On Sat., March 7, the second annual Tulare Sci-Fi Con was held at the International Agri-Center in efforts to raise money for the “Make the World a Better Place Foundation” and to bring pop culture enthusiasts.
Fans and guests spent most of the day perusing the floor for goods to buy, check out the cosplay, and meet the special guests and other people that share similar interests. Local artists had the chance to show off their collection of works they have done and share some insights on their practices to those curious.
The convention held many events, vendors, exhibitors, and special guests from the entertainment industry. Vendors and exhibitors clamored in from Fresno, Visalia, Hanford, and even Bakersfield including Silver Wolf Comics and Collectibles and Bakersfield Mini-Con.
Joshua Rhoads, co-owner of Silver Wolf Comics and Collectibles, was there at the convention showing off and spreading the word of the locally owned shop.
“We wanted to come back this year, as well,” said Rhoads, as he recalls being at the convention for its first time. “So, we came back [with] a bigger booth and stuff like that and it’s been a great day so far.”
Another local man and philanthropist showcased his collections of Back to the Future trinkets on show floor. One of those trinkets happened to be a replica DeLorean DMC-12 just like what Michael J. Fox used in the trilogy films. Paul “Doc” Nigh, who resembled close to Doc Brown (the crazy scientist man that invented the time traveling car, for those that are not familiar with the movie) said that he owns a personal Back to the Future museum at his home in Bakersfield. But, part of what he does is to raise awareness for abducted children through a televised show that’s often streamed online called The Fireball Run.
“The Fireball Run is an eight-day, 2,000 mile interactive journey across the nation where forty teams compete against each other for bragging rights, a greater cause, and a plastic road sign,” said Nigh, as he explains about the cause he is working for, “…But the greater cause is that each one of the forty teams represents one of America’s missing children. To date, off of eight seasons, we’ve located forty-four abducted kids making us now the world’s largest active child recovery program.”.
For the regular attendees, the convention was a nice place to geek out and find other people that share similar interests. 12-year-old Megan Lacy was happy to be at the convention this year for she hoped to meet people that shared similar interests.
“I’m really into talking to people who are into cosplay, Doctor Who, and anime, and a lot of the same stuff that I’m into,” said Lacy while wearing her cosplay outfit that her dad helped her make. “Because it’s really hard to just find them at school and there are a lot of people like that at conventions. So, I thought it would be fun to come.”
Lacy was dressed up as the character Pirate France from the anime Hetalia: Axis Powers.
Some of the special guests that were invited said that it was their first time coming to a show in Central California. “It’s always fun for us to meet fans,” said Yuri Lowenthal. Lowenthal is an actor that has lent his voice for numerous cartoons and videogames. “…because a lot of the work that we do [is] in a bubble and it’s nice to be able to talk to the people who are actually enjoying the stuff that we worked on.”
Along with his wife, Tara Platt, who does voice over work too, they hosted a panel about their mockumentary film called Con Artists about them two going to similar conventions across the country. You can find their video online on www.vimeo.com/ondemand/conartists.
The Tulare Sci-Fi Con lasted until Sunday and is one of the biggest pop cultural conventions in the central valley.
