More Events to Do This Week

Barony of Blackstone Mountain of the SCA is hosting their Blackstone Raid again this year from Thursday April 21st at 5pm to Sunday April 24th at 1pm at the Camp Shepard 4H Camp in Gandeeville.

It is a weekend of immersive medieval life. You can take part in archery, thrown weapons, heavy fighting, rapier, and large battles. Merchants will be set up, Friday and Saturday will have arts &science classes, loner garb is available if you want to dress up, youth activities, gathering hall, selfie contest, and more.

ake Beautiful Scrolls Using Micography

10:00-11:00 AM – A&S Class: Watercraft Packing for Long-Distance Voyage 

12:00-1:30 PM – A&S Class: How to Write Poetry like a Well-Mannered Brute

1:00-6:00 PM – Rapier: Pickups & Authorizations w/ Marshal Availability

3:00-4:30 PM – A&S Class: The Song of Breathe: Troubadour Poetry and Lore

7:00-9:00 PM – Rapier: Twilight Card Table Mayhem

9:00 PM – Authorizations Begin

10:00 PM – Torchlight Tourney

Saturday

2:00 AM – Troll Closes

8:00 AM-1:30 PM – Troll Open

10:00-11:00 AM – Blackstone A&S Challenge: Entrants drop off entries

10:00-11:00 AM – Heavy: Inspections and Authorizations to begin on the Main Battlefield

10:00 AM-12:00 Noon – Rapier: Pickups & Authorizations

10:00 AM-4:00 PM – Kingdom A&S Faire: Populous Viewing & Judging

10:00 AM-4:00 PM – Thrown Weapons Range Open

10:30-11:30 PM – A&S Class: Lightweight Backpacking for Long-distance Hikes

10:30 AM-12:00 PM – A&S Class: Make Beautiful Scrolls Using Micography

11:00 AM -12:00 Noon – Heavy: Gage Challenge

11:00 AM-4:00 PM – Blackstone A&S Challenge: Populace Viewing & Voting

12:00 PM-1:30 PM – A&S Class: The Way of St James: Pilgrims to Santiago

12:00 Noon-4:00 PM – Heavy: Various Melee scenarios

1:00 PM-4:00PM – Rapier: Fencing and Cut & Thrust Tournaments & Melees

4:00 PM-4:30 PM – Blackstone A&S Challenge: Entrants MUST pick up entries

5:00 PM-7:00 PM – Evening Court 

All the bunks are booked, but tent or car camping is free. Admission on-site will be $25 for non SCA members and $20 for SCA members.

At this time SCA Covid Protocols require proof of vaccination or a negative test within 78 hours from all attendees and masks are required indoors at all times.

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A Sport’s Card & Collectible Show will take place at the Huntington Mall in Barboursville Friday April 22nd to Sunday. There will be dealers selling all kinds of sports cards, non-sports cards, toys, comics, records, collectibles, and more.

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Another Pokemon & Sports Card Show at RetroReset in Oak Hill on Saturday. Tables are $10 with dealers selling sports, Pokemon, and other TCG cards to sell, buy, or trade.

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Old School Convention will be at St. Mary’s High School in St Marys this Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

Vendors include artist Russ Cassidey, Classic Plastics, Comics & Kicks, comic colorist Jason Lewis, Third Floor Comics, Monsters Horde, Multiverse Comics, Andy’s Toy Chest, several personal collectors, and more.

All proceeds go to Pleasants County Schools.

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CharCon is hosting a gaming day at the Pitch in Dunbar on Sunday from 11am-7pm.

Come play your favorite games or learn new ones. There will be plenty on hand to play or bring your own.

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Saturday is also Record Store Day where several artists and companies release special limited release vinyl albums. Several stores across the state take part in it. This year’s nerdy releases include Watchmen the movie, Doctor Who audio drama, TV themes album, MF Doom as Viktor Vaughn, and stuff from artists like Devo, David Bowie, and more.

Not all albums are available at all stores and some albums won’t be out till later it looks like.

Plenty to go do this weekend.

