Awesome Con is where ‘it’s cool to be nerdy’
Thousands are expected to let their geek flags fly this weekend in the nation’s capital at Awesome Con.
For the 11th year, the Walter E. Washington Convention Center plays host to D.C.’s version of Comic Con from Friday to Sunday.
No matter what type of pop culture you are looking for, it will most likely be represented. While walking around the convention center, you’ll likely see people dressed as superheroes (both Marvel and DC), anime characters, video game characters and characters from both Star Wars and Star Trek.
Awesome Con features celebrities for autograph sessions, 400 authors and over 350 exhibitors.
While there are a lot of younger people at Awesome Con, there are a lot of grown-ups still young at heart in attendance, and they didn’t come alone.
Malcolm and Coral brought their 9 and 5-year-old children to take in the fun.
“We are very much into playing pretend,” Coral said. She told WTOP they dress up for Halloween as a family and go to Renaissance festivals, but this was their first trip to Awesome Con.
Her husband summed up the appeal of a pop culture convention.
“It’s cool to be nerdy in a sense. Just all the little things that we’re interested in, you find so many other people interested in the same things,” Malcolm said.
One person who was also having a ton of fun as she walked around the convention hall was Leandra, from Laurel, Maryland. She was most likely the only 6-foot-2-inch person dressed as Velma from Scooby Doo.
“With these boots, I’m probably 6-foot-6, 6-foot-7,” Leandra said. “I love conventions, I’ve been coming for years.”
Leandra told WTOP why she dressed as one of those kids that travels in the Mystery Machine.
“She’s the best, I think she is so smart, she’s so friendly. They solve the mysteries because of her,” she said.
One participant making his first appearance at Awesome Con this year is a member of the military from Hannover, Pennsylvania, who dressed like pro wrestler Ric Flair.
“I have four more years and I retire from the United States Navy,” Christian Hardy said. ”This is my attempt at a side hustle for my next chapter because I don’t want to have to get a real job.”
Hardy, who has been a lifelong wrestling fan, was dressed in a camel hair blazer, slacks, alligator boots, sunglasses, a blonde wig and a replica of the NWA World Heavyweight title belt over his shoulder. Hardy’s booth, Smart Mark Tees, sells T-shirts with wrestling lingo on the front.
Another person living the dream of his childhood was Nate Himert, a member of the Southern Maryland nonprofit Chesapeake Ghostbusters. The group works with the Arc of Baltimore to raise money to help provide services for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Himert grew up watching the original Ghostbusters.
“When I’m old enough and have a big boy job and make big boy money, I’m going to spend it on some Ghostbusters gear, and here I am,” Himert joked.
When he isn’t fighting ghosts or putting smiles on kids’ faces, he’s an attorney for the government.