Warriors, robots, demons and more came out to play at Shenandoah Comic-Con at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds exhibit hall on Saturday.
Hundreds of people came from across Virginia and beyond to show off costumes they had spent hours making, or simply to meet up with fellow fans of their favorite video game, TV show, or comic book series. Vendors also came from across the commonwealth to sell comic books, novels, vintage toys, and handmade art.
Casey Loper, of Virginia Beach, drove over 200 miles to attend the convention with his girlfriend, Cheyenne James, who lives in Rockingham County. Loper, dressed as Jon Snow from “Game of Thrones,” said he and James had attended bigger events before, like GalaxyCon in Richmond, but this was their first time attending a smaller convention together.
“It’s nice. I was surprised when I saw it was happening,” Loper said. “It’s pretty different. GalaxyCon’s pretty big, it’s been around for a while, so there’s definitely more people, and it’s a bigger venue.”
Although there wasn’t as much to see or do as there was at the larger event in Richmond, James, who came to the convention dressed as an elf, said she preferred the more relaxed environment of her hometown convention.
“I really wanted to go last year, but I wasn’t able to, unfortunately,” James said. “For me, since I live here, it’s nice to see people in the community being able to come out and cosplay, sell their art, stuff like that. It’s good to see rural communities doing stuff like that.”
Several artists, like jewelry maker Merrick Bridges, came from miles away to showcase their wares. Bridges drove to the fairgrounds from Lexington to sell their handmade kandi bracelets, which were made with pony beads in a rainbow of colors.
“Everybody spells it the wrong way,” Bridges said. “But they are all bracelets, made by me. Most of them are fidget toys, because I am generally a fidgeter, most of the people I know are fidgeters, and we love to fidget. It’s like bead crochet.”
Bridges said they had brought their bracelets to some craft events at the Valley Mall in Harrisonburg, but this was their first time selling their jewelry at a fandom convention. The best part, they said, was seeing people being their authentic selves.
“I have had such a wonderful time so far,” Bridges said. “Everybody’s very nice, everybody looks amazing. So many people are dressed up. I love seeing it because I was always that person who felt like I stuck out a little bit. That’s what I love about cons. It’s that you can really be yourself, no matter who you are.”
Olivia Spitzer, who lives in Rockingham County, came dressed as Kirari Momobami, from the anime “Kakegurui.” She came to the convention with her father and said she was happy to have the time with him.
“I was here last year,” said Spitzer. “I like all the different vendors and stuff, it’s pretty cool. I like cosplaying too, and seeing all the different people in cosplay. It’s really fun. I enjoy hanging out with my dad, too.”
In addition to vendors from across the state, local businesses and makers like Rocktown Games and TitanForge 3d Printing, both from Harrisonburg, were also present. Phillip Middleton started selling his hand-drawn fan art three years ago under the moniker OldnNerdy Fanart. Originally from Richmond, he said he’s selling prints of his comic book and anime-inspired artwork at smaller conventions before working his way up to larger events like GalaxyCon.
“I haven’t gotten into the really, really big cons yet,” Middleton said. “But all the ones like this, I try to hit as many as I can. We’re getting there.”
While sometimes it can be a chore to pack up his supplies and drive all the way to a convention, Middleton said it’s worth it to make new friends.
“It’s not easy,” Middleton said. “Traveling, and setting up, and tearing down, that’s probably the hardest part for me. Drawing, and being out here and talking to people, that’s the fun part for me.”