On the scene at Salt Lake FantasyCon

(Cassandra Taylor)


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SALT LAKE CITY — FantasyCon was an interactive convention complete with sword fights, an archery range, glass blowing and plenty of cosplay.

The exhibition hall at the Salt Palace was packed with fantasy fans and creators alike, all enjoying the fictional worlds of witches, dragons and fairies this Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The family that cosplays together …

Trena Driessen and her family make up the "Goombah Squad," a professional cosplay troupe. They love to attend conventions and enter cosplay competitions — often winning awards.

"We didn't win anything yesterday, but some of our best friends did," Dreissen said. "The cosplay community here is so amazing, they're some of the best people you will ever meet. They're very friendly."

John Driessen is a master of props and weapons. One of his creations on display at FantasyCon, in the hands of his 15-year-old daughter Felicia, was the hoopak of Tasslehoff Burrfoot, from the "Dragonlace" series. Made of PVC pipe, the staff looks exactly like wood.

"The areas where it sticks out and is knotted and so forth is a material called epoxy scuplt. It's an epoxy clay that sticks to itself and it's self hardening. And the rest is etched in with a Dremel tool."

Dreissen said it took him about 35 hours to complete the staff. His work has been praised by Hollywood prop departments, and he hosted a panel at FantasyCon about creating props.

Fans cosplay at FantasyCon. The convention is an interactive 
convention complete with sword fights, an archery range, glass 
blowing and plenty of cosplay. (Photo: Cassandra Taylor)
Fans cosplay at FantasyCon. The convention is an interactive convention complete with sword fights, an archery range, glass blowing and plenty of cosplay. (Photo: Cassandra Taylor)

"I'd love to make it a full-time business," Dreissen said. "Utah used to be the home of small conventions, but the big cons are what bring in clients."

The family said they had a fun interaction with "Babylon 5" star Claudia Christian, where they joked about an episode of the show.

"It was really nice that this star actually got in on it," Trena Dreissen said.

Their daughter Michelle is 18, and said she has lots of friends who cosplay. She is learning how to create costumes for her family.

"Most of the time when me and my friends hang out, we talk about cosplay stuff," Michelle said.

First-time fantasy authors find a home at FantasyCon

Helena Loveland has a name made for fantasy. A fan of "The Lord of the Rings," the first-time, self-published author had a booth set up in honor of her book, "Ylsnayan: Realms of Elsvanische."

Loveland sat amid flowers and leaves, perched on a green chair wearing a flowing pink gown. She said that the cover of her book was taken in her backyard.

"I live in Huntsville," Loveland said. "We have a forest in our backyard. We just took a picture one day, and that showed up."

She indicated a blue light that was in the corner of the original photo, on her phone. The end result, and the cover of the book, was enhanced slightly with glittering trails of light.

Her booth, situated across from the celebrity signing tables, attracted the attention of John Rhys Davies, of "Indiana Jones" and "The Lord of the Rings" fame. The actor visited Loveland several times, finally picking up a book and reading it out loud.

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Cons and cosplay lead to love

At the booth for the 501st Legion — a nationwide charity group that combines "Star Wars" costuming with fundraising — one of the troops told a behind-the-scenes story. When she moved to Utah, Crickett Fordham began searching for charities to contribute to. Her love of "Star Wars" brought her to the 501st.

"Darth Vader, his costume is all leather," Fordham said. "We're at this event at Thanksgiving Point — it's maybe 100 degrees — and we're taking a break. I open (the tent) up, and there's Darth Vader cooling off, just dripping. I was like, 'dude is hot.' So I married him."

She said she chased him down and after some time, informed him they were dating. The couple met in 2010 and were married less than a year later.

"I remember his first words to me were, 'what costume are you building? ’ ” Fordham said. "The whole day I just wanted to hug him. We definitely have some hotties."

Fordham said her husband's son started at age 6 dressing as a Jawa, and the work of the 501st is excellent for families.

"It's all volunteer work, and it's a great thing to show kids — giving back to the community and having a ton of fun," Fordham said.

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