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An Ohio man\u2019s quest to get autographs from as many members of the cast of \u201cThe Walking Dead\u201d as he can began Saturday in Monroeville.<\/p>\n
Shawn Hubbard, of Columbus, said a huge poster featuring actor Andrew Lincoln was the only one he could get in time to bring with him to Steel City Con at the Monroeville Center Center, where Jon Bernthal, who portrayed Shane Walsh on the long-running AMC series, was among the convention\u2019s guests.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to get everyone I can from Walking Dead on here. I wanted him to be one of the very first,\u201d Hubbard said after Bernthal signed it. \u201cBeing able to do this is a dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n
But as big as it was, Hubbard\u2019s poster wasn\u2019t the largest item a fan brought to be autographed. Gary Hinkle, of New Columbia, Pa. drove to Monroeville in a 1995 Jeep Wrangler he has turned into a replica of the Jeeps used in \u201cJurassic Park.\u201d<\/p>\n
Actors Joseph Mazzello and Ariana Richards, who portrayed Tim and Lex in the 1993 Steven Spielberg film, came outside to sign their names on the dash.<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t sure they\u2019d come outside like that to do it.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy childhood came to life a little bit,\u201d said Hinkle, who also wanted to see Bernthal for his work as \u201cThe Punisher.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI really got to nerd out today,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saturday was the second day of the three-day Steel City <\/a>Con<\/a>, which began Friday and will conclude Sunday. More than 10,000 people were expected to attend, said convention co-owner Bob Stein, of Richland.<\/p>\n \u201cWe make dreams come true here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Steel City Con is held three times a year, in April, August and December. The next will be in Dec. 5-7.<\/p>\n This weekend\u2019s event featured 35 celebrity guests that included a reunion of five cast members from the sitcom \u201cFull House\u201d and its sequel, \u201cFuller House\u201d \u2014 Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, Dave Coulier, Scott Weinger and Andrea Barber.<\/p>\n While Weinger was first-billed for \u201cFull House,\u201d the Dell family of Highland Park sought his autograph for his work as the voice of \u201cAladdin.\u201d Getting his autograph on an image of Aladdin brought a big smile to Sarah Dell, 6.<\/p>\n Sarah\u2019s dad, Paul Dell, said they come to all three conventions every year, and look up the celebrity guests to see what else they have done.<\/p>\n Sarah\u2019s mom, Liz Dell, said they were happy to see the convention come back after the covid-19 pandemic, something they weren\u2019t sure would happen.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve seen a lot of people through this,\u201d she said. \u201cI met a lot of my heroes.\u201d<\/p>\n Kade Greene said he came from Auburn, Mich. to meet actors from the video game Baldur\u2019s Gate 3 \u2014 Neil Newbon, Devora Wilde, Aliona Baranova and Jennifer English.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody\u2019s very polite,\u201d he said. \u201cI appreciate the folks coming out to do signings. I appreciate that they travel to sign autographs and riff with us.\u201d<\/p>\n Matthew Wheatley, of Belle Vernon, brought Blu-ray copies of several movies featuring actor John Cusack. He had only enough money to pay for one autograph, and was going to let Cusack pick which one he wanted to sign.<\/p>\n Cusack signed them all.<\/p>\n \u201cIt meant the world to me,\u201d Wheatley said. \u201cHe seems like such a good guy.\u201d<\/p>\n Actors from the sitcoms \u201cRoseanne\u201d and its continuation, \u201cThe Conners,\u201d were also among the guests. Zoe Perry, who appeared on both shows featuring her mother, Laurie Metcalf, attended the convention with Raegan Revord.<\/p>\n Perry and Revord co-starred in the recently concluded sitcom \u201cYoung Sheldon,\u201d a spinoff of \u201cThe Big Bang Theory,\u201d and have reprised their roles in its spin-off, \u201cGeorge & Mandy\u2019s First Marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n Nebbi Brown, of Marysville, Ohio and his girlfriend, Tara Moore, of Columbus, came to see Perry and Revord.<\/p>\n \u201cWe love to meet the celebrities,\u201d Moore said. \u201cWe\u2019re stargazers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s a stargazer,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI\u2019m a nerd.\u201d<\/p>\n After getting Perry\u2019s autograph and her posing for a photo with them, Moore said Perry was \u201cwarm and friendly, just how you want it to be when you meet someone you really like.\u201d<\/p>\n Several hundred people are expected to participate in a costume contest on the convention\u2019s final day Sunday, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Boxer Mike Tyson and professional wrestler Kane are appearing Sunday only.<\/p>\n Guests who cancelled for this weekend\u2019s convention \u2014 David Wenham, Ray Park, Parker Posey and Hank Azaria \u2014 are expected to attend in December, Stein said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Brian C. Rittmeyer, a Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University’s Schreyer Honors College, has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Categories:<\/strong>
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