Last Friday, the Dallas Stars announced via special invitations a big event to take place June 4 — an event that can only be the unveiling of their long-awaited new logo and uniforms.

Icethetics will have live coverage of unveiling

Yours truly was on the invitation list. But I originanly said I wouldn't be able to attend given the distance between Seattle and Dallas. In the last few days, circumstances have changed. Now, I will in fact be going. I've RSVPed and everything.

That means for the first time in Icethetics history — original live reporting of a major unveiling event!

Help offset the costs and be the first to see it

Flying roundtrip between Washington and Texas isn't exactly cheap, of course, but I have booked a flight. One reader suggested that a way to offset the costs of this trip — for which I'm not really getting anything in return — would be to accept donations from the Icethetics community.

Let me start by saying I have no expectations here. This news will be all over the web on June 4, we all know that. Icethetics would be one of many sources. So why would you ever bother donating money to send me to Dallas? If that's your mindset, you probably shouldn't donate. Your money would be better spent elsewhere.

But if you're a longtime reader who's excited about the prospect of some original reporting and live coverage from Icethetics — and don't mind helping me out — this might be for you. And heck, if you donate at least $10 to help me offset travel costs, you will be among the first to see the new look of the Dallas Stars.

What a $10 donation gets you

Anyone who donates $10 or more, will get photos sent direct from the event to your inbox — before I post it on Twitter or icethetics.info. It's that simple. If you want to do something nice for the site, I want to do something nice for you.

Remember, this is NOT about buying access to Icethetics coverage. I still intend to live tweet and post extensively about the event. If you're making a donation, it's because you want to support Icethetics. In return for that support, I'll give you early access to my reporting. So instead of refreshing your Twitter feed every other minute — you'll get photos sent straight to your email.

Icethetics will be in Dallas no matter what

Whether or not any donations are made, I will be in Dallas for this event. So don't worry about whether a certain goal has to be reached to make a donation worth it. The only reason I'm accepting donations is to help offset travel costs — airfare, hotel, cabs and the like. It's a lot of money out of my own pocket so it'd be nice for a little help from the community as a whole. I'd be immensely grateful.

If you do choose to donate, you can spend any amount you'd like. But $10 is the magic number to get you "insider access" from me ahead of everyone else. Just please don't let that be your only reason for donating. If the logo or uniforms were to leak prior to the event, there would not be any refunds.

Believe me, I feel weird asking for any money at all, but the only reason I'm going is for this community. So I figure if ever there was anyone interested in helping to offset costs, it would be you guys. Thanks in advance!

To donate via PayPal, use the link in at the top of the page on the right.