't stop ourselves again this year. Check out the descriptions below and take a peek at the corresponding slideshow at the top of this story for some pictures. I'll bet you can't help but let out a squee!

First, we've got a crate full of Serenity goodness, including the Serenity Ornament, a Fruity Oaty Bar lunch box, the Serenity novelization, the complete Those Left Behind comic series, a collector's edition Alliance money pack, and a few other 'verse-inspired items.

Second, we've got a set of framed 'verse-inspired posters, autographed by their designer, perfect for the home or office.

Third is another set of framed posters with a historical theme: you get the Serenity movie poster (27"x40") plus a large CSTS poster from 2009 and 2009.

Fourth is a special gift "dug up" by our good friend MadMolly. That's right folks, it's a coffin! Full of shinies from the place where Joss got his start - the Buffyverse. You're just going to have come to the event to see this thing for yourself, because my description won't do it justice. (not pictured in slideshow)

Fifth up is a framed, autographed photo of Dichen Lachman (Sierra on Dollhouse), sure to be worth a few gold pieces some day. And even if that doesn't work out, you can pass the photo off to your buds as a long-distance girlfriend or something to bring up your coolness factor, because let's face it, she's HOT!

And if none of these have made your mouth water, just wait till you hear about this one because we've got something autographed by the man himself. Yup, a small Serenity poster signed by JossWhedon. SIGNED BY JOSS WHEDON. Enough said. (Browncoat not included)

The Big Damn Raffle will be going on all day in order to allow audience members from each show to have a chance at taking home these prezzies. You don't have to be present to win. If you're planning on the first show, we'll just have you give us your contact information so we can call you with the good news about your prize. And, as with our previous Big Damn Raffles, you can pick which items you want to "bid" for by placing your raffle tickets in containers set aside for each package. Tickets will be $2 each, or get 3 tickets for $5, or 8 tickets for $10. (editors note: the price for a single ticket has been lowered and the number of tickets has increased at the $5 and $10 level as of 9/16/09)