I Didn’t Want to Go: What Going to a Geeky Saint John Harbour Convention was Really Like

Re-reading this, I think of how geeky this will seem to some of you. And it was geeky. But it was more of an afterthought. Being there, at the FIRST “Harbour con-fusion” felt like so much fun, and with so much incentive to participate, like participation ribbons, trophies and supportive cheers, it was hard to not get in on the excitement. But I had never been to a convention before…

I didn’t want to go. I had long planned to, but by the time July 28th/2012 rolled around, there was more against my going than for: A recent run in with a comic book shop staff member left a sour taste in my mouth about the comic book community, there was a surprise family supper planned over the week end I would not be able to attend, I’d miss helping two friends move, and none of my other friends could come with me to the con… I would have to go solo. I thought, “If at the very least I could do some networking for thedarkopera.com then maybe it would be worth it.” Luckily, it turned out to be much more than that.

I was so uncertain about the whole event that I didn’t even reserve a room at the hotel in case the con was a bust. That way I could salvage my week end by jetting back to Fredericton depending on the time or maybe head down to Moncton and visit with friends.

To make matters worst, I got a flat tire on my way in to Saint John. The culprit? A screw from Saint John construction no doubt – Yes, I was SCREWED. That could have turned me into quite the 'Debbie Downer', but all was washed away by the incredible energy at opening ceremonies. 

Photo by Ralph Jackson

Right from registration, I met fellow con goers (both who do excellent cosplay as Wolverine and Sabretooth) and was later invited to lunch with them and others. Thanks again for the French Vanilla Kevin. After they had gone to get their pictures taken by the Harbour con-fusion photographer, I accidentally dumped the rest of that hot drink all over the front of my white T-shirt in my haste to run a few errands in between panels. Could anything else bad happen to me?

After all was settled and I was changed, I returned to get the most out of the vendor rooms and panels that I could. There, I met up with Chris, one of the many awesome con staff and chatted him up a little. I got to meet up with an old friend a little later on. I also stopped and talked to some very creative guys promoting their first web comic issue of “Liquid” which I hope to be posting more about later on this week. And there was so much other cool stuff going on too, like a massive assortment of origami of every kind, people doing drawings for commission, selling artwork and even retro video games. 

Photo by Ralph Jackson

The Vendors, those doing cosplay, and the panel members… If you are looking for creative and passionate individuals, plan to come to Harbour con-fusion next year because it had so many people like that.

The panels! (They are 1 hour or so sessions where people come in to talk about various topics) They were all great, some examples of these were:

StarkTech. There’s this gentleman named, Phillip Vautour who had an excellent panel on his work in creating a professional Iron Man suit. Dressed as Tony Stark, equipped with lit arc reactor and dawning a “Stark” jacket, he talked about resources and ideas for how to execute tech for your cosplay.  For example, he talked a little about hitting a switch that would send a signal for a functional (but not in a deadly way) arm cannon to rise out of an arm piece and light up when fully extended. Great stuff. It was so wonderfully in-depth and inspiring, I wished that I had taped it. 

Photo by Ralph Jackson

Also, "The Geek Dating Game".  There, 3 guys sat side by side, backs against a screen behind which the lucky lady - who was also a Harbour-con organizer - was stationed. In classic dating game style, the hostess – in this case: Catwoman – facilitated the game as difficult questions where thrown out to the guys. Let me tell you, answering them didn’t sound easy. As the title implied, there was a strong geek flavor and the three contestants did an excellent job at being witty and injecting hilarious and intentionally awful (Corny) innuendo (and why not? This panel had an older audience). A gentleman by the name of Sean Brown, who earlier that day introduced himself by standing up from his seat with one hand raised high and in a rising tone exclaimed, “ I’m Sssseeeeaaan Brown” had the audience in a stitch at the dating game and grabbed himself celebrity like status that had others echoing his call throughout the con. This was the guy who answered, “What emoticon would you be?” with a pause to build anticipation; then a resolute, “the Sssseeeeaaan Brown emoticon”. Really, there could have been no other. 

The dance also was a great time. Where Con Volunteer and friend, Josh (same name, different guy) did his best to ‘cut a rug’ to keep people on the dance floor. Con staff Dj’d as lights danced across the walls and music pumped from the nearby speakers. The play list had some geek flavor there too, where the last song of the dance was a Dr. Who remix track. I hadn’t danced like that in a while, and got to meet some other con goers with help from Heidi who had such great energy and was such a blast to be around. Who really did her best to make people feel welcomed. 

A game called “Circus Imperium” was also a great time. What really got me here was the inclusion of some of the kids in the game. A man named Joe Hatfield, Who also put on an excellent lightsaber duel (and can take a hard hit or ten like a pro), helped run some of the players through the game as he encouraged audience participation and really made it fun. Everyone was cheering and getting involved. It was then  that I looked around the room at the crowd huddled around the table and felt like this was a really tight community of people making good memories together.

The whole thing sounds kind of like a love affair doesn’t it? To be fair, the con wasn’t without those who are snarky, those who push boundaries in terms of rules, and sometimes what was ‘family appropriate’ got lost in rapid-fire reactions including in being witty, but someone was never too far off to remind people about what the con was really about. I myself might have acted differently if I wasn’t open to having fun. To letting loose a little. I might have left. But the atmosphere there was so relaxing and welcoming that it was hard not to get engaged. 

By the time closing ceremonies came around at 1900 Sunday evening, I was hooked.

Margaret, a con organizer, closed things off with quite the rousing speech about Saint John being ready for a regular convention like Harbour-Con that really rallied the audience. Of the excitement of wrapping up the event and naming who won what at the silent auction they had, the staff announced having met financial goals and was able to make a sizeable donation to their local S.P.C.A (what a good cause!). For all the staff’s work, the crowd gave a much-deserved standing ovation. Everyone lingered a while afterwards saying good-byes and planning on meeting perhaps at the upcoming Hal-con. While some organized some post convention celebration, I, like some others, made my way back home in rainy evening weather feeling pretty damn satisfied with the entire event.

I had still to figure out what to do with that flat tire I had got on my way into Saint John. My plan to deal with the tire didn’t go as well as I had hoped, and couldn’t drive with it anymore after a particularly rough stretch of highway road construction about mid way between Saint John and Fredericton. I decided I would hitch hike back home, so I took to the road as night began to set in and the highway became dark. Luckily, a man and his wife saw me on their way back from Fredericton to Saint John. They turned around to get me and were kind enough to help me change my tire (I didn’t have a jack). Big Thanks to Corey Wright and his family for that.

I ended up home a little later than expected. With the energy of the week end still buzzing inside me, it was hard to be without smile. I had a story I needed to share…

I say, If you want to go to a con but have some reservations, set em’ aside and walk into one with an open mind and just go with it. It can be such a great time if you let it.

-Josh 

If you want all the news on the next Harbour Con-Fusion, click HERE for their Facebook page!!

*** Big Thanks to Ralph Jackson for letting me use his photos (The first three) for this post.***