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ThunderCon kicks off in Thunder Bay

Hundreds are celebrating pop culture phenomena this weekend at the 2nd Annual ThunderCon event.

THUNDER BAY – Stormtroopers, R2-D2, and Super Saiyans were among many of those who were present at the second annual ThunderCon event.

Hundreds of fans in handcrafted costumes flocked to Valhalla Inn Saturday to release their inner geeks and celebrate pop culture phenomena with games, contests, and panel discussions.

ThunderCon executive Drew Eckhardt said ThunderCon gives people the opportunity to be their favourite comic book or video game heroes.

“A wonderful thing about dressing up,” Eckhardt said. “Is that you aren’t yourself anymore, you are another individual and you become the character you embody.”

Eckhardt added that the beauty of becoming something you’re not, even for a few hours, you get to see the smile on kids’ faces, and when the kids are smiling, the parents are smiling.

“It’s a phenomenal experience.”

He believes it translates more to the fans inspiring them to become more interested in the fandoms they love.

“There are a lot of people out there who may like an anime show nobody else likes, and they want to dress up like those characters and get out of their body and into their imagination,” he said.

“Imagination is key, because we see a lot of imagination starting to falter, and not a lot people are being as creative as before, but when you come to conventions like this you see some of these beautiful costumes and it’s amazing.”

Eckhardt said ThunderCon is about seeing people coming together, laughing and smiling, and even though the stress of the world is Monday to Friday they have this weekend to relax.

The event gives fans will have the chance to meet special guests voice actor Brian Drummond, comic book creator Wordburglar, Carlos Castillo and Chasing Atlantis and partake in a variety of games and adventures.

Eckhardt hopes ThunderCon is an experienced based on memories for those who take part.

“It’s important that we give people a wonderful experience that is based around memories of shared communities, so when people meet someone in a costume their eyes light up.”



Nicole Dixon

About the Author: Nicole Dixon

Born and raised in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Nicole moved to Thunder Bay, Ontario in 2008 to pursue a career in journalism. Nicole joined Tbnewswatch.com in 2015 as a multimedia producer, content developer and reporter.
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