After the pandemic wiped out the event last year, Cottage CountryCon is set to return to Orillia this fall.
The popular event that celebrates comic books and pop culture is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 6 at the Best Western Plus Mariposa Inn & Conference Centre.
“It will be your typical Comic-Con. We will have vendors, a cosplay contest, and a pop culture event where people will be able to find toys and comic books,” said event organizer Carmine De Santo, who owns Dr.Comics on Mississaga Street East.
The last time a Cottage CountryCon event took place was in September of 2019 and since then, attendees have been anxiously waiting for the event to return.
“We had people coming into my comic shop every day asking when is the next show? So, we are excited to finally be able to give them an event that they’ve waited so long for,” De Santo said.
Cottage CountryCon won’t be the first event of its kind to take place during the pandemic. Toronto’s Fan Expo is currently scheduled for late October, which is what gave De Santo the confidence to start planning an event for Orillia.
“This show is long overdue, and people will be excited to get out of their homes and enjoy their local comic-con,” he said.
Despite the excitement around Cottage CountryCon, there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the event. As of today, De Santo is unsure what capacity limits might look like for the event in November.
“Once the province opens up a little more, we will see what’s going to happen with capacity restrictions. We want to do this event, but we are going to have to follow all the rules,” he said.
De Santo expects that event-goers may need to do temperature checks, wear masks, and practise social distancing. The event will also be limited to one day instead of the traditional weekend-long format.
“We want to measure how this is going to be done in a pandemic; there will be some trial and error,” he said.
However, if the event is successful De Santo will plan a two-day Cottage CountryCon for the spring of 2022.
Another pandemic-related challenge that De Santo is concerned with is bringing event guests in from all over the world. In the past Cottage CountryCon has hosted comic book writers, movie and television show stars in addition to professional wrestlers.
“For me, the biggest risk as a show promoter is bringing in guests and flying them in from other countries; that’s the biggest concern I have,” he said.
“I hope by November people can fly in from other countries to come visit us in Canada.”
For now, De Santo is working on securing local guests and talent.
“There are a lot of big names in Canada within the comic community, but we do want some Americans to be able to come, too, so we are on standby,” he said.
Tickets for the event went on sale this past Monday, and vendor space is already 40 percent sold out.
You can get your tickets and more information about Cottage CountryCon at Dr.Comics or online.