The first Mountaineer Comic-Con is this Friday September 24th through Sunday the 26th at the Mylan Park in Morgantown.

Guests are Michael Rosenbaum, John Glover, and Sam Jones III of Smallville, Emily Swallow from the Mandalorian, Alan Ritchson from Titans, Noah Hathaway from The Neverending Story; Ross Marquand, Nadia Hilker, and Matt Lintz from Walking Dead; John Wesley Shipp from Flash, Samantha Newark from Gem and the Holograms, Linsay Rousseau from Transformers: War for Cybertron, Sam Jones of Flash Gordon, a host of Power Rangers like Ciara Hanna, Christina Masterson, Mike O’Laskey, William Shewfelt, Blake Foster, Brennan Mejia, Dwayne Cameron, Abraham Rodriguez, Liana Ramirez, Rorrie Travis, Jazz Baduwalia, and Kristina Ho; plus others to check out, get autographs and/or proffesional photo-ops.

They will have exhibitors include comic and game stores, art studios, toy and collectibles sellers, libaries, food vendors, video game dealers, artists and authors, Sick Tattoo Company, crafters and various others selling and promoting. Cosplay groups that will be there are 501st Garrison Corellia, Amancane Base, Black Mountain Guard, and Outer Rim Praxeum Light Sabers plus a Batmobile and Jurrasic World Jeep.

Tickets will be Friday and Sunday $25, Saturday $35, and free passes for children 10 and under with paid adult. Weekend tickets are not sold at the door.

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Classic Plastics Pop Culture Vendor Show is Saturday from 10am to 4pm at the Grand Central Mall in Vienna brought to you by the Classic Plastics Toy Store.

They will have Sergeant Slaughter of wrestling and GI Joe fame selling autographs and photo ops from noon to 4pm. Slaughter is sponsored by The Nerd Close and The Asylum. Who will both be there selling toys and collectibles.

Other vendors include authors Joshua Smith and Terry Ervin, caricatures with JD Williamson, artist Russ Casseday, stores A Walk in Time and 3rd Floor Comics, WV Star Wars Collectors Club, individual collectors with comics, art, action figures, Pops, vintage toys, Barbies, wrestling figures, video game systems and games; plus crafters of lanyards, perlers, crocheted items, plush and more.

They will have a raffle for a gift basket, free to play game systems inside Classic Plastics and more for just 50 cents a play plus a free to play area of blocks, ping pong, and more games.

The event is open the public.

More Cancellations and Postponements

Blackstone Raid has been cancelled for this year. They will be back next year.

Classtic Plastics Monthly Vendor Show at the Parkersburg mall is cancelled.

Causeacon has moved their show from April to June 12-14th this year.

1d4Con has gone ahead and moved their con from May to October 30th-November 1st of this year.

You know till at least May for all events I’ll just let this music video handle it.

For an event you can be part of, TableTop Events that helps provide support to conventions planning (through registration, game session scheduling, and the like) is in a bad financial state with everyone having to cancel their events.  CharCon and 1d4Con both use them.  So they are holding an online con on May 11th called Con of Champions.  You can help them out by buying a pass, running a game, sponsor a perk, or just help spread the word.

BuckhanaCon is doing videos on Facebook to entertain people at home.  They have trivia, storytime, drawing workshops, and more.

Classic Plastics Toy Expo 2020

The Classic Plastic Toy Expo is this Saturday March 7th from 10am-6pm and Sunday March 8th from 11am-5pm at the Parkersburg Art Center.  Half of the proceeds from the event are donated to the Art Center for classes and events for the community.

toy designer and character creator Aaron Archer, former WCW wrestler Buff Bagwell, WWE Hall of Famer Hacksaw Jim Duggan (Saturday only), and cosplayer and alternative model Abi Aikou.

Vendors include Classic Plastics Toy Store (the hosts of the expo), Transhunter Toys, Garthman’s eBay Store, Outer Rim Toys, Lost Legion The Vault, J&M Used Bookstore, Third Floor Comics; individual sellers; artists J.D. Williamson, Russ Casseday, Aaron Hickman; authors Kevin Grubb, Joshua Smith; crafters Burrito Princess, Black Dragon Ventures, Harley’s Stitch and Craft Shop; the Nerd Closet (sponsors of Hacksaw and Bagwell), food from DM’s Pizza plus the WV Ghostbusters and the 501st. And so many more.

