Get 8-Bit with Louisville Arcade Expo

The great thing about Kentucky's conventions is that all of them provide something unique and special. Louisville Arcade Expo is certainly no exception. Since 2011, Louisville Arcade Expo has been providing the Commonwealth with the opportunity to play probably any video game imaginable. Expo goers can harken back to their youth in the local arcade playing Ms. Pac-Man or Tekken. Personally, I was a Mortal Kombat master. I played every time we went to Giovanni's in Flatwoods and got pretty good at it if I may say so myself. You can read about my first console experiences on the blog post My First Video Game.

Arcade X, which takes place March 6-8, features over a hundred pinball and arcade machines set on free play, Classic Consoles from the 70s, 80s and 90s, and Classic Computing including the Apple II and Commodore 64. For just $20 a day or $45 for the weekend, you can play all of your favorite games and also take in events such as Retro Pub Trivia, Maximum Chiptunes by DJ CARTnage, and tournaments, including Street Fighter II, Power Pad Olympics, and Galaga. Regional vendors will be on hand to sell their retro gaming inspired wares.

Whether your interests are in Oregon Trail, Doctor Who Pinball, or Colecovision, you're sure to find something that's right for you. This year, Arcade X will also present one of the founders of Activision, and an early designer of many great console and arcade games, David Crane.

Louisville Arcade Expo

Triple Crown Pavilion @ the Ramada Plaza
1776 Plantside Drive Louisville, KY

March 6 - 8, 2015

Fri 2p-Midnight, Sat 10a-Midnight, Sun 10a-4p

@Door:  $20/Day | $45/Weekend

Facebook | Website | Event List | Twitter

If you're able to make it to Louisville this weekend, it's sure to be a great time. Everyone be safe, as Kentucky has just gone through Snowpocalypse 2: The Blizzarding. Keep up with more Kentucky convention news here at Kentucky Geek Girl.

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Well, This is Awkward: Louisville Back on Wizard World Circuit in 2015

It looks like the honeymoon isn't over for Louisville and Wizard World after all. I happened to see a tweet from a Louisvillian that I follow which included the date of November 6-8, 2015. According to the WW website, this show will be the last stop on the Comic Con train for Wizard World in 2015, unless another show is added. I'm curious to see why they decided to put Louisville back on their schedule.

I had reported a few weeks ago that the Derby City had been removed from the line-up after it's Freshman year, with Cleveland and Indianapolis being added roughly around the same time in its stead. A date much later in the year shouldn't pose a problem to anyone from the Bluegrass state, as there seem to be no other conflicting events that late in the season. This should provide a nice end to the convention season for those who want to attend.

I'm not certain at this time if I'll be involved with the convention in any capacity. I feel like my presentation on Star Trek and Anthropology went really well and seemed to be well attended, even if if I was up against Jason David Frank, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for another opportunity. The shows in the Wizard World stable draw huge names like Matt Smith and Nathan Fillion to their conventions and Smith was definitely the most popular of Louisville Comic Con's guests in March.

The page for WW Louisville still has details about 2014 and I suspect it will stay that way until after the new year. As always, I'll keep you up to date with the latest in Kentucky convention news.


Be sure to like Kentucky Geek Girl on Facebook and follow my daily updates on Twitter! If you have any questions or want to discuss partnership opportunities, be sure to send me an email.

It's Not You, It's Me: Wizard World Breaks Up with Louisville After One Year

That's right, Louisville Comic Con is no more. Wizard World has just released a list of shows for 2015, which includes a minimum of 22 shows. Looking at the list, Louisville Comic Con, which debuted in 2014, is no longer part of the circuit of over-priced media-driven shows that have saturated the pop culture con circuit in the last few years. What we do see on the list are a bevy of new shows which include a new Indianapolis Comic Con in February and ... wait for it... Raleigh Comic Con March 13-15.

