New Anime Convention in June in Quad Cities
Quad Cities – QC Anime-Zing! is the biggest anime festival to hit the Quad Cities. A group of Quad Cities fans of Japanese animation are planning an anime convention in Iowa for this June.
The convention, QC Anime-zing!, will be held June 18-20, 2010, at The Lodge Hotel in Bettendorf, Iowa. Organizers expect an estimated 300 to 1000 fans will attend the convention. Roughly 1/3 of all attendees will be in costume.
The special guests announced so far include two famous anime voice actors, Johnny Yong Bosch and Carrie Savage. These voice actors have lent their voices to animated characters in popular TV anime shows such as Trigun, and have even appeared in videogames such as Star Ocean.
Also appearing will be two bands that have played at several anime conventions. Johnny Yong Bosch is the lead singer of headline band, Eyeshine, and the opening will be done by The Man Power.
"We are all very excited," said Ryan Kopf, the event's Senior Organizer. "We've all attended conventions, and a few of us have helped at other conventions, so this is going to be a lot of fun to host one ourselves in the Quad Cities."
Convention events will include anime screenings, videogames, board gaming, discussion panels, autograph signings, cosplay competition, a concert, and a dance. Attendees will also be able to buy anime merchandise from vendors, including DVDs, books, key chains, wall scrolls, Japanese candies, and plushies. The convention will last from Friday afternoon through Sunday evening, with a variety of activities spread throughout the weekend event.
Event attendees register and pay an admission price, which gets them access to all of the convention's activities throughout the weekend. Attendees who register in advance, either online or by mail, are given a lower registration price, which is $40 through May 20th.
More information can be found online at http://www.qcanimezing.com.
Each October the Quad Cities libraries and the Figge Art Museum hold an event called AnimeFest, an afternoon gathering of Quad Cities anime fans. In 2009, the event brought together over 100 teen anime fans. After attending this year's AnimeIowa, several attendees had been thinking the Quad Cities also needed a three-day anime event. There were no other anime conventions on the Iowa/Illinois border.
Similar events in the region include Anime Central in Chicago, which drew over 17,000 people in 2009, and AnimeIowa, which draws just under 3,000 attendees to Coralville.
Located on the Mississippi River in the Midwest, the Quad Cities is comprised of Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa; Rock Island and Moline/East Moline, Illinois; and surrounding communities. To learn more about the Quad Cities, visit http://www.visitquadcities.com.
