By Andrew Burkett
Well, another Con on the Cob has come and gone, and Andy Hopp and his staff have exceeded my expectations yet again. This was my fifth time attending this “off the cob” art, sci-fi, and gaming convention, but my first time as a member of the press. As usual, both the staff of Con on the Cob and the staff of MSTB Gaming (they handled registration and event ticketing) were welcoming and helpful throughout my experience this past weekend.
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| Andy Hopp |
My Thursday began by helping Michael Mirth, president of Spellbinders, set up his booth. Seeing I have never been on the vendor side of a convention before, this gave me a new view of a con. The staff in charge of the exhibitor hall was very accommodating of Mirth’s every need. I was very pleased in the layout, flow and variety of the hall, both as a vendor and a shopper. There were plenty of game, clothing, jewelry, and other geeksential vendors to choose from.
After Spellbinders was done using me as a pack mule, I started to wander through the artist hall. Both well and lesser known artists were displaying their pieces under the direction of Heather Krieter. Heather is a very well known fantasy artist in her own right (Legend ofthe Five Rings CCG, My Little Demon) and does a wonderful job overseeing the art fair. I thoroughly enjoyed bidding on some of the fantastic pieces of art. Then I spent some time meeting the other artists who spent the weekend talking to fans and signing autographs. Famous artists like: Tony Steele, Ed Beard Jr., and Aaron Acevedo not only spent hours in their booths, but also could be found playing games and attending parties with their fans.
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| Gut Bustin' Games' Redneck Life |
Of course, there was tons of gaming throughout the entire
weekend. There was Savage Worlds role
playing with Sean Patrick Fannon.
Silvervine RPG was out in full force with John Arcadian, Ed Yarraus,
Alec Stringer, and Ryan Rawlings. Gut Bustin’ Games was also there in their
Full redneck-trailer park glory. I was
able to get a game of Sutakku, by Smirk and Dagger Games as well as play
testing Karesansui,
by John Hazen along with my menagerie of prototypes.
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| The Truely Talented Destini Beard |
The truly unique thing about Con on the Cob is the vast variety of
events. There is literally something for
everyone. Music was preformed nightly
ranging from the comedic to the enchanted.
I personally was enthralled with the amazing vocals of Destini Beard. Contests of all sorts were being held at the
show's main stage. Favorites of mine
included Quick Draw, a 3 minute sketch of the audience’s choosing, and Iron
Artist, famous artist and a secret ingredient.
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| Cheese Fountain by Gut Bustn' Games |
To top off each night are some crazy parties. Thursday night brought me to the artist’s
Drink-n-Draw. This was the featured artist time to see how well they could
apply their trade while inebriated.
Friday night I wandered into the AnCon Ale House, a beer soaked, gaming
soirée hosted by the fine people at AnCon; Another Game Convention.
Then Saturday the cocktails flowed at the Savage Saturday Night Bar and
Grill, hosted by Sean Patrick Fannon, and the Barfleet party (think if Star
Trek was filmed at a bar.) Saturday also
brought me to the NEO Witches Ball, another great event full of belly dancers,
psychic readers, drum circles, magic and so much more.
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| My Chevy S-10 |
To wrap things up, Con on the Cob is an awe inspiring event well
worth the price of admission. If I had
one complaint, it would be that they have outgrown their venue. The Clarion Inn Hudson is a nice place to
have a convention, but when Con on the Cob is tipping the scales at over 700
people, it might be time to venture out to bigger and better venues. Needless to stay, whether they stay put, or
find a larger convention hall, I will definitely be attending all of Andy’s
future Cons. I might even throw a few
people in the bed of my 1999 Chevy S-10 and drag them along too!
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