Dragon Con Celebrates 20 Years of Fan Conventions

By Mark Hoerrner

Each year around Labor Day, downtown Atlanta is the scene of a mass visitation by characters of all kinds. From modern-day Supermen to living G.I. Joe figurines, upright-walking dragons to what appears to be leftovers from the last Star Wars movie, Atlanta’s Hyatt, Marriott and other downtown hotels house more than 20,000 unique creatures: science fiction and fantasy fans.

Begun in 1987 as an outreach of a local group of fans, Dragon*Con has evolved as one of the longest-running and most highly-attended fan conventions in the Southeast. In 1996, Mayor-turned-convict Bill Campbell presented Dragon*Con with a recognition for 10 years of bringing conventioneers to Atlanta.

The convention runs over four days, starting on the Friday before Labor Day and going all hours throughout the weekend and the following Monday. Tracks for every kind of fan – gaming, British films, science fiction, fantasy, comic collecting, Buffy the Vampire Slayer television shows, robotics, cryptozoology and more – are represented at the convention.

"It’s really the biggest collection of geeks you’ll find in the South," says Neil Fusillo, an internet telephony expert and longtime patron of Dragon*Con. "That’s what makes it such a sterling event. No matter what your interest, you’re bound to find someone who shares it at the convention and the two of you will end up talking until the next morning."

In addition to the fans, a horde of actors with reputations large and small converges on the event. Guests have included Kevin Sorbo, John Carradine, Adam Baldwin, Adrienne Barbeau, Erin Gray, James Marsters, Mickey Rooney and more. Some come hoping to hawk a $20 glossy 8x10 to an adoring fan and others come just to stay connected to the fan base and possibly drum up excitement about current projects.

Past guests have included fantasy authors Michael Moorcock, Robert Asprin, Peter Beagle, Lynn Abbey, Anne McCaffrey and even spy-thriller wordsmith Tom Clancy. In conjunction with the convention, author Ann Crispin holds a two-day writers conference in which she helps aspiring authors evaluate their work critically and work through story and plot issues.

Perhaps the most well-known aspect of the convention is the inclusion of a number of costume contests that have fans working all year long in order to come and spend their 45 seconds on stage. Dragon*Con organizers decided that it should hold an annual parade to celebrate the costumes. The streets of downtown Atlanta are crowded each Saturday the convention is held to parade mythical, alien, and fantasy-based conventioneers in full costume before any willing to look at the fantastic pageant.

"We really take over the streets and get some pretty funny looks," says James Warner, an agent with the TSA and a 15-year veteran of the convention’s security staff. "But it’s all in fun. That’s really what Dragon Con is: a celebration of what people can do when they use their imagination."

This year’s convention will be held Sept. 1-4 at the Hyatt Regency and Marriott Marquis hotels. A full four-day membership to the convention is $85 and can be bought at the door.