It's amazing how you always hear about the massive shows (San Diego Comic-Con, New York Comic-Con, etc.), but sometimes it's the smaller ones that really catch your eye! The Grayslake Fairgrounds in Illinois held a small convention called "Count-I-Con" this weekend (Saturday and Sunday). While there were no celebrity guests at this particular event, there was a costume contest, a few panels, and lots of art/toys to buy. This was the second year this show has occurred and it appears as though it's gaining some serious momentum.
One of the biggest highlights of this show included a booth set up by our good friends at Sandtroopers.com. Sandtroopers.com is a Star Wars website that focuses on covering events, analyzing figures and collectibles and providing news. The Sandtroopers booth also had a famous Star Wars artist by the name of Dave Dorman as a guest all day at the show. Dave has done many pieces for Lucasfilm including TOPPS trading cards and MARVEL comics. Dave's prints for sale proved to be a very popular stop for the Star Wars fans at the show.
Whether you're into Gentle Giant Jumbo figures, Sideshow figures, vintage figures, model kits, LEGOS, or regular 3.75 in. figures, Count-I-Con had it (surprisingly)! Some vendors even carried store displays, custom Star Wars hats, Skateboards and some of the new gaming pieces, such as Armada and Assault.
One of the most appealing things about this small, second-year con, is that is was VERY affordable. VIP tickets were only $35 and regular admission was only $5 for the day. If you purchased your ticket on Saturday, your admission for Sunday was free. Parking, which is usually a killer at most cons, was FREE. For those in the area, Count-I-Con is a great, small show and definitely worth the money.