They will have cosplay panels on each day from Christian Foster, panels from Aaron Archer, a cosplay contest on Saturday, and a free gaming area sponsored by J&M’s Used Bookstore in the basement including a board game library.  For photo ops they will have a photo booth and Star Wars speeder bike donated by RathaCon.

The Art Center at the same time is holding a Super Hero Arty Party for kids from 10am-12pm at the Artsbridge two blocks down the street with face paint, make your own mask and cape, art station, and selfie section.  Downtown PKB is holding their Savory Saturday with local restaurants offering $1 food samples.

Tickets are Tickets are $5 for one day and $8 for both days. Kids 10 years old and under get in for free.

Toy, comic, and all other nerdy collectors will enjoy this event along with people like hanging out with fellow nerds.  All for a good cause too.

Mountain State Pop Expo 2019

Mountain State Pop Expo is this Saturday November 9th and Sunday November 10th at the Holiday Inn & Suites in South Charleston.  100% of admission goes to the Children’s Home Society of West Virginia.

Some of the planned events are a Harley Quinn meetup, a raffle, door prizes every half hour, an adult cosplay competition on Saturday and kids costume contest on Sunday, a cosplay lip sync battle on Sunday, performances from Final Form Fusion and the No Pants Players on Saturday, a live Fantastic Floor Nerdcast, live Twitch stream of Untitled Goose Game by Advancing Wall of Doom, panels on cosplay, dance, writing, and more.

This year they have a room dedicated to tabletop gaming, plus a gaming area in the cafeteria open from noon to 4pm on both days.  Gaming will be brought by Charcon, Bonus Round, and Critically Absurd TV.

Vendors and exhibitors at the expo are varied and include Mandalorian Mercs Black Mountain Guard, Santana, Sheena Bot & Captain Fish, WV Ghostbusters, Hobby Hole, Glen Brogan, Classic Plastics Toy Store, RJ Haddy from Face Off, Maddy’s Marvels, IWA East Coast wrestling, Third Floor Comic & Collectibles, JR Earls, Forgotten Realms Gametorium, A-Dork-Able Bath Bombs, South Charleston Public Library, The Nice List, Joshua E.B. Smith, and other creators and sellers.

Admission is $10 for a day or $15 for both days.

A good event for collectors, gamers, and cosplayers.

8th Annual WV Pop Con

The 8th Annual West Virginia Popular Culture & Comic Book Convention (WVPopCon) is this Saturday and Sunday September 7th and 8th at Mylan Park in Morgantown.

The featured guest for this year are Bryan Seaton of Action Lab Entertainment where he writes Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir comic and co-creatored Dollface, Shawn Langley and Stan Konopka of the Rejected from Source Point Press.  Other creator guests are Andrew Carter (Habitat Against Humanity, Let’s Play All The Games),  Kelci Crawford (Validation, Thoughtful Dinosaur), Christopher Lee Baird (Chronicles of the Raven Clan), Jason Lenox (Lords of the Cosmos), Jason Pell (Suicide 5, Season’s End), Paul Michaels, Larry Morgan of Electro-Magnetic Press, Brian Middleton (Wander for Colesmith Comics and Press), and Gary Morgan (Abington Press).

Entertainment groups that will be there are Rebel Legion, 501st Legion Garrison Corellia, Morgantown Roller Vixens, Outer Rim Praxeum, Mandalorian Mercs The Black Mountain Guard, cosplayers Nubzcosplay, Sheena Bot, and the Illustrious Captain Fish; Thirteen Palm Trees Podcast Productions, horror entertainment company Head On A Stick Productions, and Westwood Middle School robotics team Steam Botics.