Five on Friday: Top 5 Games from Lexicon Gaming Convention

As I write this it's the wee hours of Friday morning. One week ago I was preparing for Lexicon and was like a kid going to bed to awake on Christmas morning. The air was full of excitement; I couldn't wait to go to my first gaming convention in over a year. Now that the convention has come and gone, I'm experiencing Post Con Depression. I thought I'd use that opportunity to continue the 5 on Friday segment with my top five favorite games I played this past weekend.

I featured Lexicon a lot on the Kentucky Geek Girl Facebook page, sharing a lot of their updates. We had Greg on The Rad Ass Bitches episode 13 and we talked about the con on episode 15, which will be released this week. I'm very excited that I got to play over ten new-to-me games and meet a lot of fantastic folks. I'll post my own ReCONnaissance piece on Lexicon here on the blog, but we're covering the con extensively on the podcast as well.

While I got to check out a lot of great games, I thought I'd spotlight my five favorite games!

CONversations: Interview with Greg Franseth of Lexicon Gaming Convention

Lexington is getting a brand new convention, y'all, and this one happens to fall right within my interests. Lexicon Gaming Convention will be held May 2-4 at Clarion Hotel and Conference Center near Newtown Pike and I-64. The fellas have been putting together a plethora of fun activities for the weekend, but have also taken to community outreach in the form of bi-monthly board game meetups at West Sixth Brewing Company.

Greg Franseth, one of the founders of Lexicon, took the time to have a CONversation with me about the upcoming event, but you can also hear him on the latest episode of The Rad Ass Bitches podcast.

CONversations: Interview with Mo Lightning of Wizard World Louisville Comic Con

New to the Kentucky convention circuit this year is Wizard World Louisville Comic Con. It's no secret that Wizard World is one of the national leaders in convention promotion and, to be quite honest, it was just a matter of time until a convention of its magnitude was established in The Bluegrass State. I'm thrilled to say that I'll be at the convention this Friday and Saturday, specifically Saturday when I'll be presenting "To Boldly Go: Star Trek The Next Generation and Anthropology" at 11AM at the Kentucky International Convention Center.

It's bound to be an exciting weekend in the Derby City. In addition to vendors and comic creators, Louisville Comic Con has a bevy of celebrities including Doctor Who alums Matt Smith and Karen Gillan, Sean Astin, James Marsters, Jason Momoa, Dean Cain, and Jason David Frank. The line-up looks great and I look forward to being in the same vicinity as Matt Smith. I can't guarantee that I wouldn't fangirl all over the place if given the chance to meet him.

I was approached by Mo Lightning, a member of the Wizard World staff, and was invited to become involved with the convention and I am absolutely thrilled to be given the spotlight for about 45 minutes. He took the time to answer a few of my questions about the convention and his experiences working in pop culture programming.

CONversations: Interview with James Maddox of Tri-State Comic Con

Show organizers James Maddox (left)
and Eric Watkins (right)

I had the esteemed pleasure of attending Tri-State Comic Con in Huntington, West Virginia last April.  Now in its third year, Tricon has become the largest comic-centered show in West Virginia. Thought it still remains a one-day show, it has been recognized for gaining the participation of the best and most active creators in the comic community. And while these attractions bring people through the door, the show’s primary interest is to help shine a spotlight on independent creators in the region. Be sure to read my thoughts on the show and, after the break, check out my interview with one of the key members of the TriCon team, James Maddox.

2014 Convention Season is Here!

Whoa buddy, it's going to be an exciting year for Kentucky Geek Girl. I'm excited to announce that I've already committed to six conventions this year in the greater Kentucky area. I'll be participating in panels and discussions at several of these shows and am super excited about it! If you're interested in having me as a guest at your convention, feel free to let me know!

First up:

More after the break!

Kentucky Art & Comics Expo Debuts Saturday

September is a busy month for local convention-goers. With Baltimore Comic Con, Cincinnati Comic Expo, and Ohio Comic Con, now in the rear view, it's time to look ahead to the debut of a show in the heart of Bluegrass country. Kentucky Art & Comics Expo is a creator-run show with the mission to showcase the best talent that Kentucky has to offer.

The list of talent includes many friends of Kentucky Geek Girl, including Tressa Bowling, Justin Stewart, Jenny Stead, Ray Coffman, and Shawn Pryor. Here's the exhibitor list with a layout of the show floor!

