{"id":98250,"date":"2015-05-16T14:40:02","date_gmt":"2015-05-16T19:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/?p=98250"},"modified":"2015-05-16T14:40:02","modified_gmt":"2015-05-16T19:40:02","slug":"a-report-from-li-geek-convention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/2015\/05\/16\/98250-a-report-from-li-geek-convention\/","title":{"rendered":"A report from LI Geek Convention"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"2015-05-02_11-59-20_86\"<\/a>It\u2019s hard to believe it\u2019s almost two\u00a0weeks since staffers deej, Thorongil and greendragon gathered at LI Geek Con <\/a>(Islip, May 2nd<\/sup> and 3rd<\/sup>). A new convention, taking place for the first time, LI Geek was small but lots of fun, with a great atmosphere.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the biggest draw at the convention was actor Graham McTavish, there both for his role as Dwalin and for his lead role in the popular television show Outlander<\/em>. He spoke at four Q&A sessions \u2013 two focusing on Outlander<\/em> and two, lead by greendragon, centering on The Hobbit<\/em>. Many fans had made the trip to Long Island just to see McTavish, and even at such a small convention, there were some fabulous Hobbit<\/em> costumes to be seen! McTavish himself commented on the quality of many of the costumes, remarking that one particular Dwalin costume was up there amongst the very best he had seen.<\/p>\n

\"2015-05-02_16-11-52_948\"<\/a>For fans who hope to meet an idol, such small conventions are the best opportunity; McTavish\u2019s supporters were able to spend a little time actually chatting with him, rather than just being rushed through the autograph line. He was as charming, erudite and amusing as ever, sharing in his panels tales from the sets of The Hobbit<\/em>, Rambo<\/em> and Outlander<\/em>, as well as from his start acting and the journey which led him to Middle-earth. (He mentioned that he read The Hobbit<\/em> to his older daughter, and each time Dwalin was mentioned in the book, she cheered; her classmates all know him not as \u2018Mr. McTavish\u2019 or \u2018Honor\u2019s Dad\u2019 but as Dwalin!)<\/p>\n

The convention was also attended by celebrities such as David Warner (Star Trek, Doctor Who, Tron<\/em> and more), actor Finn Jones (Loras Tyrell in Game of Thrones<\/em>) and actor Nina Toussaint-White (Doctor Who<\/em>). Panels and discussion groups were held, covering many topics. TORn presented a look forward to what we might see in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies<\/em> Extended Edition, what\u2019s next for fans of Middle-earth, and a discussion group entitled \u2018Kick the Hobbit!\u2019 \u2013 chatting (with much affection) about the things which we loved and some we didn\u2019t love so much in Peter Jackson\u2019s second trilogy.<\/p>\n

\"Staffer<\/a>
Staffer greendragon finds a BB-8 on duty at Islip airport…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

LI Geek Con had the unusual distinction of being the only convention any of us had ever attended which was actually held in an airport! Our table, where we met with convention goers, sold shirts, buttons and lanyards, and gave out prizes, was directly opposite the baggage claim! Some folks arriving on flights into Islip airport seemed bemused to see all the costumes and displays, but the experience turned out to be rather charming. One gentleman, arriving at the airport to catch a flight, caught sight of our table as he entered. His face lit up. He hurried over, and eagerly purchased a \u2018Keep Calm and Read Tolkien\u2019 t-shirt. He told us he has read The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings<\/em> and The Silmarillion<\/em> seventy-five times each! He had read that a convention was taking place on Long Island, and was disappointed that he didn\u2019t have time to attend \u2013 and yet, here we were, in the airport! We asked where he was flying to, and he revealed that he was returning home after flying up for his mother\u2019s funeral. We all of course offered our condolences \u2013 and he said that seeing the convention and getting his TORn t-shirt had cheered him up no end! Serendipity bringing a smile all round at MacArthur airport\u2026<\/p>\n

An intimate, fledgling convention, LI Geek Con was warm, friendly, and lively \u2013 and TORn was delighted to play a part in it. Now we\u2019re looking forward to seeing fans at more conventions through the summer and into the Fall \u2013 San Diego ComicCon, DragonCon or New York Comic Con, anyone?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s hard to believe it\u2019s almost two\u00a0weeks since staffers deej, Thorongil and greendragon gathered at LI Geek Con…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":98254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[16,14,1295,7,1300,4,35,6,98,148,149],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events-conventions","category-events","category-graham-mctavish","category-hobbit-book","category-hobbit-cast-news","category-hobbit-movie","category-lotr-books","category-tolkbooks","category-silmarillion","category-hobbit","category-lotr"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t