FOLIO
Sunday, February 8 is the Day of the Walking Dead in Jacksonville!
It’s not the end of days but it may look like it on February 8, when the Post to Post Links II error: No post found with slug "Retr-O-Rama Collectibles Show"returns to the Ramada Convention Center in Mandarin at 3130 Hartley Road. The Retrorama gang is planning their biggest event yet and a big part of that involves actor Lew Temple who played Axel on the hit television series, The Walking Dead. According to show promoter John McGahey, “this will be the first time that an actor from the main cast of the series The Walking Dead has appeared at a show in North Florida and we’re pleased to be the ones bringing him here”. Lew Temple’s credits don’t just extend to fighting zombies though, he has also appeared in many cult films from the past decade including Halloween (2007), Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, and The Devil’s Rejects. His more mainstream roles include appearances in The Lone Ranger and Atlas Shrugged. When he is not in front of the cameras, Temple is often heard doing voice work for animated projects like the family film Rango or Japanese Anime series like Bubblegum Crisis and Dirty Pair.
The February 8 event will be the seventh for Retrorama Collectibles and while their primary focus is still the over 8000 square feet of merchandise, courtesy of collectibles vendors from all over the state and beyond, it is obvious they are moving more towards being a full blown convention. “We’ve been asked by our attendees for over a year now to add a costume contest” says McGahey, “we’ve finally been able to make that work and our first one at this show will have $350 in prizes for the contestants”. Also added are a trivia contest, celebrity panels, a sci-fi concert, and a whole host of other surprises to make this an entire day of family fun. The good folks at Woodley Special Effects of Jacksonville will even be hosting a Zombie Walk at 1PM where fans can dress in their best ghoul attire and stagger en mass around the perimeter in search of brains! Lew Temple, who will be kicking off the event, should feel right at home!
Fans of supernatural television should mark their calendars in blood red on Sunday, February 8, when Retrorama Collectibles brings Walking Dead actor Lew Temple in as guest of honor at their latest event. The Ramada Conference Center in Mandarin, located at 3130 Hartley Road, will be packed with all manner of ghouls that day but, fear not, local Ghostbusters and stormtroopers will be patrolling the halls to help keep the peace!
According to Retrorama promoter Ed Tucker, “we didn’t set out to make the theme of our February 2015 show a horror related one but when you are fortunate enough to get an actor from a hit series like The Walking Dead as your guest, everything else just seems to lean that way”. Joining Lew Temple at the show will be Hammer horror actresses Veronica Carlson and Suzanna Leigh, plus Arch Hall Jr., star of Eegah and The Sadist. Things are looking scary indeed for this show!
While the celebrity guests are busy providing frightening fun inside the conference center, zombies will be prowling the grounds outside and creating an even spookier atmosphere. Woodley Special Effects of Jacksonville is sponsoring a Zombie Walk at 1PM on Sunday so Jacksonville’s cosplayers can dress up in their best ghoul attire and really get into the spirit of the event. Lew Temple should feel right at home when he kicks off the event.
The February 2015 Retrorama Collectibles Show will be the first one to feature a costume contest, $350 in prizes, a pop culture trivia contest, $150 in prizes, plus celebrity panels, a sci-fi concert, and much more. There will also be local authors and artists on hand plus a live podcast courtesy of The Riley and Kimmy Show, an Orlando based program that celebrates the “nerd, freaky and fun”. While there is more than a day’s worth of activities going on, the heart of the Retrorama Show is still collectibles and they have packed over 8000 square feet of the conference center with some of the coolest stuff around. “If you are a collector, fan of shows like American Pickers and Toy Hunter, or just want to take a trip down memory lane to your childhood, their isn’t a better place in North Florida to be this Sunday” says Tucker.
After this massive event winds down, the Retrorama guys have one more trick up their sleeves – a cocktail party featuring their celebrity guests! From 7-9PM, the Retrorama guests and staff will appear at Dave and Busters at 7025 Salisbury Road, to mingle with those fans lucky enough to get the limited tickets to this event. Appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages will be served and a cash bar is available. February 8 also just happens to be the mid-season premiere of The Walking Dead on AMC so attendees will be able to stay after the party and watch this episode on the big screen with Lew Temple!
The Retrorama Collectibles Show runs from 10AM to 4PM this Sunday, with a special early bird VIP preview at 9AM. General admission is $12.00 for adults and this includes admission for one child age 12 and under. VIP admission is $20.00 at 9AM. Additional general admission for children is $5.00. Active duty military are $7.00 with proper ID. The Celebrity Cocktail Party runs from 7PM to 9PM with The Walking Dead screening afterwards from 9PM to 10PM. Admission is $40.00 and includes food, non-alcoholic beverages, and a $10.00 Dave & Busters Power Card. Discount tickets are available online at www.jaxretrorama.com.
There won’t be a better place in North Florida on February 8 to find vintage Barbie dolls, Star Wars action figures, original movie posters, or just about any other type of toy and collectible you can think. With a show this size, there is something for everyone and now it’s an entire day of family fun!
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