Special Event

CALS-Con's back with forums, Cos-Play, games

Daniel Brackeen, as Batman, learns foam sword fighting techniques in an Adventure Quest workshop at the 2014 CALS-Con.
Daniel Brackeen, as Batman, learns foam sword fighting techniques in an Adventure Quest workshop at the 2014 CALS-Con.

Dress up your daughter in her Elsa costume, grab your son's box of Legos and draw a lightning scar on your forehead: The Central Arkansas Library System's CALS-Con is back.

Self-proclaimed "nerds" are set to assemble at the Main Library in Little Rock from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday to celebrate fandom of all things books, movies and television. The event kicks off the library's Summer Reading Club called "Every Hero Has a Story."

CALS-Con

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Main Library, 100 Rock St., Little Rock

Admission: Free

(501) 918-3000

cals.org/cals-con

CALS-Con is primarily based off of Comic-Con, an event usually hosted in major cities in which obsessive fans flock in costumes to portray and discuss their favorite books, movies and TV shows. Due to blockbuster hits such as Marvel's The Avengers, and with more superhero movies and comics coming out, the Comic-Con craze has spread across the country and has now found a home in Little Rock.

"Not everyone can go to the big 'Cons' so fans can go to this and celebrate their fandom," says Laura Opper Hodo, chairman of the CALS-Con committee. More than 650 people attended last year's event and more are expected this year.

This year's CALS-Con will host six panels moderated by avid library-goers -- one per hour at the Ron Robinson Theater. It begins with a discussion of Disney's blockbuster film Frozen at 9:30 a.m. That will be followed by a panel on the TV and book series Game of Thrones at 10:30. Witch and wizard fans will discuss the Harry Potter books and movies at 11:30 followed by a panel on Legos at 12:30 p.m. A discussion of cult-classic and British television show Doctor Who will take place at 1:30, and the panels will wrap up with a talk on arguably the most popular movie series of all time, Star Wars, at 2:30.

The day will close out at 4 p.m. with the second annual Cos-Play (compound of "costume" and "play") contest. The winner will be crowned for best costume or adaption of a character.

"We're going to have big focus on the panels this year because we saw that last year that's what people loved most," Hodo says. "We put a lot of thought into the topics and we wanted something for everyone. So we have Frozen for the kids, Game of Thrones for the adults and then Star Wars and Harry Potter for both."

Along with the panels, there will be a Lego display and building workshop in the Youth Services department, tabletop games in the Main Library and Darragh Center, and a social media scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt, new this year, can be won by posting pictures on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #CALCON2015. On the Monday following the event, one CALS-Con attendee will win a prize.

Whether you have a costume that costs $1,000 or one that you made from cardboard, Hodo suggests attendees dress up for the event: "Last year it went from all ages: 6-month-olds dressed up to 70-year-olds. Hopefully we'll have something of the same this year."

Weekend on 05/28/2015

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