The Arlington Heights Memorial Library celebrated its eighth FanCon on Sunday, July 14 with more than 1,000 people of all ages stopping by the library to enjoy the popular comic book and pop culture event, making this the most-attended FanCon in the library's history.
"I’m having a great time at FanCon with my family. The diverse amount of things to do here ... there’s just so many places to go," said Chris Wolff who attended with his two children. "We really enjoyed the scavenger hunt, had a great time doing that. We were upstairs just now watching the [Super Smash Bros. Ultimate] tournament. So games and activities, we like it all. The community ... there’s adults and kids, I just think it’s a great place to spend the day."
The Willy Wonka-themed scavenger hunt and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament were just two highlights from the activity-filled day. Throughout FanCon 2024, attendees enjoyed a live performance from the Jesse White Tumblers, meet and greet with real birds of prey, tried out new dance moves during an 8-bit dance party, explored Dungeons & Dragons through various events, created fandom-related arts and crafts including tote bags, fire-breathing dragons and Baby Yoda ears, and more.
Artists' Alley in the Hendrickson Room featured more than 15 artists and vendors selling fandom-related artwork and merchandise. New to this year was a Stamp Collection Hunt, where attendees could meet cosplayers wandering around the library and collect special stamps to earn a prize. The cosplayers ranged from Detective Pikachu to Studio Ghibli's Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service.
"Everywhere you look it’s just fun," said 9-year-old Niko Pervan, who was attending FanCon for the second year in a row with his mom Perla. "And no matter what, you have to enjoy yourself, that’s my rule. You have to physically and mentally enjoy yourself here!"
Click here to view more photos on the library's Facebook page.