The Con Experience
I did it! I finally went to my first large, regional Comicon-style event in Kansas City. As a long-time nerd, fandom lover, and co-planner of LPL Con, it’s a little surprising that this was my first foray into the professional con world. But I went, and it was amazing. I met David Tennant and Alex Kingston. I stood in sooo many lines and was thoroughly overwhelmed — and I’m an extrovert!
While LPL Con is not quite as large and sprawling, we have upped our game this year and instead of just an afternoon of LPL Con, we’re bringing you a full day of events, cosplayers, vendors, and fun. It’s free; it’s going to be awesome; and it might be a LOT. So I’ve put together an LPL Con 101 guide for any first-time Con goers out there who want to do it all but don’t know where to start.
The three pillars of most cons are Panels (presentations/talks about all things nerdy), Cosplay (cosplay = costume + play, a cosplayer is anyone wearing cosplay), and an Artist & Vendor Alley (original art or fandom-related goods for sale). Luckily, LPL Con has all three. So if you want the most basic con experience, I would plan on hitting up all three. Here’s the great info. We’ve got a lot of things that are running all day, so you can drop by and enjoy them at any time. But the best place to start is at our Opening Ceremonies where we'll have a performance from two idol groups and perhaps a lightsaber battle? You'll have to attend to find out!
Panels
Our panels this year range from how to cosplay, comic creation, miniature displays, improv and more. All of them are done by community members and they all sound awesome, so you should try to catch at least one! All of our panels will be held in the lower level of the library in Meeting Rooms B & C. You can click here for the full schedule.
Cosplay
Okay — at the bigger cons, you can sometimes get face time with the stars. While we don’t have David Tennant attending (this year!), the cosplayer guests we do have coming are BIG NAMES in the Cosplay world with many of them being Master-Level cosplayers — the best of the best. Pros & Cons Cosplay and Diana the Great travel the country and sometimes the world to compete in and host cosplay competitions. If you want to learn about how to cosplay, you can literally learn from the professionals at Lessons from Dressing Up. You can also strut your stuff at the Cosplay Runway, compete in the Cosplay Contest (with your group!), OR even browse through our Cosplay Display Area in the library Atrium. Cosplayers will be set up at tables all day, so you can ooh and aah at their incredible creations and even get tips and tricks on how to cosplay.
Artist & Vendor Alley
We have not one, not two, but THREE areas where we will have vendors and artists set up this year! With over 25 vendors and artists, you’re sure to find something that will tickle your fandom fancy. You can have an original illustration drawn by Ande Parks or adorable little trinkets from Octobits. Our artist alley is available from 10 AM–6 PM, enough time to browse, re-browse, and spend too much money on wonderful things. All of our artists and vendors are listed here! And if that’s not enough stuff for you, the Spring Book Sale will also be happening at the LPL Friends & Foundation garage off Kentucky Street!
So Many Other Awesome Events
Of course if you want to do some things that are extra special and new this year, I would hit up these specifically:
Character Meet & Greet
Book Tarot (not for kiddos, but still fun!)
That’s it! All the wisdom I can impart. Well except the fact that there will be pretzels in the afternoon. Don’t forget your pretzels along with your books, fandom trinkets and an amazing experience. But really, the true awesomeness of LPL Con? The power of friendship and the truly wonderful feeling of being in a place full of people just as excited about nerdy things as you are. Can’t wait to see you there. It will be fin-tastic! (I’ll be dressed as a mermaid.)
—Lauren Taylor is a Senior Children's Librarian at Lawrence Public Library.
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