Not Much to Do?

By Gary Roen                   

     A few weeks ago I talked to several people.  I was surprised when all of them said “There is nothing to do around here.” I gathered they meant that there was nothing to do around the Central Florida area.  I find that statement to be so untrue.  I know that there are art shows in the next few months that are great fun to go to.  To begin with there is the Winter Park Art Festival in March.  You also have ones in Mt Dora, Cocoa, and New Smyrna Beach that are great to see all kinds of artwork and strange things...

     We have in March Bike Week while The Daytona Speedway has several races in the next few months as well.  If you like basketball there are the games of the Orlando Magic and this month the NBA All Star Weekend is here in Orlando.  In a month or so there will be baseball spring training all through the state and there are other sport events at Rollins College, UCF, Valencia and Stetson .

     The Bob Carr Center has many stage plays and the Orlando Ballet performances.  At the Amway Center when the Magic are not playing there are major shows like Elton John or Lady Gaga to name a few.  And there is the UCF arena that has brought to the area many exciting shows as well.

     For nightlife there are clubs all through downtown Orlando, or there is the night life of Disney or Universal Studios.

     For book readers there are many events across the area starting with Fresh Book Festival in Daytona Beach in January.  Later the Villages has its own author festival.  In April UCF has the UCF Book Festival, and in May there is Oasis, the science fiction convention.

     One of the best events that combines media, comics, and writer guests is the convention Megacon in either February or March that is a giant fun fest for three days.  This year’s con at the Orange County Convention Center starting on Friday February 17th and running until Sunday the 19th promises to be a wonderful experience for all.  Some of the guests slated to appear are Stan Lee, the creator of Marvel comics, Tony Bedard, who has worked on Green Lantern, and lots of other comic artists.  For others the draw are the media guests like Tim Russ Star Trek Voyager (Tuvok), Brent Spiner  Star Trek The Next Generation, (Data), Bruce Boxleitner, Babylon 5 (Capt. John Sheridan) (Tron) Alan, David Anders Vampire Diaries (John Gilbert), Alias (Julian)..

     Throughout the weekend there are talks by many of the guests about some of the shows they have been a part of, the making of shows or movies, where the industry is and where it’s going: For writers the subjects are the craft of writing or can science fiction contain religion?, and there are row after row of artists who have many pieces of art to display.  Authors can autograph their works while the actors will sign and talk to their many fans.  Also there are so many tables with dealers who sell copies of old tv shows, movies, old magazines and comics, or lots of other related things.

       I still say there is so much to do here that all you have to do is look around.  Megacon is a great fun family event that has gotten bigger and better through the years.  If you’re a Science Fiction or comic buff, this is the place to be. For or an aspiring professional this is the place to network, network, and network.  Come have fun and be like a kid in a candy store with all these magical things all around you.   For more information on prices, TV stars, artists and authors check out the cons website at www.megaconvention.com.