Steel City Con draws 12,000 to Monroeville, some from outside the state

A gathering of pop culture celebrities, comic book enthusiasts and anime fans at the Monroeville Convention Center was an entertaining and sometimes frustrating experience for fans as well as a learning experience for promoters.

About 12,000 people walked through the doors of 209 Mall Plaza Blvd. from Aug. 13-15.

Chad and Tiffany Kemp from Belle Vernon said their favorite part about the convention was meeting Judith Hoag, April O’Neil from the 1990s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movies.

“She was the sweetest person and spoke to us several minutes not only about our favorite films of hers, but also about our own personal lives,” Chad Kemp said. “We mutually agree she was the best part for us. The worst was the Robert Englund line.”

Englund, a horror legend best known for being Freddy Krueger in the “Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise, was one of the biggest draws at the convention. Some people spent a whole day in his line for a chance at an autograph or photo.

Chad Kemp said they got into a virtual line around 12:30 p.m. on day one and did not get a text until shortly before 10 a.m. the next morning. They were not the only ones with issues. VIP pass holders were also told to come back the following day of their visit and would have top priority in the morning.

“It took a whole day in line on Friday,” said Jesse Puglin of Dawson, Fayette County, about his experience in the Englund line. “Worth every penny though. I guess I lucked out. I heard he stopped signing autographs around 2 p.m. I also just have a lot of friends that are vendors. I like coming out and supporting them.”

Security was called to a side room to assist with guests lined up for Englund on Aug. 13.

SSC co-owner Bob Stein said there was such a huge demand that they were able to book Englund’s return in April and will have a separate pass just for him.

A message about the booking and implementation of new policies to ensure more people can meet him was posted to the event’s Facebook page.

A fan forum page was inundated with positive posts from fans who got to spend a few moments with Freddy as well as other con experiences.

“Main reason I went was this man,” Jennifer Bzdziak posted. “Robert Englund is my favorite. I’m a horror freak. He’s my go-to other than Kane Hodder (Jason Voorhees of the ‘Friday the 13th’ franchise), but would always choose Robert first. The line for autographs could’ve been handled better. I didn’t even (bother) to try. He wasn’t the only one with huge waiting lines. Loved that there was tattoo artists at the con, wasn’t expecting that. Overall it was great, just needs a few tweaks.”

Puglin said he was a staff member at previous conventions, and stood up for the workers who were starting to get a hard time from some attendees. He said staff are not responsible for how long special guests spend with fans and people need to have more patience.

“There’s only so much staff can control,” he said. “To complain to them is unnecessary. There’s something here for anyone. People think it’s mostly celebrities. Some people think it’s just comics. I’m a horror fan. You can find all that stuff here.”

Stuff here

In addition to autographs, photos, comic books, Legos, posters and movie memorabilia, people can also find fudge, ice cream flash frozen via liquid nitrogen and barbeque sauce from Canonsburg, Washington County.

Maestro’s Sauce is owned by Andrew Gradert, Justin Krehel, Dennis Mikusi and Ross Flynn of Washington Township.

They launched the business in April 2019 but only recently became a convention vendor.

“We’re giant nerds to begin with, so we were coming here regardless of it,” Gradert said. “This is what we kind of consider our demographic, and we stand out from the crowd. We’re very different from everybody else who’s here. People seem to respond very well to having us here. We’re really excited about the opportunity to join in.”

Other guests

The convention also featured some hometown heroes.

Olympic gold medalist and WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle signed autographs and took photos with fans Aug. 14.

“It’s great being back in my hometown, being able to see the fans and appreciate their support,” he said. “Being at Steel City Con, I did it in 2017. I’m going to continue to do it in the years to come. It’s a great event, and there’s a huge turnout.”

AEW women’s champion and Pittsburgh area dentist Britt Baker, D.M.D., as well as AEW wrestlers Miro and Orange Cassidy participated in the convention. They were in town for two company shows at the Petersen Events Center.

Other celebrities at the August show included WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley, Carl Weathers (Rocky films, Star Wars, The Mandalorian) “The Walking Dead” stars Emily Kinney and Cailey Fleming, rock legend Meat Loaf and legendary voice actor Jim Cummings.

Contests

SSC’s costume contest received its largest participation in recent memory.

About 250 people walked across the stage. Some as individuals and others in groups.

Host Mike Devine said it seems the contests gets bigger and the craftsmanship better every convention.

Woodland Hills High School senior Dennis Thompson, 17, won best concept in the teen competition for his portrayal of J. Jonah Jameson, editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle in Marvel’s Spider-Man comics and movies.

“I like dressing up,” he said. “I like being the character and I like them seeing me as the character. It’s just acting, really, to put on that mask and pretending to be someone else. (It’s) a crazy world right now, and being able to take yourself away from it and enjoy these things is something that I love.”

Dennis was selected out of 10 finalists, who themselves were picked out of nearly 60 competitors.

“My mind is blown by the amount of talent these kids have,” said Dennis, founder of his school’s film and media club.

Matt Brodman and his girlfriend Krystal Johnson came as Frankenstein and his bride. It was the first convention for the Altoona couple. They have been together for five years.

“We really enjoyed this,” Johnson said.

They were edged out for best couple in the adult competition by Jessica Faust and her wife, Holly. The Lock Haven couple have been married for seven years. They dressed as Adam and Barbara Maitland from “Beetlejuice.”

“We’ve done comic cons a lot, but we’ve never dressed up,” Holly Faust said. “Last time we actually sat and watched it and said, ‘Let’s try it out and see what happens.’”

They hand-crafted their costumes much like the best-in-show winner Pam Carey, 58, of Upstate New York.

She won as Davy Jones, the supernatural ruler of the Seven Seas in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie franchise.

Carey said the outfit took about seven weeks to construct. It features a variety of sea shells, nearly 24 yards of fabric, 4 1/2 pounds of foam clay, about 50 hand-sown buttons, two battery packs, four fans, five different thicknesses of leather, 8 ounces of resin, a starfish and some worbla.

The homemaker’s efforts earned her a trophy and $500.

Carey said she made the more than 10-hour trip and spent another three hours in line to “completely fan girl” out with Meat Loaf.

“I’m limping now, but it was worth it,” she said.

Steel City Con returns to Monroeville on Dec. 10-12. More information is available at steelcitycon.com.