I-Con 26 is something one may need to experience to understand. The convention is three days long and is attended by about 5,500 to 6,000 people each year. The convention’s goal is to promote interest in the science fiction genre. I-Con 26 was held at Stony Brook this year from March 23 through March 26.
In order to attend the event you had to buy a membership. These range anywhere from $15 for children and $52 for adults with a special break if one registered for all three days. The money was used to help support non-profit conventions. The event offered several activities for the three days including guest speakers, genre-specific celebrities, games, discussions, films and an entire room designated for purchasing items.
On Friday night, around 200 people formed two lines in front of the Sports Complex. One line was designated for those who had pre-registered and the other was for those who had not. Even though it was cold and drizzling, the wait on the line was far from boring. Every few minutes a Sci-Fi character greeted you. People dressed up as numerous characters, including Harry Potter, The Joker, Gandalf among several others.
The people of all ages and origins attended the event. There were many high school kids, college students, and members of the Stony Brook community. There were people from all over the East Coast. One student from State University of New York at Albany said, ‘It’s tradition, you drive all the way here and have fun with people for three days straight.’
Most of the excitement centered around the celebrities who attended the convention. The highlight was Kari Byron and Tory Belleci from the television show ‘Mythbusters.’ Both Byron and Belleci were at the school on Saturday and Sunday.
One student seemed especially excited about Denise Crosby from ‘Star Trek’ who was also confirmed on being there. Most of the guest stars and speakers would be speaking on a panel and answering questions from the audience. However, there was an autograph session set aside from 8:00 to 9:00 PM.
What seemed to be equally exciting was a special room , known as the Dealer’s Room, designated for purchasing science fiction memorabilia. People seemed to rush into this room as soon as it was opened. In there, everything from swords to complete outfits were sold. Any Sci-Fi memorabilia you were looking for could be found.
Another interesting event was held in the Student Activities
Center, where different games were set up for visitors to play amongst each other. The games included everything from ‘World of Warcraft,’ ‘Dungeon Twister,’ and ‘Shadows over Camelot.’
Throughout Friday evening, there were several discussions, films and workshops assigned to different rooms on campus. The first workshop was instructed people on how to draw anime. The films were all related to the Sci-Fi genre, for example, ‘The Trading Cards Trilogy,’ ‘Battle of Worlds,’ and ‘Children of Men.’ Discussions were on all different aspects of the Sci-Fi world. Two interesting ones that several students pinpointed were ‘Pirates Ye Be Warned: The Truth Behind the Legend,’ and ‘The Top 10 Most Evil Wizards Ever.’
