Star Wars, Disney characters shine in 2019 SciFi/Fantasy Fest costume contest at Hoover library
Star Wars and Disney characters shined in the costume contest at the 2019 SciFi/Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library Saturday.
Jason Jeffcoat of Calera won first place, dressed as a Mandalorian, which is a fictional race of people from the planet Mandalore in Star Wars.
Dustin Odom of Birmingham followed in second place and got a lot of laughs as he came dressed as Darth Jar Jar, representing a theory some people have that the clumsy Jar Jar Binks character in the second Star Wars movie trilogy was actually a Sith Lord.
Third place went to Jessica Collier of Gadsden, who was dressed as Mary Poppins, complete with her suitcase and umbrella.
An honorable mention award went to Bill Underwood, Cora Lightfoot-Underwood and Isaiah Lightfoot-Underwood, all of Bessemer, who came dressed as Obi Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker. Cora and Isaiah are twins, just like Luke and Leia. (Sorry for the spoiler, but hey, the movie in which that was revealed has been out 36 years.)
In all, there were 34 people in this year’s costume contest, held in the Library Theatre. The event is one of the most popular features of the SciFi/Fantasy Fest, which is in its fifth year.
The three-day festival, which concludes today, is described by organizers as “a celebration of all things science fiction, fantasy and geeky.”
An estimated 600 to 650 people attended Friday night, which included a concert by the Abney Park steampunk band. Attendance figures for Saturday were not yet available, but Krysten Griffin, the chairwoman (or “overlord”) of the festival, said the event was going well.
“We had people who traveled from across the country to see Sneak Attack!,” a group that does Dungeons and Dragons role-playing podcasts, Griffin said. Some attendees were from Wisconsin, Minnesota and New York, she said. “Every single thing Sneak Attack! has done has had a full house.”
As is common at science fiction and fantasy conventions, numerous guests came dressed as characters. There were a lot of Star Wars and anime characters roaming around the library, but Griffin said she was surprised there were not many superheroes this year. “I have also seen a lot of things that I don’t know what they are,” she said.
John Anderson, an actor and comedian from Birmingham who played a ravager in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" and has had appearances in “Black Panther,” “Sleepy Hollow” and Spider-Man: Homecoming,” led a panel discussion on collectibles. He also teamed with Don Teems, who has worked on “The Walking Dead,” to talk about what it’s like to work in special effects makeup.
The festival also has included sessions on Star Wars, Star Trek, Batman, Disney, how to break into comics, choosing and running successful role-playing games, cosplay, special effects, anime, steampunk and podcasting.
There was a prop building contest, where teams had a set amount of time to grab materials from a “junk pile” and build a prop or a piece of a set representing science fiction, pop culture or video games.
Throughout the festival, the main auditorium at the Hoover Senior Center next door has been set up for board games. People could bring their own games or pick from games provided by the library.
There also are vendors set up in the Hoover Library Plaza, selling everything from science fiction and fantasy books to pop culture art, T-shirts, character miniatures, decals and jewelry.
Mike Hamilton of Riverchase said it had been a couple of years since he came to the SciFi/Fantasy Fest, but he came back this year particularly to see the concert by the Abney Park steampunk band. They put on a great show, he said.
He brought his daughter, Emily Hamilton, and family friend Matthew Vines. Vines said this festival is a good one for people who are just starting to get into science fiction and fantasy conventions because it’s small and intimate.
Gerald Stocks, who lives in western Hoover, said he comes to this festival every year. He likes the variety of topics covered in the sessions, particularly the ones related to Marvel and Star Wars. Some of his favorites this year were “Lies of the Jedi” and the future of Disney, he said.
The 2019 SciFi/Fantasy Fest ran Friday night from 7 to 11, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and continues Sunday from 1 to 6 p.m.
Sunday’s lineup includes sessions on the future of comic books in print, “My Little Pony” trivia, 3D printing and cosplay, Marvel, Star Trek, non-superhero comics, 50 years of Scooby-Doo, and foam and thermoplastic prop techniques. There also will be showings of the “Shazam!” movie and the first episode of the newest version of the “Doctor Who” British television drama.
Admission to the SciFi/Fantasy Fest is free. For more information, go to hplscifi.com.