Rocky Mountain Con 2014 - Saturday Recap

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It's rare anymore that I get the chance to visit a new convention in the Mile High City.  There are so many established conventions that we pick and choose our favorites and stick with them. But there are new conventions still popping up in our proud city and there is one that I haven't had the chance to attend until this year, Rocky Mountain Con.

Hosted at the Crown Plaza Denver, RMC is a convention born out of the ideal of helping others, since a cut of the proceeds head to Aurora Rise, an organization that exists to help those who have suffered from the tragic movie theater shooting here in Denver a few years back.  That alone sets it apart from so many other conventions, as it asks us to celebrate the things we love...by helping others.  It's a unique concept and well, it makes for a different kind of convention.  

In fact what I found at Rocky Mountain Con was plenty of awesome stuff.  I found a unique TARDIS set up where it was actually bigger on the inside.  I saw plenty of incredible costumes, plenty of incredible sights at booths that were begging to come home with me and all of that was just fine.  But this convention simply felt different than what I'm used to.  

You see, to me conventions can sometimes be about the hustle and bustle.  We have a billion panels we want to see, friends we have to meet up with, there's always plenty to do.  Now this is in no way a condemnation of conventions, because I love the hustle and bustle, it's one of the things that makes a con a blast.  But Rocky Mountain Con has a down home feel that I simply did not expect, and it was wonderful. 

My Saturday simply felt like a reunion of sorts.  As though it was just a good time to hang out with people I know, because I did see plenty of old friends and made new ones like always, but RMC was simply a relaxing and fun day and I couldn't think of a better way to signal the end of convention season than in a relaxed manner and with the knowledge that every minute this convention is open...it's helping people.  

---