It’s almost time to dust off your old fanny pack, digital watch, Hammer pants and rediscover your Gargoyles Pogs, because Nostalgiacon is taking place on April 23.
As the famous Zit Remedy song popularized by the early Degrassi series goes, "Everybody Wants Something," and this pop culture convention is aimed “to recapture your youth, if just for the day,” organizer Bradley Davidson said, adding they’re planning “a little bit for everybody.”
Video courtesy of DegrassiOldSchool via YouTube
Nostalgiacon is new to Sudbury and is being organized by the same people behind the annual Northern Game Expo, which they’re still planning on hosting in the fall.
The spring Nostalgiacon is broader in scope and encompasses pop culture from the ’70s on, with more than 90 vendors lined up thus far to sell collectible blasts from the past.
“Basically, you’re taking a step back in time to eras gone by, so we’re looking to bring in vendors from the ’70s to now,” Davidson said. “You’re looking at everything from records, video games of course, art, authors — anything in the nostalgic genre.”
A vintage sports vendor is also included in the lineup, which Davidson said is a first for a local pop culture convention he has played a role in hosting.
The event’s special celebrity guests will be actors Pat Mastroianni and Stacie Mistysyn, best known for their roles as Joey Jeremiah and Caitlin Ryan from the television series Degrassi Junior High, Degrassi High and Degrassi: The Next Generation.
The actors are scheduled to take part in a panel discussion at the event and pose for photographs with fans alongside a backdrop featuring an image of Degrassi Community School.
“There’s nothing more nostalgic or Canadian growing up when I was younger than Degrassi,” said Davidson, a self-professed “everything ’80s kid.”
For him, nostalgic feelings centre mainly around Nintendo, but, he said, “You can’t discredit the Nerf guns, My Pet Monster, Alf, and Married With Children.”
Mastroianni and Mistysyn will be well-known to fans of the Degrassi television series, he said, describing them as “the Canadian Zack and Kelly from Saved by the Bell, because they were the couple on Degrassi.” With a chuckle, he added, “I’ll probably get raked for saying that, but that’s what I remember.”
The event will also include a cosplay contest, a kids zone and a live version of the ’90s YTV series Video and Arcade Top 10.
More announcements about what’s taking place at NostalgiaCon will be announced in the coming months on the event’s namesake Facebook page.
Tickets are available on Eventbrite, with more information available by clicking here. They range in price from $15 to $100. The event is scheduled to take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 23 at Cambrian College. The organizers’ goal is to sell 2,500 tickets.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Village Media's Sudbury.com.
