Robotics, Puppetry And Other Parts Of Dragon Con You Might Not Expect
Yesterday, the Brooks family, dressed as characters from the “Justice League” and stood on Peachtree Center Avenue to watch the annual Dragon Con Parade. This year is their second Dragon Con, and dressing up as a family group has become a new tradition, Janelle Brooks said.
“My family is really into superheroes, so we watch all the Marvel movies and all the DC movies,” she said. “It was a surprise. We didn’t tell (the kids) what their costume was until this morning. We laid it out on the bed for them.”
Those who may have never attended Dragon Con before may be wondering what it’s all about. Well, it’s hard to explain.
Dragon Con is a convention held every year in downtown Atlanta. Events began Thursday and will continue until Monday. The convention attracts fans of all ages and genres including science fiction, fantasy, anime and more. Some attendees come to dress up as their favorite character from a TV show or movie, while other come to listen to a Star Wars panel discussion or attend a writing workshop.
This year, the convention offers 3,500 hours of programming and has invited 400 celebrity guests, according to Media Relations Director Dan Carroll.
Dragon Con is not just a convention for science fiction nerds; it’s full of all kinds of surprises.
As you walk through downtown Atlanta, you’ll find superheroes, princesses, time lords, and you may even run into an entire family of cosplayers. Dragon Con offers programming for attendees of all ages, including children.
Charley and Tammi Brown came to Dragon Con this year to celebrate their daughter’s fifth birthday. The family planned to attend many kid-friendly events, including the Create-A-Puppet Workshop on Saturday.
At the workshop, kids used markers and crayons to design their own dragon puppets. Dragon Con’s Puppetry Track features well-known professionals like Stacey Gordon, a puppeteer from “Sesame Street,” and Lisa Henson, who is CEO and President of the Jim Henson Company. More puppetry events, including presentations and Q&A’s, will be going on until Monday.
Another track off the beaten path is the Robotics Track. Here, creators show off their work, panelists share insight and competitors put their skills to test in robot battles.
On Friday, robotics teams and 3-D printer artists displayed their work at the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel. One of the teams featured was an all-girls robotics team, called RoboChicks.
Team Captain Madison Kenney is just turning 14 and has been in robotics since she was 9 years old. This is her first year at Dragon Con.
“Considering that I just got here, it looks pretty crazy,” Kenney said. “It’s really cool seeing all the people here doing their own things — and also all the costumes.”
In the same room, Grady High School students show drones that their team, G3 Robotics, helped build. Every year, G3 Robotics hosts a competition for middle school students, who, under G3’s mentorship, construct drones from K’NEX toys.
In another corner, a company based in Chamblee, Ga., called My 3D World, shows off its 3-D printed selfies. President Jeffrey Norris explains that it takes 76 digital photos to create a digital 3-D digital model, which is then used to create the final product.
In a different part of Dragon Con, authors read and discuss their work with convention goers. On Friday, fantasy writer Lee Martindale read the first chapter of her new novel and a short story from her collection, “Bard’s Road.” The small audience in the Hyatt Regency Atlanta hotel shared their thoughts about her work, which seemed to resonate with them.
Other authors from similar genres have been able to discuss their work with Dragon Con attendees this weekend.
Dragon Con represents a diversity of experiences, and every attendee brings his or her unique story and interest to the scene. That means you’re bound to find a cosplayer or activity that may be a little off the beaten track.
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