EMILY HENDERSON
STAFF WRITER
ACOG’s AlmaCon, Alma College’s very own anime convention, has been around for 11 years, said ACOG’s inventory manager, Annamarie Jenema (‘20).
Whether you’re into video games, anime or simply cosplaying, AlmaCon has something that will interest you.
“AlmaCon has a lot it can offer congoers. Especially for Alma College’s students who can get into the convention for free,” said Jenema. Not only are there various activities throughout the weekend, there is also a rave that students and other con goers can enjoy.
The reasoning behind attending varies. AlmaCon offers various cafes, shops, tournaments, panels and so much more.
The shops, which can be found in the Stone Rec Center, are very popular.
“The shopping area offers a bunch of different things to buy if you’re into video game related stuff, movies or if you’re into different anime. They sell all sorts of different things that you’d have to go online to buy but it’s all self made or hand drawn,” said avid attendee Bailey Schalk (‘21).
Many people attend AlmaCon, be them students or even people who don’t live in the area. Each person has their own reasoning for attending.
“I first went to AlmaCon my senior year of high school with my Anime Club,” says Jenema. “It’s become less of an enjoyment of going to the convention itself and more so the pride of having had a hand in creating that which the con goers will enjoy,” continued Jenema.
“I really love all of the people that attend. I really like seeing the cosplayers and walking around,” said Schalk.
AlmaCon begins on Friday afternoon and stretches on until Sunday, giving plenty of time for even the busiest of students to attend if they’re interested in the activities.
Although AlmaCon has been around for 11 years, it is always changing. “This year AlmaCon will include an escape room,” said Jenema.
With an attendance rate somewhere at 1,500 people, Alma College’s campus can get filled with many anime lovers, and often times you can see them wondering around campus, quite possibly lost.
AlmaCon offers a myriad of panels, varying from informational ones for creating your own unique cosplay to celebrity voice actors who answer fans questions. Some monumental guests this year included Sandy Fox, the voice actress of characters such as Betty Boop and Hello Kitty, as well as Lex Lange, whose voice can be heard in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
People have different reasons for coming to AlmaCon. Each new addition to the con adds more intrigue and more guests to the college’s campus. “Last year the con had added a cafe, which was very successful and a lot of fun to put on,” Jenema says. “It has so much room to grow and be a favorite event of the con.”
Even if cosplaying, shopping, or panels don’t interest you, there’s still much more that goes on. AlmaCon also has various gaming areas such as a Super Smash Bros Tournament as well as an area where D&D and other tabletop games can be played.
ACOG and Hepcats work together to put on the rave each year, which is held on Saturday night in Van Dusen.
ACOG not only hosts AlmaCon each year, they also have various other events that may interest students on campus. ACOG hosts weekly meetings that include playing board games and video games, as well as watching anime. ACOG strives to always have a wide variety of activities that will interest students.
