Culpeper’s inaugural Con is a runaway hit

The Culpeper County Library was a lot busier than usual on the weekend of March 24-25. Over 700 people came in and out of Southgate Shopping Center to experience the inaugural CulpeperCon — an inclusive event sponsored by the Friends of the Culpeper County Library where everyone can celebrate their fandoms.

President of Friends of the Culpeper County Library Donna DeAngelis was pleased to see so many people, especially kids, attend. 

"Any reading is good reading,” she said. “We are doing this to let the kids know that if they read something like a comic book and enjoy it, they're going to keep on reading, and it's going to become a lifelong habit."

Many supporters from the community attended, including the NAACP-Culpeper Branch 7058 and Rappahannock Rapidan Community Services. 

The weekend kicked off with a Friday night cosplay contest. Youth and adults dressed as their favorite characters from manga, comic books and movies and walked down the runway. The participants were judged by their costume's authenticity, how they made the costume and how they worked the runway.  

Cosplay wasn’t just for individuals, though, but a family affair with both siblings and parents dressing up in groups. Notably, a young Princess Leia, who walked with her father, who was dressed as Darth Vader, won first prize.

Cosplay participants worked hard to capture the spirit of their favorite characters. Travis Gayhart, who participated in the adult cosplay contest as Captain America, built his costume over time by collecting choice pieces through online shopping and customization with hands-on sewing. 

"I had to own and become the character,” Gayhart said. “I said to myself, 'I am Steve Rogers today.'"

This type of empowerment through cosplay was everywhere at the Con. Attendees proudly showed off their hard work, asking permission to take photos and complementing each other. A workshop on empowerment through cosplay was also available on Saturday's schedule to help foster more confidence through individual expression.

Saturday began with a powerful address from the keynote speaker, Dr. Grace D. Gipson, professor of African American Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University — and comic book fan. She shared her insights, tying in women's history month, looking at Black girl magic and imagining their futures in graphic novels. With more youth seeing diverse representation in pop culture, this was a timely topic. 

"In comics, we can share different perspectives, personalities and different ways to think about superheroes,” Gipson said. “There is a changing tide, and kids and adults want to see someone that looks like them and how their story is being told.”

The Con didn't just attract die-hard fans and scholars, but also brought in passersby and local fans of the library. Robert Collici, a Culpeper resident and father of two, stopped by out of curiosity.

"We heard something extra huge going on this week,” he said. “My kids are going to try all these extra things. They always have something great here. I love that the community is putting on something great for families."

And what Con could be complete without LARPing (live action role playing)? On Saturday, there was a panel that included Culpeper's finest LARPers who shared the basics of their sport with live battle demonstrations. 

"It's literally Dungeons and Dragons, acted out in person, safely, with foam weapons," said David Foster, the LARPing panel's main presenter. Daniel Joyner, president of Alvasari Wargaming, a registered chapter of Dagorhir local to Culpeper, was also part of the panel. 

"LARP is a gateway to finding your passions and pushing your physical limits in a fun and safe environment,” Joyner said. “As with all things, the amount of effort you put into it will almost always equal the value of the experiences that you will have.”

CulpeperCon garnered an impressive turnout for its first-year with memories sure to last until next year.