BabelCon

When: Saturday, July 19, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Where: Holiday Inn Select

Cost: $15 - $30

Age limit: All ages

Categories: Community

Description: This year BabelCon will last two days, from July 19-20, in one of the largest hotels in Baton Rouge - the Holiday Inn Select. With 7 new hotel conference rooms to fill, we've greatly expanded our lineup with 3 new programming tracks!

Our PARANORMAL Track includes the ghost hunters "S.O.U.L." (Seekers of Unexplained Louisiana), paranormal investigators "La Spirits", and horror authors Whitney Lakin, M.F. Korn, and voodoo anthropologist Martha Ward. Our ANIME Track will have round the clock anime panels and movies, and the new KIDS Track entertains teens, tweens, and other children all day long.

Our SCI-FI Track media guests will include Richard Hatch, known as Apollo on the original Battlestar Galactica; Suzie Plakson, the only actress to portray four different characters in three different Star Trek series; actor John Herztler, who played General Martok on Deep Space Nine, as well as several other popular characters; Vaudeville performer Bob May, the original Lost in Space Robot; and several scientists, including speakers from NASA, LSU, Tulane, UNO, and Xavier for the SCIENCE Track.

In the FANTASY Track, the guest lineup is T.A. Chafin and Polly Luttrull, authors of "The Nitpickers Guide to the SW Saga"; local horror author Deborah LeBlanc; fantasy author M.B. Weston; Dungeons & Dragons fantasy author, Randy Richards; former editor for Marvel & DC Comics, (and a Star Trek book author) Bob Greenberger; plus award-winning poet Robin Mayhall.

This year we are bringing the REN FAIR Track indoors, into The Atrium. Many shows are planned, including the Orion Slave Girls belly dancing, SCA demos, a costume contest, Pirates of the Caribbean interactive show, a Renaissance Knighting Ceremony, and LARP games.

And speaking of gaming... in the Gary Gygax Memorial Game Room, attendees can participate in our GAMING Track, with a Warhammer Tournament, RPGA Network scenarios, Dungeons & Dragons miniatures, and historic wargame recreations. We also have "open gaming" for anyone that wants to play their own games, and several board games are available for free play.

At the end of the evening there is the COSTUME BALL featuring music by the Star Wars Cantina Band, an accompanying costume contest, and the Transylvanian Electric Company shows "Shock Treatment" the sequel to the The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In addition, we invited back a number of Fan Groups, including several associated with Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate, Star Wars, Doctor Who, and the Vampire Lestat Fan Club.

BabelCon 2008 will be held on July 19-20, 2008 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on the edges of the beautiful Atchafalaya Swamp. Our host this year is the Holiday Inn Select, located extant of the College Dr. exit off I-10. It costs at least $30 for a 2-Day weekend SuperPass, provided you pre-register by July 7th, otherwise it is $35 at the door. There are other passes available, including a 1-Day Saturday-Only badge for $25, and a 1-Day Sunday-Only badge for $15 (see website for details, at www.BabelCon.org).

Last year, BabelCon had approximately 450 attendees. Our best estimate for attendance at BabelCon 2008, based on the level of local interest, advertising, media coverage, is between 800 to 1,200.