TOMS RIVER – The 11th Annual FanNation held at the Toms River branch of the Ocean County Library was recently held and brought together superheroes, Starfleet officers, Jedi Knights, Ghostbusters and KPop dancers.
Several guest fan clubs were present to share their own fandom because that is what FanNation is all about. The free event was created for fans in the area who enjoy science fiction, fantasy, horror, gaming, comic books, anime and other interests.
While FanNation itself was held on a Saturday, a preview event took place on the previous Friday evening with a “broadcast” of a play from the Golden Age of radio, performed live by WREP’s (When Radio Entertained People) veteran voice actors. Their performance brought to life the classic 1950s film “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and began with some trivia questions. This program was sponsored by the Friends of the Ocean County Library – Toms River.
FanNation drew a large crowd for a variety of activities that included mocktail taste testing, panel discussions, a ghost hunting search around the branch and displays featuring robots, a paranormal containment center and starship models plus a Dungeons & Dragons area with figurines and other laser printer produced items. There was also an opportunity to learn some K-pop moves.
The 501st Legion returned once again, bringing along a number of costumed members, a giant robot and various displays at their table based in the magazine area. They are a cosplay group with extremely accurate uniforms and costumes from the Star Wars franchise who attend public events like the annual New Jersey Polar Bear Plunge, parades and science fiction conventions.
Next to their table were members of the USS Challenger, the Jersey Shore chapter of Starfleet: The International Star Trek Fan Association that has more than 200 chapters around the world. Members of the group hosted a panel noting the 60th anniversary of the Star Trek franchise. The interactive panel also had a dozen fan attendees sharing their thoughts on where they felt the franchise should go next in relation to films or another streaming series and which of the various timelines such a production should be set.
Members of the Ghostbusters of New Jersey brought along some of their ghost busting equipment including a piece of a wall that could contain paranormal pests once found and captured. They held a paranormal investigation training seminar and led a group to hunt for ghosts within the library.
Their table featured some ghostly displays.
Fans of Korean pop music got a lesson in how to dance from Paige Cassidy of Saucy Studios in Mancini Hall.
There were numerous activities to take part in such as the Legendary Beast Hunt which was a FanNation Scavenger Hunt where fantasy creatures escaped into the library and attendees had to hunt for the beasts roaming around before they caused any chaos. Participants who completed the scavenger hunt traded them in for a prize.
You also needed to keep an eye out for a hidden free prize, a 3D printed creation hidden between the stacks of the library. If you found such a figurine, you could take it home with you as a souvenir.
Another popular attraction was the Escape Room Trickster Trap where Marvel Superhero Scott Lang, better known as Ant Man was stuck in his miniature form and the team’s trickster has locked him in a box. It was up to FanNation participants to help him escape.
Crafty people had the chance to decorate a rubber duck to look like your favorite anime, manga, film, TV show, or book character and after you decorated your duck, it took a walk across a Rubber Duck Cosplay stage for a mini photoshoot. K-pop fans were able to decorate a toploader card carrying case with stickers to show off their favorite K-pop idol or express their favorite fandom.
The big finale of the day was the annual cosplay contest where you could represent your fandom and participate for prizes that were awarded to the top three cosplayers.
Serving as the contest’s host was Brendan Cahill who also conducted a panel earlier in the day on how to play popular trading card games and manned his own D&D table. There were many anime and gaming characters represented and comic book fans also spotted Marvel Comics’ Scarlet Witch and X-Men member Psylocke.
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