ABAC is two weeks into the 2023-24 school year. By now, from the Town and Gown, to the Club Rush, to the tables and activities that have been set up across the walkway, students should know that ABAC is an active campus with plenty to do. However, there are two big events that are coming up that have piqued the interest of students wanting to know more: Geek Week and ThunderCon.
The Campus Activities Board (CAB) has mentioned these events for preparation purposes and have stated that they will take place all week from September 5-9. Since the initial announcement, more details about the event have been provided, and it sounds like a great time ready to be had.
Geek Week will be a celebration of popular culture with each day celebrating a different fandom. According to Shawn Burnette, CAB’s supervisor, “Geek Week is still a work in progress. However, we are finalizing the events right now,” as of August 23. While these are the only details that can be spared at the moment, it only increases the hype.
Then, there is the event that has people itching to attend: ThunderCon. ThunderCon takes place on the second floor of Carlton on September 9 from 10AM-6PM. For anyone that has been to a convention such as ComicCon, they will know what to expect. However, the significance of ThunderCon is that it is the first pop culture convention to be held at ABAC, which makes it a milestone worth attending, and a date to mark on your calendar.
This means all forms of entertainment, such as video-games, anime, and comics, will have their fair share when it comes to involvement, and part of this is courtesy to Gray Ghost Comics in downtown Tifton.
For those interested in panels, professors and staff here at ABAC will be holding pop culture-themed discussions. Panels confirmed by Burnette include Dr. Schmeisser’s “Karate Kid” panel, Dr. Larson’s “Star Wars” panel, RLC Naomi Chance’s Disney panel, and more soon to be announced. This grants an excellent opportunity for familiar faces of ABAC’s faculty to express their knowledge and discuss some of the most iconic works of entertainment to the student body.
An exciting detail is that there will be a special celebrity guest. For anyone familiar with series such as “Digimon” or “Akira,” you will be excited to know that voice actor Joshua Seth will make an appearance and hold a Q&A panel on the voice acting industry. Also attending are the Georgia 501st Legion, which is a cosplay group famous for costuming as “Star Wars” characters such as Stormtroopers or other villains from the series.
Burnette states, “The event will also be free to ABAC students, and anyone who attends ThunderCon will receive a 20% discount at the Stallion Shop that day.” Thus, it is a free opportunity with an added bonus.
ABAC hosting a series of events like these is enough to draw in an audience’s attention and only promises a swell time. Of all the activities CAB has promised, this is the most anticipated yet.