As you can see, there is a wide variety of local talent and there's surely to be something for everyone. In addition to the fantastic art which will be available for purchase, artists will be taking commissions and while you wait, be sure to sample the delicacies of Caramanda's Bakery and King Tut's Catering. Also, be sure to stop by and say hello to Matt and Kerry of Beaucoup Pop!

Kentucky is a state full of extremely talented people and the folks at KACE know exactly what they're doing. Collectively, the artists who will be on display have attended hundreds of conventions. I'm confident that this will be great way for artists to interact with comic and art fans. Plus, admission is free for the public! For more about the show - and to mark "attending" - be sure to visit the Facebook event page!

Kentucky Art & Comics Expo
Smiley Pete Publishing

434 Old Vine St  

Lexington, KY 40507
Facebook | Twitter | Email

Saturday, September 28, 2013
10 AM - 6 PM

Be sure to like Kentucky Geek Girl on Facebook and follow my daily updates on Twitter! If you have any questions or want to discuss partnership opportunities, be sure to send me an email.

Fandom Fail: FandomFest Makes a Stink in the Derby City

Let me preface this by saying that I had no intention on writing about FandomFest this year. For those unaware, FandomFest is a convention in Louisville, Kentucky which grew out of Fright Night Film Fest, a horror show. I attended for the first time in 2011 and returned again in 2012. I'll talk about those experiences and then I want to share some of the general thoughts on the show which have been expressed to me by guests. I have nothing to gain by writing this, but I feel as a representative of geek culture in Kentucky, it is the right thing for me to do. I will not be upset if I lose followers over this blog post. People I know have been affected by this show, so I feel that it is my duty to get the word out.

Interview with Cincinnati Comic Expo's Andrew Satterfield

As part of the 2013 Kentucky Geek Girl Convention-palooza, I'll be appearing at the Cincinnati Comic Expo September 13-15! Now that I live in the Cincinnati metro, I'm excited that this con is so close! I live just across the river from the Duke Energy Convention Center, so I can't wait meet a bunch of new Cincinnati area geeks, but also see a lot of my friends as well. Kentucky Geek Girl is officially a part of the convention as a "Fan Group" along awesome folks the likes of Beaucoup Pop, The Nerdy Bomb, and TheOneRing.net!

Andrew Satterfield, who has been a tremendous friend the Kentucky Geek Girl over the past couple of years, took some time from his busy convention planning schedule to answer a few of my questions, which I suppose I should start filing as "Convention 411." My interview is after the break!

Derby City Spotlight: Interview with Chuck Moore

I'm very sad to have announced that I will not be appearing at Derby City Comic Con as a media guest as originally planned. That being said, I wish the convention and all of my friends there the best and look forward to seeing everyone next year.

As part of my coverage of DCCC, I reached out to Chuck Moore, who graciously answered some questions for me. Hit the jump for our interview.

Derby City Comic Con Preview

I cannot believe it's almost that time! On June 29, Derby City Comic Con will invade Louisville for a third year. DCCC was my first convention after starting Kentucky Geek Girl and this year I'm absolutely honored to be a Media Guest this year. In the coming days, I'll be highlighting some of the creators, vendors, and exhibitors who will be part of the 2013 show.

Beginning in 2011, Derby City Comic Con was the first convention of its kind in downtown Louisville, Kentucky and over the past three convention seasons it has only grown. I think that Eric did a great job as showrunner in 2011 and 2012 and he was a pleasure to work with. The announcement was made after last year's show that Chuck Moore of Comic Related would be taking the helm and Chuck, who is a friend to Kentucky Geek Girl, has worked tirelessly to help the show grow. I'm excited to be a part of the event again this year.

ReCONnaissance: Tri-State Comic-Con 2013

Back in April, I attended my first convention close to my hometown of Flatwoods, Kentucky. Tri-State Comic-Con (henceforth known as Trion) was held on April 6 at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in beautiful Huntington, WV. The first convention of its kind in the Tri-State area that I know of, it was a well attended and well managed event which was a definite crowd-pleaser.

