Those who stepped inside Irwin’s Shidle Hall this weekend suddenly found themselves among Earth’s mightiest heroes on Penny Lane in a galaxy far, far away.
The borough hosted its second annual CARLcon event Sunday. Organized by the Irwin Business and Professional Association, CARLcon was an excitement-filled day for lovers of collectibles and many things retro.
Booths at the event paid tribute to “Star Wars,” superheroes, the Beatles, sports and more. Herbie the Love Bug, the Batmobile and a futuresque DeLorean also made an appearance.
Rich Jovan Jr., whose “Star Wars” memorabilia filled several tables, described the convention as “a lot of fun.”
Jovan Jr. from Irwin has been collecting “Star Wars” merchandise since he was a kid. He brought action figures, games, costume pieces and more to CARLcon.
“I just love seeing the people take a look at everything and light up if they see something they like,” he said.
Jovan Jr.’s father, Rich Jovan Sr., had his own table. The father, who has collected car dealer pamphlets since he was 11, was selling some of his retro pamphlets.
Dressed as John Lennon, Ed Sam dedicated his table to the Beatles. Sam from Greensburg saw the Beatles in concert in 1964 — the same year he began his Beatles collection.
As a member of the Irwin Business and Professional Association, Sam said he was encouraged to see “so many people” attend.
“I just like being able to make Irwin the biggest little town in Pennsylvania,” he said.
As big “Star Wars” fans, Sean and Nicole Beck knew they had to stop at the convention. Nicole Beck from North Huntington said she appreciates that a smaller community hosted its own mini Comic-Con.
“They have the bigger Comic-Cons in Monroeville, but it’s nice to support local people,” she said.
Attendees also could receive a free caricature from local artist Raymond Kuchinka.
Kuchinka from Jeannette typically is asked to keep caricatures simple, so he was excited to add themes and characters to attendees’ portraits. He drew droid friends for one attendee and transformed another into a web-slinging superhero.
“Having a chance to do some of this fun stuff sounded pretty cool,” Kuchinka said.
