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PUTNAM NEWS
Halloween begins early with ShockaCon festival
On Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012, at the ShockaCon Horror and Sci-Fi Convention in South Charleston, Dale Morton of Hurricane talks with a costumed horror movie fan at the Magic Makers Costumes booth.
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SOUTH CHARLESTON -- Horror and science fictions fans -- and the businesses that cater to them -- got a jump start on the Halloween fright season at the inaugural ShockaCon in South Charleston on Saturday, Sept. 29.
ShockaCon brought fans, families and the curious together with vendors, workshop practitioners, authors, movie producers, actors and exhibitors for the one-day, free festival surrounding the Mound in South Charleston. It included concerts at the Mound, movies at the LaBelle Theater, a gaming tent, the Cemetery Knights car club and their hearses, skits by The Kanawha Players and a Monster Parade down D Street.
Hurricane's own Dale Morton -- owner of costume and mascot design shop Dale Morton Studios -- was one of a handful of business professionals who organized ShockaCon. He also participated as a vendor and as a costume contest judge.
This first festival was designed to introduce the concept of horror and sci-fi marketing to the state of West Virginia. It included elements of horror, science fiction, gaming and comics, and allowed visitors opportunities to purchase items, mingle with other fans, learn new skills, and enjoy a variety of activities.
"There are hundreds of West Virginians who travel to these events that are held all over the country," Mike Winland, chairman of ShockaCon, said in a press release. "We felt that this was something that would be welcome here-- and so far, has been very enthusiastically received. We have gotten very positive response. Many potential vendors from around the country are interested, largely due to the fact that West Virginia is, as yet, an untapped market. We see this one-day event as a preview to our larger, three-day Con next year."
For more information, visit www.wvshockacon.com.
