I know, I know - we're all waiting with bated breath for the start of CookieCon 2017, the cookie event of the year! Even those staying home are on pins and needles, hoping that those going will report back - and frequently!
Well, hope no more! Like last year, we've lined up a team of correspondents (a dynamic duo, this time) who will be sharing their experiences with us on a daily basis, both here on Cookie Connection and elsewhere online. Woo hoo!
Before I officially introduce these two lovely ladies, let me first extend a HUGE thank you to both for taking time out of their valuable CookieCon experience to so generously share with us. THANK YOU! 
Now, without further ado, onto our first correspondent, who you might remember from last year's team . . .
Beverly Parker, aka Bev, is a cookier from Edmonton, Alberta Canada; a generational baker* and mom; and an educational assistant for special needs children. She is self-taught and enjoys the creative side of her baking as well as the joy it brings to those who experience it. Bev's cookie style has developed over the years through her involvement with various online communities and social media. For over ten years, she has raised funds for the Canadian Breast Cancer Society and, in more recent years, she has supported Ovarian Cancer Canada. Bev is a CookieCon veteran, a past 2015 CookieCon correspondent for Cookie Connection, and an inaugural Cookie Connection member who's been with this site since 2013!
*And, if you were wondering about the term "generational baker," so was I! Bev described it as follows: "It means I love making all the recipes that were handed down from my grandmother to my mother to me. I hope to add my recipes to that list and pass them down as well. 
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Bev's coverage: Bev will basically be our dedicated photojournalist and social media spitfire during CookieCon! Her camera will be aimed at the most memorable parts and people of CookieCon, and she'll be posting those images (with proper permissions from the subjects, of course!) in a Cookie Connection clip set (called "CookieCon Coverage") specifically set up to receive them, which you can find here. She'll also be spreading the word by sharing these images on social media, using the hashtags #cookieconnection and #cookiecon2017. You can follow Bev's CookieCon coverage online in the following places:
1) Bev Made Cookies on Facebook
2) bevmadecookies on Instagram
3) bevmadecookies on Twitter
Bev also tells me she'll be doing a few Facebook live videos during CookieCon, which we hope to also upload directly to our Clips area. If that fails, you know where to find Bev on Facebook!
Now, for our second correspondent, who is a newbie to this team, but a veteran to CookieCon . . .
Kate Sullivan, aka Econlady, is a retired economist who started cookie decorating over a decade ago when her seven-year-old daughter wanted to take a cookie decorating class. While her daughter lost interest, Kate continued to explore cookie decorating, always looking for new ideas and techniques. Kate’s cookies have been featured on a trading card at CookieCon 2015 (pictured left) and also in Cookie Connection’s Practice Bake Perfect Challenge #14. A year ago, Kate took over as Newsletter Editor of the National Cookie Cutter Collectors Club, where her decorated cookies are showcased on the cover of each newsletter. Kate is a long-time veteran of CookieCon, having attended since the very beginning, so she is sure to bring us the up-to-the-minute inside scoop. (P.S. Kate declined to share a headshot for this post, so I'm hoping she'll sneak a picture of herself into one of her upcoming CookieCon posts! )
Kate's coverage: Each day, Kate will be asking CookieCon members a few key questions (like "What was your biggest a-ha moment today?" or "Did you learn any new techniques today, and what were they?") and reporting back on those answers in a nightly blog post. Kate recently surveyed members about the questions they'd like her to ask, but if you haven't yet responded to Kate, there's still time to do so here. Oh, and Kate just kicked off her nightly posts with this one here! Check it out!
Last but not least, remember: even if you're not officially part of the correspondents team, you can become an impromptu correspondent at any time. I'm sure I speak for everyone who's staying behind that we're yearning to live (and learn) vicariously through you. Please don't hesitate to post recaps of your experiences into our CookieCon 2017 forum, or standalone photos of your cookies or memorable moments into our CookieCon Coverage clip set. Please also caption those photos with "CookieCon 2017", so that anyone scanning the photo feeds is sure to spot them right away. Of course, please be sure you've received permission from anyone you photograph to post those photos here.
If you're sharing images on social media, please use the hashtags #cookieconnection and #cookiecon2017 so everyone can easily locate CookieCon content.
Now, go check out Kate's first post, all about prepping for her CookieCon journey, and sit back and enjoy the posts to follow over the next few days. And, don't worry . . . the CookieCon glow will live long past the event, as I'll be posting interviews and hosting chats with many of the instructors in the coming weeks. In fact, our first chat is with Dany Lind on March 25, and, in just a few days, you'll be able to log questions in her chat room! I'll also be issuing a special CookieCon Sugar Show edition of our Saturday Spotlight on March 18.
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