Thousands of pop culture fans and comic enthusiasts are expected to descend upon the Monroeville Convention Center for the return of Steel City Con.
The show is slated for March 31 through April 2 at the convention center, 209 Mall Plaza Blvd.
About 35 celebrity guests are on the ticket as well as Emmy Award winning artist John Delaney and legendary animator Phil Ortiz.
A “Dexter” reunion is in the cards with the man himself, Michael C. Hall, and co-stars Julie Benz and Jennifer Carpenter. Hall is scheduled only for April 1-2, while Benz and Carpenter are scheduled for all three days.
Other guests include the original “MacGyver,” Richard Dean Anderson; movie icon Dolph Lundgren (“Rocky” franchise, “The Expendables,” “Universal Soldier”); “Dora the Explorer” Kathleen Herles; and Khary Payton, Austin Amelio, and Christine Evangelista from “The Walking Dead.”
Lundgren, Hall, Kelsey Grammer (“Frasier,” “Cheers,” “X-Men”) and Nancy Cartwright (“Rugrats,” “The Replacements,” voice of Bart Simpson) will await convention-goers at the nearby Double Tree by Hilton Hotel. Grammer is scheduled only for April 1.
Steel City Con co-owner Bob Stein said his team has been correcting some issues from November’s convention that featured long lines at the hotel for pro wrestling legend The Undertaker, which had people standing outside in the cold for hours for an autograph and photo.
“We’ve made line improvements to streamline people entering and exiting the building, improved signage, added many new paid staff and volunteers, increased training, added a process engineer on staff to improve efficiency, and added more security staff,” Stein said. “More organization outside coming into hotel, in particular. We have worked very hard to improve the experience for the customer.”
Back at the convention center, Steel City Con hosts hundreds of vendors selling various movie and TV memorabilia, as well as video games, action figures, prints, posters and more.
A costume contest with cash prizes and trophies closes out the activities on the final day.
Attendees should use caution when parking. The outdoor ticket area gets roped off for patron safety, and there have been parking lot attendants at neighboring businesses trying to keep spaces free.
Celebrities Ross Marquand, Jessica Darrow and Adrienne Barbeau canceled their appearances. Lance Reddick (“John Wick” franchise, “The Wire”) died March 17 at age 60.
