TOMS RIVER – For nearly a decade, FanNation has been bringing a “Geekstravaganza” to the Toms River branch of the Ocean County Library. The free event provides a multi-media convention for fans of science fiction, comic books, fantasy, horror, anime and much more and this year was no exception.
Families could be seen making a nautical themed I spy bottle. In the Discovery Room you could also enjoy a Tinker Fairy storytime that featured stories, games and a meet and greet with a Tinker Fairy.
FanNation also featured the return of some old favorites such as the crimson haired mermaid who also provided some stories, games and greeted young people with tales and her tail.
A popular annual feature is the scavenger hunt. This year, eagle-eyed attendees scoured the book shelves for dragon eggs that could net you a treasure from a prize box in the front lobby.
Mancini Hall was the place to be for Star Wars fans. The Star Wars Costuming club Saber Guild Corellia presented a children’s padawan training class allowing for young Jedi Knights to learn how to properly use their light sabers while “using the Force” to defend themselves from the dark side.
The USS Challenger, the Jersey Shore chapter of Starfleet: The International Star Trek Fan Association also beamed down to the Hometown Dairy room to provide a Sci-Fi Roundup of the best and the worst science fiction entries of 2024 covering the subjects of “Dune II,” “International Space Station,” “Kingdom of The Planet of The Apes,” “Alien: Romulus” and “Furioso” among others.
Rosemarie McCroy, 12, poses at the Toms River Library during FanNation portraying the character Millie from the Helluva Boss show. (Photo by Bob Vosseller)
That panel also explored the newest season of Doctor Who, the final season of Star Trek Discovery, the second season of the SyFy Channel series The Ark and the mixed reaction to Disney Plus’s Star Wars: The Acolyte which was not renewed for a second season.
Both clubs showcased their respective group activities and backgrounds seeking new recruits at organization tables in the magazine area. For more information on the USS Challenger visit usschallenger.org or e-mail beamaboard@aol.com. For those wanting to explore the Star Wars universe the Saber Guild can be reached by visiting saberguild.org.
Cosplay was a big part of the yearly event with a number of attendees in costumes ranging from superheroes to many Japanese Animation (Anime) favorites. Among them was Toms River residents Rita Zagaclo who came as Youko Kurama from the anime series YuYu Hakusho. This marked her second year at FanNation.
Her friend Katherine Palazzo came dressed as Pirate Jacqueline, a character she created herself and who sported a wyvern, a particular type of small winged dragon as opposed to a parrot. She provided an extensive back story for her character and how she came to find her winged companion and how she became enamored by pirates at a young age.
Both young ladies put some creativity into their costumes. While the pirate costume was purchased at a Spirit Halloween store, the dragon and other parts of it were purchased elsewhere while Zagacki made hers from various items and found a special parasol that her character often sports.
Rosemarie McCroy, 12, stopped to pose behind a photo board that was set up for fans to record themselves for posterity. She was dressed in red as character Millie, an imp from the cartoon Helluva Boss.
FanNation was a time to dress your best, which is just what these two Toms River residents did. Rita Zagaclo, at left, is Youko Kurama from the anime series YuYu Hakusho. Katherine Palazzo is Pirate Jacqueline a character she created herself (Photo by Bob Vosseller)
Her mom Gina Musella said that her daughter was on her way to the Green Room that featured a crash course on how to play Dungeons & Dragons – a popular tabletop roleplaying game. “She needed red makeup and we made some of her costume with red tights and a 3-D printer.”
A highlight of the day was the giveaway cart that rolled out at 12:30 featuring discarded graphic novels and manga books. The free graphic novels and comics went fast and featured a variety of material ranging from Batman to Thor to League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
There was an anime trivia contest formatted after the popular “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” game show held in Mancini Hall. There was also an Escape Room adventure featuring a time traveler who misplaced his key to his time machine. Activities included kokeshi doll decorating, fandom coaster designing, creating your own Pokemon ornament, 3D printing nerdy objects, button making, reusable bag creating and you could also make your own FanNation memorabilia from 3D pens.
The day concluded with the annual Cosplay contest where you could represent your fandom and win prizes.
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