A Change For The Better

West Cal Arena & Events Center, Sulphur, LA

After a few years in Lake Charles, LA, Bayoucon made the move to the West Cal Arena & Events Center in Sulphur, LA.  This year’s event featured a number of media guests including Todd Haberkorn (anime voice actor and Spock from Star Trek Continues), Alex Zahara (Once Upon A Time), and Beth Broderick (Sabrina The Teenage Witch).  It also featured John Mangus, an actor and stuntman that has recently been featured in Jurassic World. 

The lovely ladies of Orion’s Envy performed on Saturday evening and a costume contest followed.  Also over the weekend there were showings of Star Trek Continues, panels on everything from writing to costuming, and a showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show.

There were also a number of artists on hand and a solid group of vendors offering everything from collectibles to corsets and drinking glasses to Funko Pop figures.  Fan groups were also in attendance.

A major highlight of this event for myself and (I’d like to think) a lot of convention attendees, was the first appearance of the Just-Us League.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with my alter ego, The Discount Dark Knight, he recently became a part of this group of cosplayers that cosplay for FUN and to goof off a bit.  Our group was a hit, and even Alex Zahara of Once Upon A Time asked for a photo with us!

Another major highlight of the convention for me was getting to meet and talk with Todd Haberkorn.  Most people enjoy him for his work in anime, but I’m a fan of his work on Star Trek Continues.  He was a very nice guy, and his panel was both informative and fun.  He interacted with the crowd and happily answered any and all questions thrown his way.

This convention has had a number of ups and downs over the years.  Attendance has been fairly low for the most part, but this year saw a nice crowd show up for the event.  The West Cal Arena is an excellent venue and seems to be a much better fit for this convention than some of the larger venues in the area.  Everyone seemed to have a great time at the convention, and that’s good news for this convention.  With hard-working staff members like Mike and Jenni Moreau, this convention has nowhere to go but up, and I wish the convention nothing but good luck in the future.