This weekend saw the arrival of Yellowknife’s 2021 Ptarmicon, a convention where like-minded members of all things nerdy come together to enjoy their passions.
The convention offered different areas to explore at the Multiplex, such as gaming stations, the LARPing (live action role-playing) area, as well as collector and artist booths.
Reigh Foster, organizer and president of Ptarmicon, was thrilled with all aspects of the event.
“First and foremost, the Ptarmicon society wants to thank all of the volunteers and vendors who helped us this weekend and, of course, all of the attendees who joined us,” said Foster. “Even though this pandemic has sometimes made it impossible to gather for our favourite nerdy pastimes, we were able to host an event that brought friends and families together for fun.”
Attendance for the event, according to Foster, exceeded expectations.
“That meant we made a lot of new friends,” she said. “Every event we host brings newcomers to Yellowknife and we love welcoming them into our community.”
The weekend’s highlights for Foster included playing a giant version of the board game Catan with new friends.
“And getting to take a picture with a surprise Pikachu!” she said.
Ptarmicon participants were invited to wear costumes of their own.
“(It) allowed some very creative and enthusiastic Northerners to show off their favourite characters,” said Foster. “Folks can see the winners on our social media platforms.”
Vendors also spoke highly of the event.
“I like coming here because I made so many friends doing it,” said Elaine Landry, one of the artists. “I’ve been doing conventions in Alberta as well, so I was able to meet so many cool people … It makes me happy to see them happy.”
Narlie Dapilos, a card collector at the convention, said, “My favourite thing about the event is just bringing together a group of people that enjoy similar things, whether that be trading cards, board games, magic or playing with some weapons over there.”
It looks like gaming fans will have to wait until March for the next event.
“Watch for our next weekend-long event in March, and our regular, free biweekly gaming event at Northern United Place Nov. 27,” said Foster.