Not too long ago, I wrote an article about meeting a celebrity at a sports and memorabilia show in Cleveland, Ohio. It was not my first time at something like this.
My first visit to a sci-fi, collector’s, and/or comic convention—or “con”—was at SaltCon in Utah. I went there twice and met some very interesting people. I have also been to MegaCon in Orlando a couple of times as well. Still, my favorite was AdventureCon, which was held in Knoxville.
Before you get the wrong idea, I am by no means a convention nerd who has a Star Wars, Star Trek or Avengers costume. (I did once have a complete Zorro costume sans the sword and horse, but that’s a different tale.)
However, I do like meeting celebrities and soaking in the ambiance of those conventions. I have also enjoyed cons with friends, getting together after hours and swapping stories. I like collecting a little memorabilia and buying a few signatures as well. (Yes, that is what you are paying for when you get a picture from a celebrity.)
Anyway, AdventureCon was close, somewhat cheap to get in, and not too crazy or crowded. It began in 2002 and was held at an old convention center on Merchant Drive (regardless of what the Wiki article says). I went to AdventureCon 2 in 2003. I wanted to meet the three members of the cast of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century who were slated to be there. Lovely people!
My husband was especially impressed with Erin Gray (Wilma Deering). I had a blast talking with all the celebrities. Gil Gerard (Buck) and Felix Silla (Twiki) were funny, swapping tales. Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict, both from the original Battlestar Galactica, and James McArthur (“Book ‘em, Danno!”) were absolute gentlemen. The next time I went it was a pleasure talking to various Star Wars actors, too.
I enjoyed that old Merchant Drive location, although some of the celebrities didn’t. When AdventureCon moved to the downtown Knoxville Expo convention center, it didn’t seem quite as intimate or fun. It was more expensive, too. The last AdventureCon was held in 2012. My last AdventureCon was in 2005. They held several in Gatlinburg, but I didn’t go to any of those.
Tennessee still has cons, but the ones in East Tennessee are fairly small and mainly literary. I enjoy those, too (especially now that I am a published author), but the sci-fi and comic cons are fun in an unrestrained sort of way.
I remember walking up to Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) one time at MegaCon. I had just bought a handmade dragon and carried it around with the tail wrapped around my neck.
“You have a dragon on your shoulder,” Sorbo remarked with a wry grin.
I laughed. It was a fun day.
I guess I’ll have to head down to DragonCon next Labor Day in Atlanta. After all, that’s the mother of all cons! Maybe I’ll take my dragon…
Susan Kite is a proud member of Author’s Guild of Tennessee and the author of five published books. https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B00J91G0ZU/ She also has a children’s book coming out later this year titled The Legend of Billy Bob Flybottom (https://www.doodleandpeck.com/so/81M-Ey9iR) and a novelette to be included in a special 100th anniversary Zorro anthology.