Savannah resident and author M.C. Vaughn had only ever traversed through Dalton “every once in a while on the way to Ohio” to see his children. But during the weekend, Vaughn had an opportunity to nestle down in the Carpet Capital for a few days as a special guest at the 2023 HallowCon.
HallowCon is an annual three-day convention that lands on the weekend before Halloween each year, spanning Friday through Sunday. The event combines whimsical fantasy and science fiction with macabre horror in a celebration of Halloween. Guests include several fiction authors, comic artists and cosplayers from around the country who participate in panels and set up at the event.
Held yearly inside the EconoLodge at 1507 N. Tibbs Road, the convention includes a selection of games, panels, a charity auction, nightly musical entertainment, cosplaying, a dealers room with multiple vendors and an assortment of food.
“It’s been a great time already,” Vaughn said on Saturday. “I didn’t realize how fun it would be. Dalton is a really nice town.”
Chris Walker, vice chair of HallowCon, said the event has been a success in the Southeast for decades.
“This is our 21st year,” said Walker. “We started out in the Chattanooga and East Ridge (Tennessee) area, and then came (to Dalton) in 2009. It’s been here ever since excluding 2020, when it was all virtual (because of the COVID-19 pandemic). We work closely with the staff here at the hotel and they are always so gracious.”
Walker said HallowCon came about as a way for people to attend comic and pop culture conventions in the Southeast at a more affordable price as opposed to bigger conventions such as DragonCon in Atlanta.
“Guests who attend stay right here at the hotel and what differentiates us from other conventions in the area is that we feed them throughout the day. It’s all included with their ticket,” Walker said. “HallowCon is really centered around the people who come and make it what it is. We serve all different kinds of sandwiches for lunch, and (Friday night) we served BBQ and hot dogs. For dinner (on Saturday), we have ‘the feast,’ which includes meats, mashed potatoes, green beans, seasoned carrots. All the good stuff. Of course we have vegetarian options as well.”
The 2023 event included guest of honor Kevin Steverson, a Georgia author with more than 35 published books, with several currently in the early development stages for feature films. Other distinguished guests included artist Bryan Silverbax, who has worked for Image Comics among other comic book publishers; author and retired rocket scientist Stephanie Osborn; and numerous authors from the Midwest and Southeast such as Brian K. Morris, T.D. Raufson, Karl Whitsman, Ellie Raine and the “Tennessee Iron Man” Shawn Hatfield, who cosplays as Robert Downey Jr.’s take on the Marvel comics superhero complete with a full-sized reproduction of the character’s iconic armor.
Vendors set up at the convention included Art by Dimitri out of Atlanta, Immortal Impressions out of Huntsville, Alabama, A Spot of Tea, Chaotic Nerd Creations, Happy Alpaca and Chocolate Moonshine, which specializes in chocolates, fudge and other sweets infused with alcohol.
“We only have three (vendors that returned) this year,” said Walker. “We have a decent amount of turnover to try and keep things fresh. Most of the authors are usually here but we bring in a few new ones each year.”
Angel Freeman, who co-owns Immortal Impressions, said she was enjoying her sixth year at the convention on Saturday.
“We basically do a little bit of everything,” she said. “We do custom embroidery, custom sewing, 3-D printing, ceramics and jewelry. I always look forward to this time of year, it’s fun meeting back up with some familiar faces and meeting new ones each time I come back.”
The convention held a charity auction and a Hot Wheels racing competition, where individuals put two Hot Wheels cars head-to-head in a race down a toy track, with proceeds going to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation out of Maryland. Members of the convention were able to take their photos with full-sized replicas of the Ecto-1 vehicle from the “Ghostbusters” franchise and the Dragula from the ‘60s television series “The Munsters.”
One of the most popular games of the weekend, Walker said, is the annual Pun’kin Chunkin, which involves people taking 10 steps in duel-like fashion, turning around and chunking styrofoam pumpkins at each other.
“They can move all parts of their body but their feet once they’ve taken their 10 steps,” he said. “It’s always fun to watch and be a part of each year. It’s a big hit.”