CK Expo, Chatham-Kent’s celebration of pop culture, returns April 29.
Chris Bullard of Game Masters Emporium, one of the event organizers, said this is the fourth Comic Con-like gathering in Chatham, the third large-scale one. It takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the John D. Bradley Convention Centre.
“The first one was only 150 people. We moved to the Bradley Centre and had more than 1,000 people the next year,” Bullard said. “We hope to get more than 1,500 this year.”
He believes the maturation of “geeky kids” has helped make events such as CK Expo so popular.
“It’s a bunch of things. It used to be a fringe culture, but as superhero movies rolled out and more TV series rolled out, and the geeky kids are now in their 40s, it’s more widespread. It’s more authentic,” he said.
This year’s CK Expo returns with free video games, pinball and board games for patrons to enjoy.
There will also be a lineup of actors on hand. Bullard said they include Rochelle Davis, “who was the little girl from The Crow movie;” Olivia Hack, who played Cindy Brady in The Brady Bunch remake in the 1990s and who is a voice actor in a variety of cartoons; Sean Rogerson who has appeared in TV series such as Bitten, Supernatural and Stargate Atlantis; and Corin Nemec, who appeared in series such as Stargate SG-1, Supernatural, and the Ghost Whisperer.
“They might not be household names, but when you see them, you remember what shows you’ve seen them in,” Bullard said. “They’re engaging personalities and they have some cool stories to tell the guests.”
Admission to CK Expo is $10. Children aged nine and under are free.
All proceeds go to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Chatham-Kent.