TriCon returns to Huntington in one week!

And the KGG con-voy keeps on rolling! Next stop... Tri-State Comic-Con in beautiful Huntington, West Virginia!

After a successful start in 2012, Tri-State Comic-Con returns to Huntington-Ashland-Ironton metro with force! Moving from the summer to early spring, TriCon will be held on April 6 from 10 AM to 6 PM at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena. One of the coolest things about this convention for me personally is that it's in my own back yard. Being from near Ashland, in the tiny hamlet of Flatwoods, KY, I think it's absolutely spectacular that my hometown now has a convention of its very own. Makes me proud!

ReCONnaissance: CincyCon Recap

CincyCon is a three-day gaming convention held this year at the Atrium Hotel and Conference Center in the Tri-County Mall area. 2013 was the fourth year for the convention, which boasted numbers of over 500 in 2012. As my first Cincinnati convention, I was very excited to get my game on. Looking at the schedule, I did note that it seemed like cool things were happening at the same time, so I had to be judicious with my registration for events. The check-in process was smooth and the event ticket I had selected was ready for me.

When I walked into the vendor hall/dealer room, I was immediately overwhelmed with testosterone. I mean, really, it hit me like the stare of a beholder. In fact, that may have been more favorable. At the point that I walked in, you could count the number of women on one hand. The vendors were overwhelmingly male as well, with the exception of a jewelry maker, but she wasn’t actually at her table at that point. (More after the break.)

LCTC 2013: Even Better The Second Time Around

It took me a few days to gather my thoughts about Lexington Comic & Toy Con 2013. Not only did I want to find the right words to express how I felt about the whole experience, but honestly, I needed a couple of days off from writing. There was such exponential growth from LCTC 2012 to 2013. We saw the space double, but also the number of days of the convention. As a result, nearly 10,000 people were able to experience the con. That’s phenomenal. In no certain order, here are my thoughts about LCTC.

Epic LCTC Giveaway ... and the winner is!

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest for passes to Lexington Comic and Toy Convention. We had a few winners who made video responses to my original post about the contest. The videos were great and I had such a hard time choosing. In the end, I let Random.org decide because all of the videos were just so good.

As I said, there were 4 tickets (2 pairs) up for grabs, one for a Facebook entry and one for a Twitter entry. I would have given everyone a prize if I could, but someone had to win. Here they are:

EPIC GIVEAWAY: FREE TICKETS TO LEXINGTON COMIC & TOY CON!

It's here! This is your chance to win one of two (2) sets of tickets to Lexington Comic & Toy Con 2013, which will be held March 16 and 17 at the Lexington Convention Center.

Here's how you win:
1.) Make a response video and upload it to YouTube. In it, tell me what you're excited to see at the convention, what you plan to cosplay as, who you're bringing with you. Keep it to around a minute.
2.) Post the link on the Kentucky Geek Girl Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/kygeekgirl
or the Kentucky Geek Girl Twitter page. http://www.twitter.com/GeekGirlinKY
with this Tweet: Win 2 Tix to @lex_con from @geekgirlinky -Youtube link- #KGGatLCTC
3.) Profit

I'll pick one winner who submitted on Twitter and one from Facebook. You must follow me on Twitter so I can DM you. If you're the Facebook winner, I'll send you a message, so be sure to check your Other folder.

Do this by Wednesday March 6. I'll contact the winner as soon as I've watched all of the videos. Winner will be announced March 8. If you don't respond to my message, I will pick someone else.

Remember, upload your video by Wednesday March 6!

Ahoy, Mateys!

As you can see, things have been a bit busier around here than they had as of late. I am sorry that I hadn't stopped in to say Hello more often, but things were extremely busy with finishing my last semester of school. In fact, I made school a higher priority than a lot of things, but it all paid off beautifully. If you follow Kentucky Geek Girl on Facebook, then you see my daily updates there. I also tweet like a mad woman as well. However, I just didn't have a lot of time to sit down and beautifully construct a blog post for your reading pleasure.

That changes now.