It’s all one, big happy fandom at GalaxyCon in San Jose

I m a little more optimistic about the future after seeing the diversity on the exhibit floor at GalaxyCon which opened its three-day run Friday afternoon at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center I m not talking about diversity just in terms of age ethnicity gender or sexual orientation though that s all true too but in the different types of fans getting autographs attending panels and connecting with each other in front of a booth selling D-printed sci-fi props or knockoff Labubus Anybody walking the convention floor will without delay be dispelled of the notion that events like GalaxyCon are only for teenaged boys and middle-aged men nostalgic for their own youth Those fans are absolutely there but they are well balanced out by women couples and families Daniel Torres of San Jose dressed as Kidpool battles Raphael of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles during GalaxyCon held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose Calif on Friday Aug Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Character artist Stephen Silver draws Scotty Douglass of Modesto and his wife Michelle Douglass during GalaxyCon held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose Calif on Friday Aug Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Darth Vader wanders through the exhibit hall as kids encourage each other to say hi during GalaxyCon held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose Calif on Friday Aug Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Marla Dean of Monterey dressed as Lady Davros and her husband Jeff Dean dressed as Medical practitioner Who take break in the lobby after attending GalaxyCon held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose Calif on Friday Aug Lady Davros is a character Marla created since she uses a wheelchair and felt it was a perfect fit with the Davros character who also uses a chair Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Bob Jensen of Santa Clara dressed as Jedi master Shaak-Ti poses for a photograph during GalaxyCon held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose Calif on Friday Aug Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Two ladies stop to have a conversation as Eric Ortiz of Oakdale dressed as the Trapper waits for his next unsuspected casualties during GalaxyCon held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose Calif on Friday Aug Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Bobby Quinn of San Carlos shakes hands with actor Lou Ferrigno during an autograph session at GalaxyCon held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose Calif on Friday Aug Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Matthew Salazar of San Jose dressed as Ghost Rider wanders the exhibit halls during GalaxyCon held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose Calif on Friday Aug Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group D-Squad member Juan Castaneda of Concord removes the head of an RD-D unit that is malfunctioning during GalaxyCon held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose Calif on Friday Aug Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Comic book artist Stephane Roux uses ink to draw a cover artwork during GalaxyCon held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose Calif on Friday Aug Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Actress and director Soleil Moon Frye autographs a photo of herself during GalaxyCon held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose Calif on Friday Aug Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Show Caption of Daniel Torres of San Jose dressed as Kidpool battles Raphael of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles during GalaxyCon held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose Calif on Friday Aug Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Expand That especially true among the vendor stalls where you can buy everything from comic books and original art to crocheted characters and jewelry You might run into a guy in a Ghostbusters outfit complete with proton pack see Starfleet officers from several different eras taking a photo together or a group of young women buying handmade press-on nails from a woman in green face makeup There are people dressed as recognizable characters from comic books fantasy movies and TV shows and video games But a few you may not recognize at all and there s no better icebreaker at a place like GalaxyCon than asking someone about their cosplay That was my experience Friday when I talked to Star Mia O Fairy and Nico Smith who were costumed as Stolas a character from the YouTube show Helluva Boss The two friends Smith came down from Sacramento for the show were both excited to meet voice actors from both that show and Hazbin Hotel which is also created by animator and writer Vivienne Medrano who was very popular with selfie-seeking fans Friday Honestly I didn t know a thing about either show before Friday but their passionate fandom was familiar And it was shared by a lot of other people since Helluva Boss star Brandon Rogers presumably got the biggest cheers at Friday s ribbon-cutting ceremony which included GalaxyCon CEO Mike Broder original Hulk Lou Ferrigno actor Barry Bostwick from The Rocky Horror Picture Show San Jose Barracuda mascot Frenzy and San Jose Councilmember Rosemary Kamei who got into the spirit by wearing a blue uniform top from the animated series Star Trek Lower Decks Saturday s celebrity guests include Jeremy Renner Hawkeye from Marvel s The Avengers and Capt Kirk himself William Shatner Dolph Lundgren from Rocky IV and actor Giancarlo Esposito whose fanbase ranges from Urgent Bad to The Mandalorian There s also a th anniversary Shadowcast showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and a costume contest Sunday s schedule includes Q As with Ferrigno actor and director Soleil Moon Frye of Punky Brewster fame character actor Danny Trejo who has managed to steal scenes in just about everything he s been in and cast members from the original Scream including Matthew Lillard and Jamie Kennedy Related Articles GalaxyCon bringing superhero sci-fi and horror icons to San Jose San Jose State s modernist buildings on latest Endangered list Will Waymo car be the star of San Jose Chamber of Commerce BBQ San Jose to mark the th anniversary of World War II supremacy Common leads a strong opening night for San Jose Jazz Summer Fest That s just a fraction of the schedule go to www galaxycon com sanjose for the whole thing GalaxyCon is like a carnival that rolls into town with a coterie of tattoo artists pro wrestlers gamers comic book creators pop values celebrities YouTubers and cosplayers At least here in San Jose it s refreshing to see people of varying ages and backgrounds come together to enjoy what they love and it doesn t matter if it s Superman Scream or everything in between ALL PLAY NO WORK Canyon Snow Consulting celebrated its th anniversary Thursday with a party at Rollati Ristorante in downtown San Jose and the festivities brought together both clients like the Open Space Authority of Santa Clara Valley and Glydways and elected officers they lobby including U S Rep Sam Liccardo San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and majorities of both the San Jose City Council and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors That prompted founders Jennifer Johnson and Leslee Guardino to playfully point out that no substantive business should be discussed at the party to keep from violating the Brown Act PARTY WITH A PURPOSE Cancer CAREpoint is bringing its annual Garden Party back to a favorite venue Nestldown in the Santa Cruz Mountains on Aug And nonprofit which was founded in to provide aid services for cancer patients and their families has two featured speakers set for the charity event to share their stories with an expected supporters Hannah Haworth was diagnosed with cancer just five days after her daughter s first birthday and credits Cancer CAREpoint with helping her make sense of her finding The other speaker is Joelle Kaufman author of Crushing the Cancer Curveball A Playbook for the Newly Diagnosed and Their Family and Friends and a tech start-up executive has battled cancer as both a caregiver and as a individual Get more information or tickets at cancercarepoint org gardenparty YOUNG AT HEART The next time you re feeling a little worn out it might help to think about Betty Ann Chandler This Sunday the San Jose resident is celebrating her th birthday She was born Aug in a house built by her grandfather in San Jose s Naglee Park neighborhood which was still a relatively new subdivision when she arrived on the scene She still lives in the neighborhood but not in the same house and remains the oldest member of the San Jose Woman s Club SAN JOSE CALIFORNIA - AUGUST Betty Ann Chandler celebrates her th birthday with San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo during an outdoor party at her Naglee Park home in San Jose Calif Wednesday Aug Karl Mondon Bay Area News Group There was a big neighborhood celebration when Betty Ann turned in and she s still going strong Her daughter Athene Mantle took a video of her this week wearing a new sparkly red ballcap that reads Years Young on the front And that s pretty much how Betty Ann thinks about her life I m not going to be old I don t want to be old Chandler says in the video I m going to be young And happy I want to smile all the time