Sara Arnold
Gary Sohmers continues this labor of love that he started with the NorthEast Collectibles Extravaganza, which travels around New England and has since 1985. He added the NorthEast Comic Con in 2013 to much fanfare and excitement.
Sohmers says he’s 72 years old now, but doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon.
The venue is the Boxborough Regency Hotel and Conference Center at 242 Adams Place on Thanksgiving weekend, from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1.
Sohmers says he chose it because, “The venue is unique and the perfect environment for our event, with great exhibit space with easy load-in, many breakout rooms, a fabulous courtyard for our stage with concerts, Q&A’s and panels, and 500 free parking spaces right off of Route 495 at Route 111.”
Plus the hotel serves food all weekend, including a full-service restaurant.
Sohmers thinks Thanksgiving weekend is the perfect time for a comic con. “Nerds don’t spend Black Friday at Walmart. It’s the busiest shopping weekend of the year so where else can you shop for interesting artifacts, cool decorative items, original comic art, autographs, and photo ops from celebrities,” he said.
They will have over 100 exhibitors encompassing comics, vintage and modern collectible toys, trading and game cards, Funko, diecast, original comic art, action figures, Star Wars, science fiction, vinyl records, horror, monsters, Transformers, G.I. Joe, Barbie, TMNT and all forms of pop culture collectibles.
“A lot of toys, cards, original comic art, action figures, collectibles, memorabilia, pop culture, nerd crafts and books,” Sohmers said.
There will be celebrity appearances, including the headliner, Mickey Dolenz from The Monkees and his sister Coco. VIP tickets can be purchased to gain early entry, as well as photo opps and even sharing a meal with Mickey Dolenz.
Sohmers said he only chooses celebrities who are “nice” to their fans and “don’t charge too much for their autographs.” Other celebrities attending include musician, actor, and DJ Michael DesBarres, comic artist Joe St. Pierre, Kelli Maroney of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and Anne Dudek from White Chicks, among others.
Cosplay is also important to the event. There’s a cosplay parade for the kids in attendance. They march around the entire 50,000 square foot property and everyone applauds for the children as they march by. There is an all-ages “Create-A-Character Cosplay Contest” which Sohmers said, “involves cosplay with a backstory.” Contestants are scored on originality by their costume and the backstory that goes with the costume. The winner is chosen by the audience for a $50 prize. There is also a “Pose Off” for adults to win.
Other events include a live concert with Zilch, a live Monkees tribute band, Karaoke with the Stars on Saturday night featuring former Joe Perry Project singer Mach Bell, and a variety of panels, workshops, Q&As, and interviews.
Unlike most events of its kind, Sohmers doesn’t use volunteers. While they “have a lot of support from many communities in pop culture and the arts who present programming,” everyone gets paid to operate the show.
“I started the NorthEast Collectibles Extravaganza in 1985 to aggregate various niches together in a single event including music, comics, toys, and antiques,” Sohmers said. But the comic part grew into its own convention.
“I have been buying and selling collectibles for over 50 years, but have been a collector since I was 8 … comic books are the nostalgia of youth,” Sohmers said. Comics and related ephemera are so important because “Great stories and memorable characters are the stuff of legends, so they transcend time,” he added.
He’s almost sold out of exhibitor space, but anyone interested can email Sohmers at GarySohmers@gmail.com.
Sohmers is also involved in several other local activities, including “My Beasties: A Sci-Fi Rock Opera,” which he describes as “a live, immersive, sci-fi graphic novel, a visual-storytelling, rockin’ rollin’ musical theatrical experience.”
Although being performed in Arlington, the rock opera is full of locals. Worcester guitarist Cliff Goodwin, Sutton drummer Dan Drohan, Sturbridge bass player Robb Simring, and Clark University graduate music director Billy Holloman and Sohmers live in Hudson.