Cradle Con – Long Island’s ode to popular culture, encompassing sci-fi, horror, anime, cosplay, collectibles, comic books, video games, and more – will be holding their annual event at Garden City’s Cradle of Aviation Museum this upcoming weekend, Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
Cradle Con was founded in 2018 by the Cradle of Aviation’s Director of Special Events, Seamus Keane, as one of the venue’s annual fundraising efforts, and features an eclectic mix of events and activities sure to appeal to even the most discerning geek and/or pop-culture aficionado.
The event always features appearances of movie celebrities and comic book artists and writers holding meet and greets with fans, and this year is no exception; headlining Cradle Con 2024 is a 6-actor reunion from the cult classic 1980’s comedy “Revenge of the Nerds,” including Brian "Toshiro" Tochi, Donald "Ogre" Gibb, Robert "Lewis" Carradine, Curtis "Booger" Armstrong, Julia "Betty" Montgomery, and Andrew "Harold" Cassese.
There will also be a plethora of comic book creators at Comic Con this weekend as well, including the legendary Larry Hama, artist and writer of Marvel Comics’ classic G.I. Joe, as well as Wolverine, X-Men, and more; Richard and Wendy Pini, co-creators of the ElfQuest comic series; prolific Marvel Comics editor Jim Salicrup, the man behind titles such as Uncanny X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Avengers; Tom Cook, artist and animator known for Masters of the Universe, The Flintstones, Scooby Doo, and The Jetsons; and many others.
Cradle Con will also be featuring a diverse array of panels and Q&A sessions, including with the “Revenge of the Nerds” cast and as well as with numerous comic creators and commentators. There’s also a ton of interactive activities including cosplay contests (as well as an expanded emphasis on cosplay overall throughout the weekend), lightsaber training, an appearance by the famous 501st Legion – a group of die-hard Star Wars cosplayers who will be bringing along a life-size diorama of the sand planet Tatooine for photo-ops – a “Barbie and Ken” meet-up…the list goes on and on.
Also returning to Comic Con is the bane to every geek’s wallet, otherwise known as the dealer's room. Located in the Cradle of Aviation’s main lobby, vendors will be selling a plethora of collectible toys, art, clothing, crafts, books, and other assorted goods. If you’re looking for that elusive comic book to round out your collection, a hard-to-find Funko POP, horror movie t-shirt, domestic or imported action figure, anime merchandise, or originally-crafted artwork, that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what you’ll find in the dealer’s room this weekend.
Yet ANOTHER popular mainstay of Cradle Con is the Arcade Age Exhibit, with the museum providing free access for guests to their collection of approximately 60-70 stand-up arcade cabinets; there will also be a series of video game tournaments played on modern-day consoles as well.
With the promise of something to love for anyone with an affection for fact, fantasy, and overall geek culture, everyone is invited to come on down to the Cradle of Aviation in Garden City this weekend and experience Long Island's very own homegrown Comic Con for yourself!
To find out more about Cradle Con, please visit https://www.cradlecon.com. To find out more about the Cradle of Aviation Museum, please visit https://www.cradleofaviation.org.