HOULTON, Maine – A comic con is coming to Aroostook County in November and the packed weekend event is slated to be much more than just people dressing up in costumes and vendors hawking superhero paraphernalia.
The Houlton event, Nov. 8-10, co-hosted by Shiretown Gaming and the Houlton Unitarian Church, is the first comic con, or comic book convention, north of Bangor and offers a variety of activities. There will be gaming, artisan workshops, expert panels, superheroes and their nemesis villains, book authors, educational sessions and non-stop play.
“It’s geared for geeks, nerds, lovers of comic books, board games, scifi and fantasy,” said co-host Roxanne Bruce of Shiretown Gaming who started preparing for this last year.
Dubbing the three-day event Houlton MiniCon, she said it is shorter than a traditional five-day celebration in larger cities to see if people in the County are interested.
“If the interest is there, then yes, we can do a giant one for five days next year,” she said, adding that the Northern Maine Fair in Presque Isle is interested in having it come to the fair.
Comic cons are comics and pop art conventions that celebrate comics, film, television, cosplay, science fiction, fantasy, gaming, anime and other related art. Attendees often dress in the garb of their favorite characters and share a love of alternate worlds and realities.
“I like to say comic con is for anyone who likes comic books, board games, card games, fantasy and sci-fi,” said Bruce.
The 501st Legion, an international costuming fan group that celebrates Star Wars, will be joining the event as will the Star Wars StormTrooper Battalion, The Mandalorian, Batman, Yuri the Toxic Husky, the Master Chief, Transformers, to name a few.
On Sunday, the final day, the public is invited to meet at the Houlton Bridge at 9 a.m. for an actual Star Wars Battle, followed by a group walk through downtown to the Unitarian Church Eclipse Rock where they will present a Darth Vader statue. The church organist will be playing the Imperial March on the historic pipe organ.
And at 11 a.m., the Unitarian Minister, Dave Hutchinson, will present a Jedi Sermon for Sunday Services, said Scott.
“Bring your lightsaber,” Bruce said.
Starting on Friday, there will be game play for kids and adults including Dungeons & Dragons, a Bingo Tournament, Cards Against Humanity (for 18+) Tournament, Warhammer Tournament and also on Friday night there will be Bach’s Toccata on the pipe organ by candlelight.
There will be authors from around the state signing books and an author’s panel.
On Saturday, organizers and volunteers will be teaching people how to play Dungeons & Dragons. There will be an expert panel including Scott, who is a PhD psychologist, and Bruce, who is a University of Maine educator with a doctorate in business administration, talking about using D&D and other role playing games for therapy and as educational tools.
There will be nine different vendors each day, with some vendors showing people how to do things like paint or knit and crochet.
“We have so many different things planned. I think it will be a great time,” said Scott.
The Cup Cafe, located at the Unitarian Church, will provide meals all three days and tickets can include meals with vegan and gluten free offerings as well as entrees like lasagna, a taco bar and a loaded baked potato bar. Additionally, there will be the Cup Cafe’s espresso, coffee and plenty of sweets.
Entry tickets range from $5 for Friday and Sunday, $10 on Saturday, or $15 for all three days. Full meal plan tickets that include entry plus lunch and dinner on Friday and Sunday and entry plus breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday start at $25.
The event can only accommodate 150 attendees and organizers suggest getting tickets ahead of time.
Costumes are encouraged, but anyone who is wearing a mask that covers their entire face must initially remove their mask on entry, said Bruce.
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