Event Name:  Four Winds Renaissance Faire
Event Type:  Renaissance Faire/Festival
When:  March 6th – April 26th, 2010; Weekends 10 am – 7 pm
Where:  Tyler, Texas
Information:  Take a step back into time to experience the feel of the renaissance era whilst playing games and having fun in Texas on weekends in March and April.  This is a family-friendly event and all weapons must be sheathed and peace-tied.  All pirates, knights, fair maidens, and children are welcome.
Daily Rates:  $15.00 adult (13 and up), $5.00 child, 4 and under FREE

Special Events by Weekend:

• March 6th – 7th: Family Adventure Weekend (One child FREE with each paid adult)
• March 13th – 14th:  Pirates and Buccaneers (Ukranian-Polish Battle Re-enactment)
• March 27th:  Masque Ball (9 pm – Midnight)
• March 27th – 28th:  Renaissance Romance
• March 20th – 21st:  St Patrick’s Celebration
• April 3rd – 4th:  Easter Celebration
• April 10th – 11th:  Battlefield Weapons Tournament (adults only)
• April 17th – 18th:  Highland Fling
• April 24th – 25th:  Knights and Chivalry; Texas Invitational Jousting Competition

See Four Winds Renaissance Faire for more details.

Need a sword to complete your outfit? Have a go at our Medieval Swords and our Pirate Swords.

Event Name: A & G Ohio 
When: March 12-14, 2010
Where: Holiday Inn Eastgate, Cincinnati, OH
Information: A&G features their own original programming and new guests this year.  Tons of excitement, fun, food, and a great hotel. This year’s convention should be a blast!
Door Rates: $35 weekend, $20 Friday, $30 Saturday, $20 Sunday

Programming and Events:

• Screenings
• Guest Panels
• Fan Panels
• Workshops
• Hall Cosplay
• Cosplay Competition
• Masquerade
• Concerts
• Karaoke
• Artists’ Alley
• Art Show
• Concert/Dance
• Karaoke
• Video Gaming
• Tabletop Gaming
• Role Playing
• Dealers’ Room
• Game Shows

Guests:

• D.C. Douglas, Actor
• Troy Baker, Voice Actor
• DM Ashura, Musician
• Dual Core, DJs
• Chris Patton, Voice Actor, ADV Films / FUNimation
• Gavin Goszka, Musician
• Travis Lyons, Decepticon Motormaster Owner
• DJ Shammers
• Sleeping Samurai, Weapons Trainers

For more information, see the website for A & G Ohio

And if you need swords, head over to our Anime & Video Game section!

Event Name: DrakeCon
When: February 5-6, 2010
Where: Embassy Suites Northwest Arkansas, Rogers, AR
Information: Drakecon is said to be the largest Anime convention and gaming event of Arkansas.  This event is unique as it runs nonstop.  That’s right, 24 hours of unending fun!  Enjoy tabletop, LARP, video games, LAN party, and other events which will run from the opening of the convention until the moment the event closes.  Most panels will end in the evening and the raves will last until nobody is left dancing.
Advance Rates: $25 through February 1
Door Rates: $35 weekend, $20 Friday, $20 Saturday

Programming and Events:

• Anime Screenings
• Guest Panels
• Fan Panels
• Hall Cosplay
• Artists’ Alley
• Dance / Rave
• Video Gaming
• Collectible Card Games
• Live Action Role Playing
• Tabletop Games
• Autographs
• Dealers’ Room

Guests:

