Nerd culture will be celebrated at Plattsnerd 3.0, a comic-con and gaming convention in the Champlain Centre on Oct. 13 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The event is presented by Mountain Lake PBS and is organized by Digital Media Producer at PBS Kevin Cooney. This is Cooney’s third year with the annual event.
“Plattsnerd is Plattsburgh’s first comic-con,” Cooney said.
In its first year, the event brought over 800 people to the convention.
This year, Cooney is hoping to top that by getting more involved with Plattsburgh State. He has reached out to PSUC clubs that embrace “nerd” culture such as the Animation club, Pokemon League and more.
PSUC’s Animation Club makes a trip to a different convention every semester, and last year their chosen convention was Plattsnerd. This year a small group of these students are making an appearance.
“The atmosphere is very unique,” Animation Club President Meghan Murphy said. “Cons are a fun place where everyone leaves judgment at the door.”
Murphy relates the cosplay portion of the events to Halloween, where people can dress up freely as their favorite characters and share their enthusiasm.
Cooney hopes people come in cosplay for a cosplay competition as well as filling the floor with different characters.
Other attractions offered by vendors and artists, like the Adirondack Coast Leggo Builders, Chicken Fried Quilter, Second Chance Variety Store and others, include comic-book art displays and workshops
There will also be gaming stations for tabletop games such as the card game Magic: The Gathering, and video gaming stations throughout serving staples like the Super Smash Bros games.
While general admission for the event is $8 in advance online at plattsnerd.mountainlake.org and $10 at the door, PSUC students can pay $4 online or $5 at the door.
All proceeds from the event go toward the local Mountain Lake PBS station in Plattsburgh.
Most of the gaming is free as well, except for a few where prizes are available to win.
Patrons who buy tickets in advance are given a free loot bag with special prizes inside and have the chance to collect items from vendors.
“We’re really excited to have the students there,” Cooney said. “The price of the tickets is so low because we don’t want to be a financial burden for [them].”
Murphy appreciates the effort made by the community to be more nerdy.
“I think it’s fun to be able to share this kind-of nerdy thing with the community,” she said. “It really brings us together and reminds us that we are more alike than we may think.”
She is most excited about going to cons to see the artists with their work.
“Cons really give us a sense of community, and it’s such a unique experience that I highly recommend to everyone”
Email Jacob Elsbree at cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
