Welcome to DragonCon!

Posted by Debby Yoder, ATLANTA, GA -- Atlanta's Labor Day weekends are filled with interesting things to do around the city. But perhaps the most popular and famous event is DragonCon. Founded in 1987, DragonCon is now the largest parade and convention dedicated to all things science fiction around (DragonCon officials will tell you it's the largest in the universe). The Con is well-known for the extreme costumes and occasionally outlandish behavior of some of the participants. All descriptions are understated compared to the sheer joy of being at the parade and convention. This year some 52,000 people attended. Over the years, Con has expanded to include comics, gaming, film and pretty much anything found in pop culture. Zombies continue to grow in popularity and this year’s parade included a Zombie Boy Scout troop and an oversized float from Netherworld Haunted House.  Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games series made an appearance, alongside classics like the Batmobile and a large contingent of Star Wars characters.

Lesser known about DragonCon is the annual charity auction and blood drive. For example, last year’s auction raised about $40,000 for the National Inclusion Project to assist children with disabilities, and collected 3,500 units of blood. Stay away vampires. By the way, you can "like" DragonCon on Facebook and keep up with all of its other events and activities. https://www.facebook.com/pages/DragonCon/58381388805

Debby Yoder is a contributor to Social Shutter and a student at Georgia State University She can be contacts at debby.yoder@gmail.com.