For the first time ever, Rival Comics and the Mercer County Public Library teamed up to invite people of all ages to enjoy some "fan-tastic" fun for the Grand Lake Fan Expo. Activities from face painting to pictures with superheroes and even a chance to grab some swag at the vendor's tables were just a few of the things offered for the expo.
Owner of Rival Comics, Steven Severt, approached the library about having the expo about a year ago, with the hope of possibly inspiring some minds of the younger generation to show their creative sides with the help of comic books.
"It’s not nearly as easy now for kids to go pick up a comic book or to get into that, so I wanted to give them that opportunity, the same opportunity that I had when I was little, to go pick up a book be inspired by the art, by the story, get into science, get into creative writing, getting into illustration, so that’s really what we wanted to put this together to do," said Severt.
Since this is the first year, it wasn't clear just how many people would come - but Severt says that they are pretty happy with the turnout: "Seeing so many people come in and out, taking pictures and engaging, finding books and looking at art, it’s great and we really do feel that it’s going very well," Severt said.
As for the library, they say that being able to show off what they have to offer is a big plus to being a part of this expo.
"We like to bring people in here all the time; we like to show them everything the library has," said Renee Carpenter, a library assistant for the Mercer County Public Library. "Our saying here at the library in Mercer County is 'More Than Just Books' because it's true, in our library, we have way more than just books. Just seeing everyone walking around with a smile on their face because they see these people dressed up, they just smile and that makes then happy to be here, and that’s what we want."
