PEORIA MAGAZINE July 2023

A vendor makes a sales pitch at QuadCon

to see original art by artists and all different genres. You'll see vendors selling anything that you can think of … that's nostalgia.” QuadCon booths are packed with comic book dealers, accomplished artists and nostalgic toy/collectible vendors. There also is an area for card game tournaments run by local game stores. Those can be competitive, though not as intense as the regional Super Smash Brothers video game tournament that could bring up to $3,000 to the winner. Anticipation is always high for the afternoon cosplay contest and high end collectibles live auction before hand. This year’s auction features a Lego Batmobile set and a Sideshow Collectibles Spider-Man statue worth $700. Auction proceeds go to the Help ing Hannah's Heart Foundation, which supports families whose kids have con genital heart defects. QuadCon has donated more than $165,000 to the charity to date. “I'm just some fanboy trying to do something that's cool and it's turned into a deal,” said Wells. “Keeping it low cost, family-friendly and affordable, that's pretty much at the top of the list.” PeoriaCon organizer Jason Johnston and his family ran the RV and Home and Garden shows at the Civic Center for years. When he stepped away from those events and thought about what he wanted to do next, he focused on his love of geek culture and board games. Johnston was tired of traveling to events in other cities where entry fees alone could be over $80 per person.

“My real goal was to be able to provide a fan fest that was far more affordable for people to go to,” he said.

enjoy board games. The GameOn Peoria High School Gaming Circuit Expo will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 8 at the school, 1615 N. North St., Peoria. Johnston hopes to see the event travel to other schools. ‘ATTITUDES HAVE CHANGED. IT'S A NEW DAY AND AGE IN GEEK CULTURE’ — Jason Johnston “We're going to be running a little cosplay contest, Magic, the Gathering and Commander tournaments, role playing games. We’ll have a game library and some vendors,” he said. “The school is getting a little bit of money and some will go to the gaming and the video gaming programs that they have.” Dan Crawford plans to continue supporting QuadCon, PeoriaCon, and GameOn in any way possible. He appreciates that the conventions of fer a judgment-free zone for people, especially kids, to share something they’re excited about. “You should feel welcomed,” said Johnston, who thinks the cranky gamers-and-comic-fans stereotype has been retired. “Attitudes have changed. It's a new day and age in geek culture.” For information about QuadCon, visit www.facebook.com/coolstuffquadcon. For information about PeoriaCon and GameOn, visit jasonjpc.wixsite.com/ premier-events-llc.

PeoriaCon has been at Expo Gardens since 2019, catering to anime, toy, gaming and cosplay fans. The hall is split into collectibles, authors and artists, and crafters. Johnston brings in vendors and celebrities that he himself would travel to see. An early PeoriaCon celebrity was Larry Kenney, a voice actor known for voicing Lion-O and Count Chocula. Around 1,500 people attended that year. While COVID caused a drop in attendance, 3,000 people attended in March of 2023 when PeoriaCon brought in Zack Taylor, best known as the original Black Power Ranger. Johnston says the people make it worth holding the conventions. This summer he’s hosting the first GameOn, a small scale gaming event where students and the outside public meet at schools to

Laurie Pillman is an author and freelance writer/editor, based in Peoria

JULY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 69