Tuesday, August 05, 2014

SPC Library Hosting Comic Con!

St. Petersburg College is teaming up with the Seminole Community Library to host the Mid-Pinellas Comic Con (and Maker Con), a comic book and popular culture convention at the Seminole Community Library on Saturday, Aug. 9. The inaugural event is free and open to the public from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

From superheroes and gaming to technology demonstrations, there is a little something to bring out everyone’s inner geek. The fun-filled event features activities, discussion panels and displays that center around comics, gaming, costume and cosplay competitions, sci-fi, anime, technology and more.

“This event will be especially attractive to Pinellas residents who may not attend other fan conventions because of the distance or cost,” said Chad Mairn, librarian and new Innovation Lab Manager at the SPC Seminole Campus who has been working closely with Library Director Mike Bryan and college officials to help plan and coordinate the event. He also has worked with Greg Plantamura from the TARDIS Riders in Pinellas group, who assisted with planning the successful Clearwater Library Comic Con last year.

Although this event is being held the weekend after the popular Tampa Bay Comic Con has taken place in Tampa, Mairn said that the Mid-Pinellas Comic Con (and Maker Con) will help serve the community by providing more visibility to a variety of popular culture interests.

Representatives from SPC’s pre-admissions department and digital media program will be at the event to talk about the college and its digital media classes. The college offers classes that encompass a variety of topics including video game development and animation, digital imaging, storyboarding and other related topics.

Science and technology fans will get a chance to experience SPC’s new Innovation Lab, which houses a 3-D printer, robotic kits, littleBits synthesizer modules, Pro Tools, Raspberry Pi/Arduino kits, and other technologies. The lab is free and open to the public with a valid library or SPC student ID.

Discussion panels about costuming, horror entertainment, Doctor Who, feminism in comics and other favorite fan topics will be held throughout the day. Busch Gardens® Tampa will join in the fun with a Howl-O-Scream discussion panel from 11 a.m. to noon. The Howl-O-Scream team will discuss the Florida’s top-rated Halloween event’s history and provide a behind-the-scenes look at how they make a terrorizing event so successful each year.

Gamers on the Edge, an organization of gamers who help raise money for good causes, has organized two gaming tournaments throughout the day to benefit All Children’s Hospital.


The Seminole Community Library at the St. Petersburg College Seminole Campus is located at 9200 113th St., Seminole. For more information, contact Chad Mairn at 727-394-6917.

2 comments:

Alligator Media said...

Very cool event that should get stronger every year.

Chad Mairn said...

Yes! By the way, we have a date for next year's Pinellas Comic and Maker Con! It will be Saturday October 17, 2015 at the SPC Seminole Campus.