HerdCon, Marshall University’s inaugural pop culture convention, will take place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Drinko Library and the Memorial Student Center.

HerdCon will include multiple events, with a number of vendors and activities for everyone planning to attend, said Heather Lauer, an undergraduate librarian and assistant professor at Marshall and HerdCon co-chair.

A cosplay contest will be one event taking place at HerdCon, Lauer said. She said there will also be several gaming events, including retro video gaming, tabletop gaming, role playing, board gaming and collectible card games, as well as text-based gaming classes.

Local and state-based vendors, artists, university departments and clubs will all have tables representing their areas at HerdCon, Lauer said.

“I also anticipate that the student film screenings in Drinko, the escape room, the star ship simulator and the academic panels will all be highlights of the event,” Lauer said.

An event of this size took some time to plan, and Lauer said it has been in the planning process for about a year, on and off. She said HerdCon is the brainchild of Monica Brooks, vice president for online learning and dean of libraries at Marshall.

Lauer said she and co-chair Michelle Alford, library information systems technologist in Drinko Library, were off and running with a plethora of ideas and put together a great team of organizers and volunteers.

“It was an honor that Dr. Brooks trusted us with such a large undertaking, and to see it realized is a dream,” Lauersaid. “While I have volunteered in other organizations, such as WillCon in Williamson, West Virginia and Dragon Con in Atlanta, Georgia, running a show is a different beast. All responsibility lands on us, but we could not do it without such an amazing team.”

What Lauer said she hopes people take away from attending HerdCon is that Marshall is a great place.

“Not only is it a premier research and learning institution, but the culture and history of the surrounding area is so rich,” Lauer said. “We want our students to have a great time and also to bring the community in for the experience.”

 Lauer said she is proud and excited to be a part of such an event on Marshall’s campus.

“I want to see the looks on children’s faces with hopes that they will be future children of Marshall,” Lauer said. “Marshall University is an amazing place to work, flourish, research and learn. I look forward to our students being their creative best in a community that has embraced us for so many years.”

HerdCon is free to Marshall students, faculty and staff.

Savanah Matney can be contacted at [email protected].