On Saturday, Oct. 18, the Athol Public Library and Hero Shack Press will transform Athol Town Hall into the fourth edition of the Comic Book Fest.
With vendors, cosplay, games, comics, crafts, demonstrations, competitions and more there will be something for everyone at this family-friendly event.
Christopher and Diana Tamulevich, the team behind Hero Shack Press, have been collaborating with independent comic book creators from the North Quabbin area and all over New England. This year, 20 local and independent artists and authors will be featuring their work in Liberty Hall. Alongside some familiar faces, five artists will be making their Comic Book Fest debut.
“This is an awesome showcase of local creators and a great opportunity to come together and celebrate a love of art, pop culture, and of course reading,” said Emily Boughton, the young adult library technician at the Athol Public Library. “We love being able to introduce our community to new independent artists and can’t wait to share all the fun activities we’ve been working on.”
During the festival there will be a drawing demonstration by “Clycopian” author Christopher Tamulevich, and a Q&A session with “Katie the Catsitter” author Colleen AF Venable by the main stage.
New this year is a live drawing competition where participating artists will draw prompts from the audience on the spot in a sketch-off. The popular Cosplay Contest is back and guests of all ages can show off their costumes and handiwork during the afternoon’s event, competing for cash prizes in a variety of categories. A full schedule of events will be available on the library’s website and social media pages prior to the event.
Alongside the artists and authors, His and Hers Comics of Greenfield and Holeymoleys Comics & Collectibles of Northampton will be selling pop culture items, including mainstream comics. The Friends of the Athol Public Library will have refreshments on sale to raise funds for future library programs.
The recently founded North Quabbin Gaming Guild will have quick and easy tabletop games set up and ready to play. Launchspace, Valuing Our Children, and the Athol Teen Advisory Council will be running hands-on activities while Deborah and Lahri of the Amherst Kids’ Art and Nature camp will do face painting.
As visitors participate in the activities and visit various artists, they will earn tickets to enter into raffles for signed prints, card games, collectables and more.
The Comic Book Fest will take place at the Athol Town Hall, 584 Main St. Visitors of all ages are welcome to stop by and enjoy the festivities from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Comic Book Fest is funded by the Friends of the Athol Public Library and the Athol Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.