Operation: Fandom Pop Culture Convention returns for year 2
The second annual Operation: Fandom Pop Culture Convention will be held April 21 at the Wayne County Fairgrounds Event Center.
Sequels can be difficult to pull off, but Josh Lehman has pulled out all the stops in organizing the second annual Operation: Fandom Pop Culture Convention.
The convention will be held April 21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will once again be at the Wayne County Fairgrounds Event Center, 199 Vanover St., Wooster.
People of nearly all ages can find something of interest, ranging from toys to collectibles, trading cards, gaming, artists, cosplay and more. Dealers will set up approximately 100 tables in the 20,000-square-foot event center.
“We started thinking about doing another show really as soon as last year’s ended,” said Lehman, a Dalton native who owns and operates Operation: Fandom and Blackbird Records stores in Wooster, Medina and Mansfield. “Having the actors from ‘The Sandlot’ and Daniel Logan (Boba Fett) from ‘Star Wars’ helped the first show become a really big success.
“We thought, ‘How do we match that or top it?’ It was a tough act to follow. This year we decided that we’re going to just try to expand the variety a little bit more and still have that Hollywood feel. There’s something for everyone. It should be a lot of fun.”
Coming to Wooster to meet fans, pose for photos and sign autographs will be Scott Schwartz (Flick from “A Christmas Story”), Allen Robinson (Ghostface from “Scream” and world renowned stuntman), Denny McLain (former MLB pitcher, two-time Cy Young winner, last 30-game winner) and Dan “ The Beast” Severn (UFC HOF champion, WWF, NWA champion).
“‘A Christmas Story’ is such a fan favorite, especially in Ohio, and we’re glad Scott Schwartz agreed to come,” Lehman said. “He played Flick, the kid who got his tongue stuck to a flagpole in winter after accepting a triple-dog dare.”
Lehman said Robinson chased around stars such as Jada Pinkett Smith as Ghostface and has done stunt work for the likes of Clint Eastwood and Harrison Ford.
“Allen Robinson will be bringing his actual Ghostface mask worn in the movie,” Lehman said.
McLain was close friends with the late Dean Chance, a Wayne County native who graduated from Northwestern and also won a Cy Young.
“When Denny heard that our show was going to be in Wooster, he said yes right away because of Dean,” Lehman said.
Special guests who also will meet fans, be available for photos and sign autographs include Chuck Huber (Android 17 in “Dragon Ball Z” and more), Stephanie Nadolny (Son Goku and Son Gohan from “Dragon Ball” shows and video games), Jeremy Ambler (“The Walking Dead,” “Wrong Turn” and more) and Chris Hahn (former wrestler Johnny Paradise, actor and stuntman).
Joining the convention from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Dylan’s Autism Awareness Fundraiser booth will be Al Snow (WWE, ECW, TNA, Ohio Valley Wrestler) and main event monster Madman Fulton (Local 6’8” Impact, WWE, NXT Wrestler).
Many more attractions will be all over the event center.
Rubber City Cosplay will host a costume contest with five different categories. Sign-ups will be due by 2 p.m., and the contest will start at 3 p.m.
Kevin Cabarello will play the original Nintendo Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out game and guarantees to beat it. Here’s the catch: Cabarello will do it while blindfolded. He will start his quest at 1 p.m. on the main stage.
The Kovacs Time Machine — a replica of the DeLorean from “Back to the Future” — will be parked inside the event center and available for photos ops. Also parked in the building will be the Black Phone Van from “The Grabber” and Michael Myers’ Bronco from “Halloween ’18.”
“Last year a personal goal was to get together with the ‘Sandlot’ guys for the 30th anniversary of the movie, and that went really well,” Lehman said. “This year we decided to go for more of a variety of different genres, from horror, to Star Wars, to sports.
“We’re excited to have the Kovacs Time Machine DeLorean coming here. They’ll have a lot of ‘Back to the Future’ props, photo ops and merchandise that tie in exactly with the original pieces from the movie. The Kovacs DeLorean was on display at Universal Studios for a number of years, and it’s an exact replica of the DeLorean that was used in the original movie. Some of their proceeds go to Parkinson’s research, (a disease which afflicted ‘Back to the Future’ star Michael J. Fox).”
Ohio Fandom and cosplay groups from the 501St Legion, Mandalorian, Ghostbusters and more will be in attendance.
There also will be lots of vendors on hand to buy, sell and trade collectibles such as toys, sports cards and nonsports cards.
Food and drink vendors will be Ott’s Coffee, Boba Bowl, Eat at Joes and OMA Gourd.
The entry fee is $15 for early birds at 9 a.m. and $10 after 10 a.m.
For more information on the show, follow the Operation: Fandom Facebook page or call the store at 330-804-0287. The Operation: Fandom collectibles store in Wooster is located at 120 S. Market St.