THUNDER BAY – This city is well-known for its strong support of sports figures, specifically the homegrown hockey players.
But that doesn’t mean Thunder Bay’s fandom is just limited to athletic endeavours
Fantasy, sci-fi and superhero enthusiasts got their place to geek out this weekend with Fan-Con, a first of its type in the city pop-culture celebration that was held at Fort William Historical Park.
Fort William Historical Park communications officer Marty Mascarin said the support from the community has been strong for a first time event.
“We’ve had several thousand people,” Mascarin said of total attendance, adding there were a few thousand specifically on Friday evening for their tribute concert series, which featured acts playing homage to classic bands KISS, Queen and AC/DC.
Attendees had the opportunity to interact with classic Star Wars characters such as Chewbacca and the costumed Storm Troopers.
Marvel Comics also presented a children’s Avengers themed show with Iron Man, Thor, The Incredible Hulk and Spiderman. The larger than life superheroes were also available for pictures with their young fans following the show.
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The convention was held in collaboration with the PGA Tour Canada’s Staal Foundation Open golf tournament, with both groups participating in cross-promotion to enhance the debut editions of their events.
The Staal brothers made an appearance at the park in the afternoon for a meet and greet and autograph session.
Organizers brought in two sci-fi legends as centrepieces of the event for panels and autograph sessions. Old-school Doctor Who fans easily recognized Daphne Ashbrook while the many Star Trek fans in attendance were able to meet Walter Koenig.
Ashbrook, who played Dr. Grace Holloway, has become quite familiar with the convention scene, participating in more than a dozen last year due to the 50th anniversary of the Doctor Who franchise.
The smaller scale of this convention, compared to some she has participated in, results in a special charm.
“I like to spend time with people. I would prefer it to be a smaller event where it’s more personal and you get to know people,” Ashbrook said. “It’s why I do these, honestly, that’s what gives me joy.”
She expects the event will expand in the future and become even more popular as the profile grows.
Koenig is known for his portrayal of Pavel Chekov in Star Trek: The Original Series. The 77-year-old actor is also familiar to fans of the television series Babylon 5, where he had a recurring role.
The event concludes Saturday evening with their Canadian themed concert evening.
Scheduled to take the stage are Chilliwack, The Stampeders and David Wilcox.
