By Jason Stuart
Ranger-Review Staff Writer
This Labor Day weekend, Glendive will be the place to be for geeks, nerds, fanboys, Trekkies and movie, comic book and music fans of all stripes as the Badlands Super Con rolls out the red carpet.
The three-day event is the brainchild of Steve and Christie Bury, owners of Hell Creek Music and More. Christie said the idea for the event had been germinating since the couple bought what is now the Retro Theatre and began hosting music acts there.
“We had talked about doing something like this for a wile, but trying to figure out when was the biggest factor,” Christie said.
She said the couple decided to shoot for Labor Day weekend after getting a very good turnout for a concert at the Retro last Labor Day weekend convinced them that local people would turn out over the holiday.
So in January, the Burys “stuck it out there” via Facebook that they were looking to set up the Super Con to see what kind of response they got. Within a month, she said they knew they had something going.
“When we got serious responses about renting a booth ... we knew it was a go,” Christie said. “There was such a huge response, we figured, OK, there’s definitely a want.”
While vendors and artists were excited from the start about the idea, getting local sponsors on board took a bit of educating on the Burys’ part, as many locals simply weren’t sure what a Super Con was.
“It was mostly about educating,” Christie said. “People were more curious, not negative at all. More of just a question of what it was, because they didn’t understand.”
Ultimately, that education worked, and more than a dozen local businesses jumped in on the act as sponsors. The local Tourism Business Improvement District agreed to give TBID grant funding for the event and the Glendive Chamber of Commerce stepped in to sponsor the Sunday morning parade. Montana State Parks also agreed to schedule their “Movie Under the Stars” night to coincide with the Super Con.
“Our sponsors, we thank them very much for taking a chance on us,” Christie said. “Without them and the TBID and the Chamber and State Parks, this weekend would not have been as big.”
To those who still don’t understand what exactly the Super Con is, it is essentially a “convention” which brings together fans of films, comic books, music and other mass entertainment mediums to interact with each other and with the artists, writers, actors, musicians and other creative people who work in those mediums.
The movement largely grew out of the Star Trek conventions which began to pop up around the country in the years after the original series ended its brief run in the late 1960s. A couple of decades ago, the San Diego Comic Con was founded, initially serving as a convention for the comic book industry and its fans. Over the years, the San Diego Comic Con has evolved into something much more, becoming a feature showcase for the most popular films and TV shows in the sci-fi, fantasy and comic book genres, and a place where major announcements about upcoming films and the futures of blockbuster franchises are announced.
The Badlands Super Con will only be a reflection of that grand event, and no one should expect Robert Downey, Jr. to swoop in as Iron Man or to see Mark Hamill giving lightsaber lessons, but the event will feature its own collection of musicians, artists and vendors for people to interact with and enjoy.
Part of that enjoyment — and a major feature of any Comic Con-like event — is what’s known as “cos play.” To the uninitiated, cos play is short for “costume play,” and simply means coming to the event dressed up as your favorite Vulcan, Jedi, Disney princess or any film, television series or comic book character you like.
Two of the main events during the Super Con will focus on cos play. There will be a cos play contest beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday night at the Retro. Anyone wishing to enter the contest needs to register by 5 p.m. Saturday. Registration forms are only available at the Hell Creek Music booth in the EPEC.
On Sunday morning at 11 a.m., the Glendive Chamber is sponsoring the Super Con Parade through downtown Glendive. Participation is open to anyone, the only requirement to participate is you must be in costume. To walk or enter a float in the parade, you must register with the Glendive Chamber at the Chamber office on Merrill Avenue.
Whether or not you plan to enter the contest or the parade, Christie encouraged all attendees to get in the spirit of the event.
“We encourage everybody to dress up every day to have fun,” she said. “It’s just fun to dress up and kind of be a kid again.”
On top of having fun, the Burys are hoping the event can be a boon to the local economy by bringing in people from the surrounding area.
“Our goal is to bring additional revenue into the community,” Christie said.
And she has high hopes for just how many people the event will bring in.
“I’m hoping for a least a couple of thousand people,” Christie said. “That would be awesome.”
Entry to the event is $10 at the door per day. Three-day passes are available for $20. The first 200 people to purchase a three-day pass will receive a “schwag bag” and collectible program.
Most of the events take place at the EPEC, with the exception of the cos play contest, parade and Friday night movie. Christie pointed out that the ticket price covers all events sponsored by Hell Creek Music. Food vendors will be on offer at the EPEC throughout the event. Monte Carlo Pizza will have a booth indoors and there will be two food trucks — Dinner Bell Diner and Anna and Ole’s Viking Vending — in the parking lot. There will also be a beer garden available for adults.
After nearly a year of planning, Christie is anxious to get the event underway, and she is hopeful that local residents are as excited as she is.
“This is nine months in the making, and it just dawned on me that it’s coming to an end. It’s like having my baby, I kid you not,” she said. “And I’m hoping everybody’s excited about it.”
Reach Jason Stuart at rrreporter@rangerreview.com.