Gloria sends in this reminder about Fantasy Festival 2008 to be held this Saturday on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City: Programming includes classes on knitted chain mail, corsets for the well-dressed elf, Beowulf presentation, foam prosthetics, wizard rock music, costume contests, children’s activities, vendor room, evening dance and much, much more. Featured speaker will be Dr. Michael Drout, editor of J. R. R. Tolkien’s “Beowulf and the Critics.” Proceeds benefit Ballet West’s Community Share program, allowing disadvantaged children to attend the Nutcracker ballet, and Reading for the Future, providing books to children. Registration begins at 8 a.m. $25.00 for adults and $15.00 for students and children. Find Out More
Category: Conventions
For the first three of its four-year history, Vacaville’s Medieval Fantasy Festival arrived with mostly earnest and serious-minded matters and pursuits. They included guest lecturers and experts on fantasy, especially the kind imagined by British author J.R.R. Tolkien, who wrote the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and serves as the festival’s spiritual godfather. And the two-day event’s themes center around the sober ideas of friendship, community and environmental stewardship, that is, being “green.” Medieval fling
This just in – Samwise Gamgee, Sean Astin, has just been announced as a guest at this years DragonCon, and everyone on the D*Con Tolkien Track staff couldn’t be happier! Dragon*Con is the largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the US. It is held August 29th through September 1st in Atlanta, Georgia. TheOneRing.net will be in attendance at DragonCon 2008 and hopes to be presenting a panel on ‘The Hobbit.’ Schedule your hotel and flight plans now! [DragonCon.org] [Tolkien Track]
This news comes to us from the Hellboy messageboards, where Del Toro posts regularly, via Compa-Mighty:
- Q: So is The Hobbit with GDT official?
GDT: Whew- Not yet. BUT there has been a lot of movement. And for the last few weeks there has been a lot of creative / cast / crew / visual talks and agreements and we have witnessed great progress in areas that I cannot disclose or that have already leaked from other sources. I am dying to share news but I have to be patient and wait until the papers are done and my attachment is real. Nevertheless- a LOT of progress in defining the films, their cast and crew. And, may I add, we are all happily in synch about all creative aspects so far and all willing and eager to move forth. I cannot say more but if all´s well the time will come To talk of many things: Of shoes — and ships — and sealing wax — Of cabbages — and kings…(Quote from Lewis Carroll- Ed).
- Del Toro went on to say that he was swamped by the last push to finish Hellboy II, but LOTR fans could expect some news in two weeks time (this was posted on April 2, so very soon) and “a nice item at Comicon”.
Anna writes in: “FaerieCon is very proud to announce the first US convention appearance of international best-selling fantasy artist, author and Oscar winning Production Designer, Alan Lee. Alan is best known as the co-creator with Brian Froud of the classic faerie book, FAERIES and the book illustrator and production designer for the blockbuster feature films, THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Don’t miss this very rare opportunity to meet one of the great masters of modern faerie and fantasy art and get your favorite book signed. Alan will be signing all three days.” FaerieCon will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, October 10-12, 2008. Read More
Gloria writes: Join Fantasy Festival 2008, April 26th at the University of Utah Union Building, Salt Lake City, Utah. Programming starts at 10 am. Fantasy Festival will conclude with a dance that ends at 11pm.
The schedule includes noted speakers, including Dr. Michael Drout, head of the English department at Wheaton College. He will be the keynote speaker addressing “From Middle earth to Hogwarts.” Dr. Drout is editor of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Beowulf and the Critics.” In addition he will also present a class on Beowulf. Further, there will be other scholarly presentations by professors and professionals, including Dr. Stephen Fullmer of Utah Valley University and John Kilgore of Eastern Illinois University. Continue reading “Fantasy Festival 2008 News”