September 24, 2019
Celebrities, gaming, contests and more at SIU’s Saluki Con this weekend
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Celebrity guests, costume contests, gaming demonstrations and tournaments, artists, children’s activities and a wide assortment of other events assure Saluki Con 2019 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale will be a memorable weekend for all ages Sept. 28-29.
Saluki Con takes place 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the SIU Student Center. Some of the gaming and e-sports activities will extend into the evening.
This is the third year for the comic-con-style event, which launched in conjunction with SIU’s total solar eclipse in 2017. It grows bigger and better each year, both in terms of the diversity of things happening there and the size of the crowds, organizers say.
The 2019 Saluki Con features some special new treats.
Get tickets now
You can purchase tickets online now at www.salukicon.siu.edu. If you purchase a weekend pass, family pass or VIP Maroon Pass tickets in advance, you’ll get some extra goodies, such as keepsake posters and bags. On Saluki Con weekend, these keepsake items will be available while supplies last.
Individual day passes can be bought ahead as well. Regular admission is $10 per day.
As a special treat this year, the SIU provost’s office and admissions office are providing 200 two-day passes available for free to local high school and community college students on a first-come, first-served basis. These tickets can be claimed on the website as well; click on the “tickets tab.” Once the 200 free passes are claimed, high school and community college students can purchase a weekend pass for the discount price of $5.
Weekend pass tickets for children ages 9-14 are also $5 with the purchase of an adult ticket. All SIU students are admitted at no charge when presenting their SIU ID, as are children ages eight and under.
All activities are included in the admission price. There is an additional cost for celebrity autographs and photos.
Star-studded guest list
Numerous worldwide, regional and local celebrities are slated to appear, headlined by Adrian Paul, Tracee Cocco and David Peterson.
Paul is best known for portraying Duncan Macleod on the popular “Highlander” series but the London native has more than 30 films and hundreds of hours of television screen time to his credit. He has also created two production companies, producing and directing film and TV projects, and he offers sword-training seminars through his “The Sword Experience” business.
In addition, Paul is involved in charity work, founding the Peace (Protect Educate Aid Children Everywhere) Fund, and co-hosting Peace Fund Radio with Ethan Dettanmaeir, a program launched in 2012, which reaches about two million listeners monthly.
Cocco is easily recognizable for her work on the Star Trek franchise. The actress, model and stuntwoman featured in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “Star Trek: Voyager.” She was most prominently seen as Lieutenant Jae on The Next Generation but played a variety of other roles as well.
Peterson is skilled at language creation, and his biggest claim to fame is inventing the language spoken by the Dothraki on the hit HBO series “Game of Thrones.” He’s also published books about his work, which has been featured in many other movies and shows.
Illustrators, authors, comic artists and creators, designers, publishers, painters, gamers and much more can be seen at Saluki Con, including The Midwest Garrison, the Illinois chapter of The 501st Legion Star Wars Imperial costuming club, and the St. Louis R2 (R2-D2) Builders Club.
Games galore
Saluki Con is a gamer’s delight. More than 90 table top gaming activities and tournaments for all ages will be featured.
There will be new game demonstrations, a KeyForge Tournament, a Magic the Gathering Tournament for newcomers and a Catan National Qualifier Tournament. Check out the “Play to Win” area, where you can choose from more than 50 games to play with a chance to win those games. The more you play, the better your odds of winning.
You won’t want to miss the new Esports Arena, which will be hosting tournaments featuring League of Legends, Counterstrike: Global Offensive, Hearthstone, Smash Brothers Ultimate, Pokémon Go PvP, Rocket League and Dance Dance Revolution.
And the really cool bonus? Top finishers are eligible to win a gaming chair just like those seen in SIU’s Esports Arena. Other prizes awarded during the weekend include special edition gaming mouse pads, Saluki Con T-shirts and more.
Fun for the whole family
There’s a whole new emphasis on family-friendly at this year’s event with a myriad of activities specifically for children. They can learn to be a Jedi at the Jedi Training Academy, participate in art workshops, and even enjoy life-sized games of Candyland and Angry Birds, where participants are the game pieces.
Kids and families can also participate in an animation workshop, a children’s story time, an X-Wing Crawl through space and so much more. Much of the family-style action is centered on the north side of the Student Center’s second floor, in the Saline, Iroquois, Missouri and Mackinaw rooms.
Cosplay contest
Enter the world of costume play by joining in the Cosplay Contest, with judging in four categories: children ages 12 and younger, teens 13-17, adults ages 18 and older and groups of two or more people. Prizes will be awarded and you can register on site by the Student Center Auditorium. Registration closes at noon.
“We hope families and people of all ages will plan to come and spend the whole day or the whole weekend,” Vamsi Manne, Student Center associate director, said.
Much more happening
Assorted panels, workshops and films for all ages and interests are planned. SIU faculty, staff, students and community members will be involved in more than 30 different presentations, focusing on diverse topics. Learn about the science of Star Trek or join in Star Trek trivia, find out how to get your work into print, enjoy a Harry Potter Fan Panel or explore podcasting.
There’s a Quidditch tournament hosted by the SIU Quidditch Team, a Pokémon Go scavenger hunt and Hollywood-behind-the-scenes panel discussion.
SIU is the eclipse crossroads, with another total eclipse coming in 2024 so quite appropriately, the SIU Physics Department and the Astronomical Association of Southern Illinois will team for a series of planetarium shows in SIU’s inflatable planetarium. Be sure to check out the demonstrations by the SIU Aikido Club and Medieval Combat Club, too.
That’s just a glimpse into what Saluki Con 2019 has to offer. There will also be about 80 different vendors selling specialty items, collectables, comics, artwork and assorted merchandise.
More information
The generosity of campus, local and regional sponsors enables Saluki Con organizers to keep the cost of attending the multi-faceted event quite low.
Campus sponsors include the SIU Student Center, College of Liberal Arts, Alumni Association, College of Applied Sciences and Arts, the Office of the Provost, SPREKK On Demand Phone Repair and the Student Programming Council.
Carbondale Tourism is sponsoring the Cosplay Contest and other local sponsors include Insomnia Cookies, JC Penny, Campus Comics, Castle Perilous, Fox Comics, The Game Table, Greyhawke Gaming Guild and RnD Collectibles.
Regional sponsors include Asgard Keep, Dragon’s Hoard Gaming, Miniature Market and Nerditure while the national sponsors include Upper Deck, Yeti Gaming, Wizards of the Coast and Catan Studio.
For more information about Saluki Con 2019, visit salukicon.siu.edu, check out the Saluki Con Facebook page, email salukicon@siu.edu or call 618/453-5714.