Champaign-Urbana (Central Illinois) Python User Group?

[mbbx6spp]

Hi,

== Existence of Local User Groups ==
I am in the process of forming a Python User Group for Champaign-Urbana
and surrounding areas, but I would like to make sure there is not
already a very unpublicized (very, very hard to find) user group for
Python in the area (Decatur, Bloomington or C-U areas)?  Please reply
to this message (off the group, unless you would like it on the record
that there is a group and give general information for other CU
Python-heads that may not know about it).

I did searches on google, google groups and checked the python.org
LocalUserGroup wiki page, but found nothing that was active.  The
nearest PyUG I found was ChiPy (the Chicago group), which is 2.5 hours
drive away.

== New Local User Group Status ==
I am in the process of creating the website (in Python of course:) and
should have this ready by Friday 03/17/2006 (St. Paddy's Day), but I
did want to make sure there is not anything out there already to avoid
duplicate efforts.

To be notified on new developments with the user group (events,
projects, etc.) please subscribe to the low-traffic Google Group I
created today:
http://groups.google.com/group/illipy-announce

I was also planning on advertizing the first meeting locally in weekly
newspapers, and posting flyers across campus and downtown Champaign as
well as Urbana retail locations in the next two weeks after the website
was launched, and of course listing the website on the python.org wiki
and related websites.

== First Meeting ==
Tentative date for the first meeting is Wednesday April 26, 2006 @ 7pm
at Giuliani's (where the old Green Street Coffee Shop used to be - 608
E. Green St., Champaign - do not confuse this with the new Green Street
Cafe near the Green and First St. intersection).

== Other ==
If anyone has any thoughts or experience with best practices (or
potential pitfalls to avoid) to organize (legally) or promote a local
user group for Python (or similar special interest groups), please
reply to this message (off the group).  

Thanks,
Su