My son Eddie and I will be hitting the road for Chicago/Rosemont to attend G-FEST XXVII. Due to the pandemic, it’s been two years since there has been a G-Fest. We and the fans (and organizers) of this best of all American Godzilla conventions are thrilled to be able return for another kaiju-size weekend of fun.
G-Fest takes place Friday, July 15 through Sunday, July 17. There is a new venue for the event this year: the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Chicago, 9300 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Rosemont, IL 60018. This will be the first time I’ve been back at the hotel since I used to attend the late great Chicago Comicon. Some fine memories there.
To quote a recent e-mail from G-Fan publisher and G-Fest promoter J.D. Lees:
The special guests this year are Tomoko Ai, Hiroyuki Kawase, and Don Frye. Ms Ai (who played Katsura in Terror of Mechagodzilla) will be paying a return visit to G-FEST. She last attended in 2014, and subsequently joined G-TOUR for an evening dinner cruise in 2015! A great lady! The popular star of Godzilla Final Wars and a multi-winning UFC Champion, Don Frye needs no introduction. Hiroyuki Kawase played Roku-chan in Godzilla vs Megalon and Ken Yano in Godzilla vs Hedorah and then grew up to be a pilot for Japan Airlines, so he should be a very interesting guest.
The movie schedule: Friday night will be Godzilla vs Kong and Saturday night is Terror of Mechagodzilla. The Thursday afternoon double bill will be Godzilla vs the Smog Monster, followed by Godzilla vs Megalon. The Thursday night double bill is a tribute to Akira Takarada with Godzilla (1954) and Godzilla vs the Sea Monster. Tickets for the movies will be available at the box office of the Pickwick Theater prior to each show. Seeing kaiju films in the grand Pickwick Theater on their huge screen is a real treat, even if you've seen them many times before on TV.
With regard to the situation with Covid, in Illinois neither mask nor vaccine mandates are in effect. Therefore, we will be able to stage G-FEST as normal, with the sole exception of the Autograph Room. Currently, our Japanese guests have requested that the room be restricted to masked individuals. No proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test is required. Also, the mask may be removed for photographs if the person wishes. As for Don Frye, he will be situated in the Dealer Room, so that everyone may visit with him all weekend, no mask required.
Back to the convention... there will be opportunities to learn filmmaking, spfx techniques, costume making, model making, sculpting, fiction writing, and Minya's Place geared to young fans. There's also the G-FEST FILM-FEST, an Artist Alley, as well as games, contests, entertainment, camaraderie, and (oh yes) the biggest ever Dealers Room, plus lots of displays and activities. No wonder so many fans and families return to G-FEST year after year.
I’m not doing a presentation at this year’s event, but I do hope to create one for G-Fest XXVIII. In the meantime, I’ve love to meet my Facebook friends who will be attending the convention. Don’t be shy about introducing yourself. If you bring Isabella items which you would like me to sign, there will be no charge for my signature at the convention.
As soon as I return home from G-Fest, I’ll be getting to work on my next Vast Accumulation of Stuff garage sale, which will talk place at 840 Damon Drive, Medina, Ohio, Friday and Saturday, July 22-23, from 9am to noon. From sometime Monday through Thursday, I will be adding hundreds of books, comics, magazines and collectibles to the sale. I’ll likely continue to add items after the sale on Friday. I’ll have to say about this sale next Tuesday, but you already know the basic deal on my garage sales. Lots of cool stuff at incredible low prices. And, as always, whether you buy Isabella items from me at the sales or bring them from your collection, I’ll sign them for free. I charge $10 per signature at conventions, so you can safe a bundle by coming to my garage sales.
That’s all for right now, but I’ll be back on Tuesday to tell you more. Thanks for stopping by.
© 2022 Tony Isabella
Have a great time! I can't make it this year.
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