Farpoint 27 ran from February 21st to the 23rd, 2020, and definitely delivered a great show to the fans attending. Featuring Penny Johnson Jerald (The Orville, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Mary Chieffo (Star Trek: Discovery) and Anthony Montgomery (Star Trek: Enterprise), science fiction fans had a great time immersed in fandom.
Panels
The three main guests had panels on both Saturday and Sunday, answering fan questions and telling stories of their experiences playing characters in science fiction shows. It was a great experience for those fans.
In addition, there were many other panels that featured speakers such as authors Peter David, Mary Fan, Keith DeCandido, Cheralyn Lambeth and Bob Greenberger. Subjects ranged from current television shows and movies in the comic book, science fiction and fantasy genres to workshops on crafting your own stories. Other panelists included actors, YouTubers, podcasters and scientists with much to say about the future of media, storytelling, and humanity itself.
Vendors and Artists
The vendor area had much to offer. Toys and collectibles, handcrafted art, custom made apparel and more were on display in the vendor room and spilling into the hall leading up to it. You could even outfit yourself with replica weaponry from your favorite shows.
The variety of merchandise was matched by the inventive artwork and crafted items. You could get hand sewn bags featuring the fandoms you love or even hand crafted jewelry in the style of chain mail. Or a print of a Mount Rushmore adorned with the faces of your favorite Starship captains.
There were also cosplayers, independent filmmakers and digital artists attending to promote their art and build community.
Organizations
There were many other groups of fandom represented. If you were looking for other opportunities to meet up with like-minded fans, there were plenty of opportunities to find out how.
Other conventions such as Shore Leave, Blerdcon and Balticon provided information about their events. The Pennsylvania Browncoats and other fandom based charitable groups provided information on how to get involved and make a difference in the world.
A Place For Fans
Unlike many of the large comic cons at convention centers, Farpoint provided a way to join with your fellow fans around the clock. With the restaurants and bar in the host hotel, fans could socialize far into the evening or even the next morning.
After the vendor room closed each day, there were still panels running late into the evening. and special events like karaoke on Friday night and a dance party on Saturday. The Masquerade gave cosplayers and costumers the opportunity to strut their stuff and showcase their latest offerings.
But above all, the con is about the community. People seeing old friends, making new ones and just being a great community. This was true for all the vendors, panelists, guests, staff members and attendees.
This couldn’t have been demonstrated more clearly than at 4:30 PM on Sunday. A fan, hoping to get an autograph from Penny Johnson Jerald before she left, ran into this guest being escorted out.
Penny saw the fan was disappointed and refused to go any further until the fan got an autograph, even though everything was packed away. This tells me that Penny Johnson Jerald and Farpoint both do the same thing. They put the fans first. And any place that happens is where I want to be.
You can find out more information about Farpoint Con at http://www.farpointcon.com – hope to see you there next year!
Check out these cosplay photos from the con! Please tag credit to @MaedenArt / @FandomSpotlite