Vendors for the con include Awesome Minis, Lonely Hero Games, New Dimension Comics, TeeMinus24.com, Plush in the USA, Cartridges Galore, Comic Paradise Plus, Classic Plastics Toy Store, and several other comic shops and dealers.

There will also be crafters and artisans like Multi-purpose Design, Diabolical Whimsy, Something Wicked, Bubble and Geek, Retro Steam Studios, Minotaur’s Magical Wands, Implexity Designs, Amber Kantes, and plenty more.

Events at the con include panels on cosplay and make up, tabletop gaming, podcasting, crowd funding; lightsaber combat from the Outer Rim Praxeum, Magic: The Gathering tournaments, Warhammer demos, video gaming lounge, photo studio set-up for cosplayers, coloring/drawing contest, plus a kids, teen, and adult cosplay contests.

Admission is $18 for the weekend and $10 for daily admission.  Free for children 10 and under.  Free on-site parking.

An event that covers a lot of fandoms for all.

Tri-Con 2019

Tri-Con is back Saturday June 8th at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington from 10am to 6pm.  The comic convention is put on every year by publisher Broken Icon Comics.

Guests for this year is a range of artists, writers, inkers, and other comic creators Darryl Banks (Green Lantern, Legion of Superheroes), Morgan Beem (Wolfsbane, Adventure Time), Tressina Bowling (Kentucky Kaiju, CASH + CARRIE), Jorge Corona (Big Trouble in Little China, Jim Henson’s Storyteller), Daxiong, Justin Birch (Action Lab, IDW), Rob Dumo (Robyn Hood, Eccentrix), Mark Kidwell (’68, BUMP), Jay Leisten (Uncanny X-Men, Death of Wolverine), Tommy Patterson (Game of Thrones, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Cory Smith (TMNT, Nova), Beau Smith (Wynonna Earp, Guy Gardner Warrior), Gavin Smith (Dead Legends, Deadly Class), Justin Stewart (Grrl Scouts, Howard the Human), Nick Wentland (Army of Darkness, GI Joe), and former WWE Superstar Ryback.

Exhibitors setting up this are comic creators Todd Beistel, Mike Belcher, Ray Coffman, Bob Corby; artists TodD Frazer, Andrew Heath; authors Seth Baker, Edward Brenwalt, and Mike Mallow; publishers ElectroMagnetic Press, Gravely Unusual Magazine, Mess Bucket Comics, Old World Comics; geek crafters Burrito Princess, PopStich, and many more others.

There will be vendor setting from shops like The Inner Geek, Atomic Comic and Collectibles, Classic Plastic Toy Store; dealers like Gem City Books and Planet Plush; others like Heroes By the Pint podcast and Kendama Institute.

Events at the con will include panels from the guests, a costume contest, new comics debuting, and a charity auction for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.  Gaming all day hosted by the Goblin Traders.  Cosplay props from the Black Mountain Guard and 501st Legion Squad Corellia plus the Mystery Machine.  Friday night before the con, there will be a Drink & Draw at Sharkey’s from 8pm to midnight.

Tickets will be just $10 at the door.  Kids under 10 get in free.  The first 1500 attendees get exclusive Tricon wristbands.

A must for comic book fans and collectors of general nerdy items.

Old School Convention and AFSP Charity Game Day

Old School Convention this Saturday April 6th at the Pleasants County Middle School in Belmont starting from 10am to 5pm.  All proceeds from the con got to PCMS and other Pleasants County schools.

Vendors include stores like Multiverse Comics, C & K Comics, the N’Oasis, Classic Plastic Toy Store, Third Floor Comics, plus individual sellers selling new and vintage toys like Transformers, Funko Pops, action figures, horror items, video games, and art from JR Earls.

I have not seen anything about events at the event except a raffle.  There could a cosplay contest, panels, and gaming, but does not look like it.

A small a toy and collectibles show that if you are local and are not saving up to a bigger should might want to check out.

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The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is having a Charity Game Day at the Four Horsemen Comics and Gaming store in Bridgeport Saturday April 6th from noon to 9pm.

