SiliConSJ 2021

August 28-29, 2021

SiliConSJ (formerly Silicon Valley Comic Con) is the first convention we’ve attended since Vegas ToyCon in March 2020.  Although at its heart SiliConSJ is the same as Silicon Valley Comic Con there is a distinct emphasis on creators and makers.  We were very excited and a bit apprehensive of attending a large event, but everyone was very good at wearing their masks appropriately with the exception of the panelists. All in all it was great to attend our first convention in seventeen months. 

As Adam Savage is now the “Creative Director” of SiliConSJ, and he was everywhere.  He hosted the traditional Opening Keynote panel along on Saturday morning, opened the costume contest Saturday afternoon/evening, and he had his own panel on Sunday morning. 

A few of the panels we attended included Bruce Boxleitner, Mark Sheppard, Jim Cummings, and Denise Crosby.  The Costume Contest showcased some amazing costumes.  Unfortunately it was very difficult to take photos of all of the costumes, because many of the cosplayers zoomed across the stage with hardly a one or two second pause at center stage.  I don’t know if it was a lack of instruction to the competitors to stop and pose to show off their costumes or if was due to the nervousness of the competitors participating.  After all of the competitors crossed the stage, the judges had to take several minutes to go and talk to the competitors and take a good look at the costumes before they could make their decisions.  I had seen a few of these costumes up close around the convention center and these deservedly won prizes in various categories. 

You can check out a video slideshow of most of the costume contest participants on my YouTube channel here.

There was a feeling of excitement in the air at SiliConSJ.  We were all happy to be back at a convention, and I feel that there was a sense of hope that we are getting back to “normal” after a long hibernation.  Adam Savage was certainly contributing to the feeling of happiness around the convention, and he was quite exhilarated to be back at conventions and being able to meet and talk to people in person again.  I’m looking forward to attending a few more conventions this year, including San Diego Comic-Con: Special Edition this November and LA Comic Con in December.