G-FEST (Godzilla Festival) 28: Day 2!

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Day Two of G-FEST – We walked back to the Hyatt and indulged in their $25 breakfast buffet. I never minded doing it when I’ve gone Dutch with friends in the past, but that $76 bill was eye-opening. It wasn’t as good as I’d remembered it either and will have to plan better for the upcoming Flashback Weekend (also at the Hyatt). By the time we’d finished, the convention was in full swing and we took our seats in Ballroom A/B for the first panel which was on a YA Godzilla comic book. None of us were particularly interested in this topic but figured it was the best way to secure good seats for the next panel – actress Yumiko Shaku’s Q&A.

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G-FEST (Godzilla Festival) 28: Day 1!

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Last year’s G-FEST (Godzilla Festival) had the distinction of being the only one I’ve missed in the last twenty years. However, after the event’s two-year Covid hiatus. it almost felt like going again for the very first time. I should mention that although I grew up a Godzilla kid and do enjoy the movies, my sons, Alex and Luke, are the true fans. Their seemingly innate fervor for Japan’s most famous monster is what inspired me to bring them to G-FEST back when they were grade schoolers and now, at ages 25 and 19, their devotion has remained remarkably steadfast. This year, I decided to reassert our G-FEST tradition and spend a family weekend there together, this time as adult fans. 

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MonstahXpo – a.k.a. My afternoon with the Scream Queens!

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I’m happy to welcome back my friend, Jason Schoolcraft, who will be sharing his experience at a recent New England event…

Last Sunday morning, I made my way to the seaside town of Fall River, Massachusetts for my first visit to the MonstahXpo Halfway to Halloween horror event. Billed as the Ladies of Horror, it did not disappoint.  This was their 4th event at this location, and I was excited to finally experience it!

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The 2023 Svengoolie/C2E2 Diaries Day 2 – Saturday!

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9:00 am: As soon as I walked onto the train station platform, I was greeted by a woman dressed as Princess Leia on Endor (holding a toddler dressed as an Ewok) and a sixty-something-year-old Brony. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one heading up to the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo (C2E2).  I was also happy to see my son’s girlfriend, Rachel, who’d be taking the train a little further than McCormick Place to her job at the John G. Shed aquarium. There’s nothing like good conversation to make a ride go faster.

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The 2023 Svengoolie/C2E2 Diaries Day 1 – Friday!

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On the morning of Friday, March, 31st, I hopped a train to McCormick Place to attend the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) armed with my camera and a printout schedule for MeTV’s National horror host, Svengoolie. In the past, I’ve covered this event, the cosplay, and celebrity guests but this year it was exclusively about Sven as his team graciously brought me in as a volunteer member of the crew. These next two blogs are a diary of that experience. 

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Chicago’s Flashback Weekend 2022: Day One

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We arrived at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare just in time for Flashback Weekend’s Registration. My friend, Jason, flew in from Rhode Island the day before, and our friends, Don and Bunny, were already indulging in the perks of their VIP pass with early admittance to the dealer’s room. As soon as we saw them, Bunny gave me the full lay of the land so I could strategize. As a general rule of thumb, you want to meet the celebrity guests on your list first and foremost. This year my autograph goals were minimal – Quinn Lord and John Michael Graham. The latter was for the purpose of adding yet another signature to my Halloween (1978) poster which I discussed last year. Bunny informed me the closest guest, however, was Quinn Lord a.k.a. Trick r Treat Sam, making him my defacto first stop. 

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