From left: Lauren Marcoux, Katie Hart and J. Mott stand next to a replica of The Iron Throne from Game of Thrones built by the Art Club at Centralia College for the second annual BlazerCon on Saturday.
Fans of comic books, video games and dressing up like well-known anime characters don’t have to travel to the Emerald City or Rose City conventions to let their inner nerds out to play.
The second annual BlazerCon hosted by the Centralia College art club will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday at the TransAlta Commons and other nearby spaces. Admission is free for the event, which includes a cosplay contest, dozens of artist booths and numerous interactive features for patrons of all ages.
The art club expected about 100 people to attend the inaugural festivities last year, but welcomed more than double that number of attendees. Club leaders expect as many as 600 convention-goers on Saturday, thanks in part to outreach efforts by organizers.
“We did a survey to see what people thought we did well and what might need improvement,” said J.Mott, president of the art club. “We took those to heart and changed some things around to make it a lot more interactive. One of our major goals was to get as many clubs and organizations involved in it this year.”
At least four additional clubs will take part in BlazerCon. The theatre club will be running a medieval-themed cafe and the science club will host a “potions” class where participants will concoct beverages for consumption. Both events will follow a strict policy of no alcohol. The diesel club will be firing up a barbecue outside the commons.
Attendees of BlazerCon will get to take photos while sitting on a replica of the Iron Throne from “Game of Thrones” constructed by members of the art club. A life-sized standing cutout of former PBS painter Bob Ross will also be available for pictures.
Lauren Marcoux, vice president of the art club, said the group sold out of spaces for the Artist Alley within a week of posting the registration forms. Local artists from Lewis County and beyond will set up inside the commons to sell their convention-appropriate wares.
“It’s going to be a mix of all sorts of things for every age group,” said Katie Hart, a faculty librarian and co-advisor of the art club. “As an advisor, I’m amazed at how the club takes the time and puts in the effort to make something like this happen.”
Aside from the cosplay contest, which was won last year by someone dressed up as the title character of Japanese manga series “Cardcaptor Sakura,” the biggest draw on Saturday may be one of the new attractions: a “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” tournament run by the college gaming club and eSports program.
For an entrance fee of $5, competitors will square off for a 32-inch television similar to the ones used by the Centralia College eSports teams. The college recently hired Jacob Beach to help grow its eSports — high-level competitive video gaming — offering into a full-scale program that recruits from the high school level like an athletic team.
Beach hopes that over the next year Centralia College can help other community colleges in the region enter the eSports scene so they can have intercollegiate competitions and stream them online.
“It’s going to be a double-elimination tournament, so that if you lose to someone much better than you in your first match, you can keep playing,” Beach said. “Ultimately, the eSports demographic crosses heavily with comic and movie culture. We’re always looking for those opportunities to help get exposure. The tournament entry (fee) goes straight into our eSports program for scholarships and equipment.”
For more information on BlazerCon, visit facbook.com/blazercon or search “BlazerCon” on other social media websites.
