Story provided by Stillwater Public Library and the City of Stillwater
LexiCon, the Stillwater Public Library’s annual comic con, is set to be bigger and better than ever. This festival for fans of pop culture, comic books, comic art, gaming, anime, and science fiction is scheduled for Saturday, September 14, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
For the first time, LexiCon events will begin on Friday with pre-convention activities in downtown Stillwater on September 13 from 7-10 p.m. The celebration starts at Modella Gallery which is hosting a dance party with a live DJ playing video game-inspired dance tunes.
“Everyone is invited to come out to Modella to enjoy the music and dancing,” said Paula Long, librarian and LexiCon coordinator. “We’ll be offering light refreshments and soft drinks to make this a fun activity for families, teens, and adults alike.”
The first 50 LexiCon fans at the Friday event will receive giveaways like acrylic tumblers and lanyards with the LexiCon logo.
“This awesome LexiCon swag won’t be available on Saturday,” Long said. “People who want a small piece of LexiCon history will need to come out on Friday night.”
Friday night will also feature a “Cosplay Crawl” at downtown businesses with discounts for cosplayers and LexiCon fans alike, providing an opportunity for cosplayers from around Oklahoma to come to Stillwater and show off their creative costumes.
“Seeing everyone dressed up in their cosplay outfits is a ton of fun,” Long said. “Many cosplayers put a lot of work into crafting very intricate and unique costumes. With the Cosplay Crawl, we are giving cosplayers another opportunity to show off their creative costumes and for everyone else to admire their work.”
Saturday morning will be the official kick-off of the comic con itself. The Stillwater Community Center will play host to over 50 artists and authors, merchants of pop culture and comics-related goods, and organizations promoting everything from cosplay to Pokemon Go. Tabletop gaming will provide LexiCon goers a few minutes to sit down and play a favorite game or perhaps learn how to play something new.
At Prairie Arts Center, LexiCon visitors will be able to attend a draw-along activity with an artist, make a magnet or keychain out of polymer clay, or screen print a tote bag with the LexiCon logo for a small fee. Attendees can also make a zoetrope, a small spinning device that produces the illusion of animation through the use of still pictures.
In another first for LexiCon, the Oklahoma State University Museum of Art will be part of the fun.
According to Victoria Berry, Director and Chief Curator, the museum will host an exhibit of interest to Lexicon enthusiasts called, “Little Nemo’s Progress: Animation and Contemporary Art.” The exhibit will be held August 6 through December 14 and be available to visit on Lexicon weekend. In addition, activities for kids will be offered at the museum on the day of LexiCon.
“This event is enormously popular, and we are excited to be part of it,” Berry said.
The complete lineup of panels for LexiCon this year is particularly exciting. The library, which will host all of the panels, is especially delighted to welcome Dr. William Tsutsui, president of Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, and renowned Godzilla expert. Tsutsui will discuss the history and impact of Godzilla in film and society.
“I love to speak on Godzilla,” Tsutsui said, “I am thrilled to join you in Stillwater.”
Stillwater’s own Shane Hoffman, “Prof Hoff” of YouTube fame, will also be sharing his passion with LexiCon attendees. Prof Hoff has over 35,000 followers on YouTube and will share insights from his success, including how to create a successful following on YouTube and how to convert that following into a source of income.
Another panel sure to be a hit at LexiCon will be “Competitive Cosplay” presented by Marlie Adams and Allison Breckon, collectively known as “Divine Creations Cosplay.” Adams and Breckon, who both gained experience working for the costuming department at OSU, will share tips on how to become successful in cosplay competitions. The duo were winners of LexiCon’s cosplay contest in 2017.
The cosplay contest will once again be a highlight of LexiCon with competitors displaying their finest costume creations. Winners will be determined in three age categories: children, teens, and adults.
LexiCon will also feature a number of outdoor demonstrations this year. In the library courtyard, Stillwater Martial Arts will hold demonstrations along with the Oklahoma Budo Society which will demonstrate Japanese martial arts using swords. Next door in the courtyard by Prairie Arts, a PaintJam speed painter will be creating artworks on multiple large-scale canvases at one time.
Cristy Morrison, President and CEO of LexiCon sponsor Visit Stillwater, is especially excited about all the different activities offered at LexiCon this year.
“It’s wonderful to see this highly successful locally-based event that has grown to include multiple facilities, and now to a two-day event,” Morrison said. “Having this free comic con in Stillwater is not only a great way for residents to get out and have fun, it also draws people from across the state who come and get to experience Stillwater for themselves.”
LexiCon is free and open to the public and sponsored by Friends of the Library. Attendees are encouraged to bring money if they wish to make purchases from the artists, merchants, or food trucks.
For more information, visit the LexiCon website at http://library.stillwater.org/lexicon.php, email [email protected] or call 405-372-3633 x8106. Follow LexiCon on online at https://www.facebook.com/LexiConSPL to get the latest updates and news.
Find information about other Stillwater Public Library programs at http://library.stillwater.org.
The Stillwater Public Library is located at 1107 S. Duck St. Library hours are Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
