Upon first entering the TusCon convention on Saturday, one was most likely greeted by men dressed in Star Trek uniforms, a nice piece of symbolism for those about to journey “where no man has gone before.”
Conversations about all things sci-fi, fantasy and horror were buzzing around the Hotel Tucson City Center InnSuites Conference Suite Resort. Some were debates between friends mulling over the inspiration for the TV show “Firefly” or George R. R. Martin adaptations. Some conversations would spill into the topics of others, each as stimulating and focused as the next.
Up the staircase in the lobby were the two rooms for Panel Room 1, where conversations such as these were held along with panels. By far, this room remained one of the busiest and most active rooms throughout the day. Across it was the room for viewing anime, a different one starting every hour.
The Dealer’s Room was where one could find a plethora of books, including some from Doctor Who that dealt mostly with the classic series. There were also several interesting jewelry, soaps, trinkets, book T-shirts and more. One section featured small, white folded paper taped to the shelves; inside the fold was the crux of an amusing joke that made for good entertainment while browsing.
Next door was the Art Room, where artists, panels on artists of all kinds and the art auction were housed. The auction was silent: You could leave a bid amount and a name on pieces displaying colorful pictures of cats and dragons.
While wandering around the convention from panel to panel or just lounging around, eating, you could see the joy on people’s faces as they essentially spent an entire weekend ecstatic for doing something they loved and attending panels that stimulate thoughts on their nerdy passions.
One of the events toward the end of the day was a panel on the work of meteorite expert Geoffrey Notkin. After his panel, there was a mass autograph session with other authors. The room had a steady flow of people going in and out as fans conversed with their favorite authors and expressed delight in their work.
Although the rest of the night was filled with film screenings until early the next morning and a live performance by The Whiskey Bards, if one had poked their head into the ballroom around 6 p.m., they would have been treated to an entertaining sight: a hilarious, spontaneous photo session with two ladies and a lightsaber.
After a long day, it was easy to leave with a sense of contentment and belonging provided by passionate fans and artists.
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