There will RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, Savage Worlds, TORG, and more.  Several Magic: The Gathering tournaments, a Pokémon TCG tournament, and various board games to play all day.  Plus there will be raffle with plenty of prizes to win, drawing at around 8:30pm.

Seems like a fun day of gaming and helping out a great organization.

Classic Plastics Toy Expo 2019

Classic Plastics Toy Expo returns Saturday March 2nd 10am-6pm to Sunday March 3rd  11am-5pm at the Parkersburg Art Center.  The event is a fundraiser for the Parkersburg Art Center and Downtown Parkersburg.  The Expo is run by the Classic Plastics Toy Store.

Guests for the event are Timothy Zahn Star Wars author and creator of Thrawn and Mara Jade; Daniel Pesina who was the model for Johnny Cage, Sub Zero, and Scorpion in Mortal Kombat, comic creator Victor Dandridge Jr., and artist Michael Watson.  Black Mountain Guard, 501st Garrison Corellia, and WV Ghostbusters, and Ratha Con will have a life-sized speeder bike for photo opportunities.

Vendors and artists that will be set-up include J&M Used Bookstore, Burrito Princess, Terry W. Ervin, Joshua E. B. Smith, Black Dragon Ventures, C.O. Creations, New Dimension Comics, ROMA Collectibles, Reye’s Video Games, Super-Fly Comics & Games, Freestyle Komics, Hyve of Villainy, G&C Pez, Ren McKenzie, Lost Legion The Vault, Motivational Bricktures, So Pro Comics, Hot Wheels Mike, Chippies Anime, Third Floor Comics, Bughouse Comics, EZ Cash & Pawn, Enchanted Hart, Comics and Kicks, James Patrick, Cody Booth, Masters of the Comicverse, and more shops, personal sellers, and others selling various items.  The exclusive food vendor for the Expo and after party is Hot Dog Willy’s.

Events will include U Cre-8 Comics workshop on creating comic character, sketch challenge with Michael Watson, and Scorpion Rope Dart Demo, all are on both days.  There has been mentioned of a gaming area but no info has been put out about it.  A costume contest on Saturday judged by Celestiial Cosplay, Midori Kaguya Cosplay, and Hattey Cosplay with several categories to enter.  On Saturday after the Expo, the Dils Center will be running an all-ages after party.  Right down the street and tickets are $5.  They will have karaoke with Daniel Pesina in Scorpion costume.
Downtown Parkersburg is also running their Savor Saturday during the Expo.  Local restaurants will be offering $1 sample items of their menu.

Tickets are just $5 for each day or $8 for both day.  Children ten and under get in for free.

Lots for all kinds of collectors and fans to check out.  Plus plenty to keep you distracted around the same area.

Parkersburg Pop Con 2018

Parkersburg Pop Con on Saturday October 20th from 11am (10am for VIPs) to 5pm at WVU Parkersburg.

Parkersburg Pop Con is a celebration of all things popular culture at the local and national level. It’s all about authors, publishers, designers, and artists. It’s about comics, gaming, sci-fi, art, fantasy, television, radio, cyber culture, music, film and so much more.

Parkersburg Pop is about celebrating what you celebrate and discovering new inspiration.

Featured guests are comic writer James Patrick, comic illustrator Shawn Langley, and cosplayer James Hamilton.

Other creators at the con will be various freelance artists, wand makers, comic creators, nerd crafts, authors, pixel arts, plushies, jewelry, and more creations.

Vendors will be selling comic books, food, anime & manga, toys, figures, shoes, Funko Pops, Electromagnetic Press, Freestyle Komics, games, collectables, memorabilia, video games, graphic novels, and more nerd items.

The Actors Guild of Parkersburg, WV Ghostbusters, Outer Rim Praxeum, and Wilson’s House of Cosplay will also be set up at the event.

The con will have a board game library from The Industry, youth and adult cosplay contests, a raffle, trivia, and video gaming tournaments.  Plus panels on pop culture, cosplay and make-up tips, comics, light saber duels, and more.

Admission is $5.  Kids 10 and under get in free with a paid adult.  Free admission with valid military ID.

A nice small show with lots of local creators to check out.