by Andy Lyons, Editor-in-Chief
Stealth Con returns to the University of Central Missouri for its second year. Several celebrity appearances have already been confirmed for the event which takes place March 25-26 at the Elliott Student Union along with cosplayers and gaming.
The Con is set to feature celebrities Phil Lamar, best known for his voice acting characters in “Samurai Jack,” “Futurama,” “Justice League,” “Static Shock” and “Family Guy;” Mindy Sterling, who played Frau Farbissina in the “Austin Powers” series, Ms. Briggs in “iCarly,” and the voice of Lin Beifong in “The Legend of Korra;” Jorgito Vargas Jr., the Navy Thunder Ranger on “Power Rangers Ninja Storm” and “Dino Thunder,” and “Stargate SG-1;” Alexis Cruz, of “Stargate” and “Drag Me to Hell;” and Carmen Argenziano, of “The Accused,” “Stand And Deliver,” “The Godfather: Part II,” “Identity,” and the title role in James Franco’s “Don Quixote;” Erick Avari, of “Mr. Deeds,” “The Mummy,” and “Stargate;” and Adam Tuominem, the Crimson Thunder Ranger in “Power Rangers Ninja Storm,” “A 2nd Chance” and “Raising the Bar;” and actor/comedian David DeLuise, known for Stargate SG-1″ and “3rd Rock from the Sun.” He was a series regular opposite Christina Applegate on NBC’s “Jesse”, and guest starred in “Hawaii Five-0,”The mentalist,” “Rizzoli and Isles,” “baby daddy,” “Bones,” “Without a Trace,” “ER,” “Monk,” “Gilmore Girls,” “CSI”, “CSI: New York” and “CSI: Miami,” and big screen appearances in “Vampires Suck,” “Believe,” “Pup Star, ” “Terror Tract,” “Dirt Merchant,” “Dracula, Dead and Loving It,” “Kicking and Screaming,” “Robin Hood: Men In Tights,” “Last Call” and “BachelorMan,”
Stealth Con 2017 will be Tuominen’s first ever U.S. convention and appearance. As a bonus, this will also be the very first Bradley Brothers Ninja Storm reunion with Tuominem and Jorgito Vargas Jr. More celebrity announcements are expected with the Con more than a month away.
According to Joshua Bailey, the Stealth Con lead planner, there are plans for celebrity panels for presentations and question-and-answer sessions as well as booths in the main ballroom for guests to get autographs and photo opportunities.
This year’s Stealth Con will also feature multiple contests for visitors. There has already been a T-shirt design contest but the Con itself will feature a costume contest, kid’s costume contest and an art contest. Rules for each can be found on the Stealth Con website.
The inaugural Stealth Con featured roughly 2,000 guests for the weekend and Bailey said this year organizers have expanded their outreach to the local community.
“We want to ensure that we raise the bar from last year’s event and give our community something to look forward to for years to come,” Bailey said.
With any Con there seems to be a theme, yet Bailey said the focus would be on keeping Stealth Con a well-rounded event for everyone to enjoy.
“If you’re a gamer…we’ve got that, if you’re there for some amazing vendors, we’ve got them too, and of course celebrities,” Bailey said. “For our first-time guests who have never been to a comic con, we want this to be a great experience to open up their eyes of how fun conventions can be without getting overwhelmed by some of the larger conventions.”
This year will also include multiple gaming opportunities for visitors.
“The gaming went awesome last year,” Bailey said. “It was such a hit, that we’re bringing it back again this year. We will have Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh! tournaments this year, hosted by Thompson Productions LLC, as well as other card games for our attendees to try out. In addition, we will have TVs set up with video gaming available, and a board game area for attendees to take advantage of at the event.”
One of the many things that sets Stealth Con apart from other cons is the focus on military families. The Con is named after the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, which is based at Whiteman Air Force Base near Warrensburg. Bailey said being involved with the local military community will always be at the forefront for Stealth Con.
“We continue to take care of our military families first and foremost as they are the reason we continue to operate, but what a great opportunity to increase the bond between our military and local community in a combined effort,” he said. “We have both military and local business, vendors, artists and cosplayers at the event.”
For more information, follow Stealth Con on Facebook here. View the Stealth Con website here.