• Laura Bailey: The voice behind the lovable character Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket.  She’s also voiced Henrietta in Gunslinger Girl, Lust from Fullmetal Alchemist, and Alv from Kiddy Grade as well as parts in Dragonball Z, Negima! Magic 101, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Lupin III.
• Troy Baker: A talented voice actor who is the voice of Abel Nightroad in Trinity Blood.  He’s also known for voicing charachters like Nagi Springfield in Negima! Magic 101, Frank Archer in Fullmetal Alchemist, and Alphonso in Gunslinger Girl.  Additionally, he has appeared in Lupin III, Case Closed, and The Galaxy Railways.
• Clarine Harp: Clarine has shown her talents in roles such as Burst Angel’s Sei, Speed Grapher’s Ginza, Trinity Blood’s Mary Spencer, Shin chan’s Miss Katz, as well as roles in Spiral, Case Closed, Hell Girl, Desert Punk, The Galaxy Railways, One Piece, and Ouran High School Host Club.
• Kyle Hebert: Kyle is a well known Voice Actor who has worked with tons of different Anime programs and Video Games, as well as several Audio Books.  You may recognize him as being a part of the cast of Bleach, Naruto, Dragonball Z, Fullmetal Alchemist, Resident Evil: Degeneration, Blue Dragon, Eureka 7, Samurai Seven, One Piece, Megaman, Blue Gender, Hellsing and many more animation shows.   He’s also voiced in video games such as Devil May Cry 4, Mad World, Desperate Housewives, World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade, Baten Kaitos: Origens, and more.
• DJ Infam0us: Grammy winning producer and three time world champion DJ!
• Sephiroth: With this DJ the possibilities are limitless.  With a wide array of genres, this DJ will blow you away with anything from Drum and Bass or Hard Dance to Lounge/Ambient or Trance music.
• Voltaire: Artist, actor, and musician, with music deeply rooted in Eurpoean folk music with a hint of old world melodies tied together with sarcastic lyrics on love, revenge, loss, and (yes) dismemberment. 
• Travis Willingham: Although he’s a known act of stage, TV and film, Travis is mostly known for his role as character Colonel Roy Mustang in Fullmetal Alchemist.  He’s also been heard in D.Gray~Man, GunxSword, Shuffle, Ghost Hunt, One Piece, and so on.

For more details head over to the DrakeCon website.

Here’s a last minute gathering put together for our fellow anime fans of Illinois! 

Event Name: Anime-Zap!
When: January 16-17, 2010
Where:  Hampton Inn Peoria – East At the River Boat Crossing, East Peoria, IL
Information: Due to the cancellation of Pokettokon, the staff of QC Anime-zing! Has built Anime-Zap! In less than 12 hours so Peoria could still have an anime con this weekend! 
Door Rates: $5 weekend

Programming and Events:

• Anime Screenings
• Fan Panels
• Hall Cosplay
• Video Gaming
• Collectible Card Games
• Role Playing Games
• Tabletop Games
• Game Shows

Check out this Instant Anime Convention at Anime-Zap!

Alright, anime fans! Here we go with the first of this year’s anime conventions!

Event Name: Arisia 2010
When: January 15 – 18, 2010
Where: Hyatt Regency Cambridge; Cambridge, MA
Information: “New England’s Largest and Most Diverse Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention.”
Door Rates: $60 weekend, $20 Friday, $30 Sunday, $10 Monday

Programming and Events:

• Anime Screenings
• Guest Panels
• Fan Panels
• Workshops
• Hall Cosplay
• Masquerade / Cosplay Competition
• Art Show
• Dance
• Collectile Card Games
• Live Action Role Playing
• Role Playing Games
• Tabletop Games
• Dealers Room
• Con Suite
• Childrens’ Programming Track

Arisia ’10 Guests:

• Sarah Clemens: Guest of Honor.  Sarah is a well-known artist known to focus some of her work on light fantasy, erotica, humor, and still life images. 
• SJ Tucker – Skinny White Chick: Musical Guest of Honor. S. J. Tucker is a solo artist who was originally inspired by the alternative folk rock genre, but now has a more diverse musical approach.  This Arkansas native’s sound will rock your socks off.
• Gardner Dozois: Writer / Editor Guest of Honor. Both a writer and editor, Gardner Raymond Dozois is an American sci-fi author and editor.  He was editor of Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine from 1984 to 2004.  He is also known for his work in the Year’s Best Science Fiction collections, Galaxy, Worlds of If, Worlds of Tomorrow and Worlds of Fantasy.

Head on over to Arisia Convention to find out more details about panels, gaming, food, lodging, and more!

Looking for something to complete your cosplay?  Check our our Anime & Video Game selection!