By Roger Lockridge, for RealWV
What do you get when you combine pop culture, cosplay, costumes, and charity? You get Causeacon, which has become one of southern West Virginia’s most popular events over the last few years.
Causeacon is a local version of a Comic-Con type event that generates proceeds for charities and nonprofit organizations in the Beckley, WV area. Their most notable cause is AWAY WV (formerly Women’s Resource Center), which serves as the domestic violence program for Raleigh, Fayette, Nicholas, and Summers counties.
The 2023 edition of Causeacon was held on the weekend of Apr. 28-30 at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center. Hundreds of people could be seen walking around in a variety of costumes ranging from Ghostbusters to Star Wars and even anime shows like Attack on Titan. The folks there were enjoying video game tournaments, Nerf battles, Q&A sessions, and a trade show featuring local vendors promoting their products and services. There were even celebrities at the event, including Stuart Zagnit, the voice of Professor Oak on Pokemon and fellow voice actor Bill Rogers. Fans of all ages ranging from toddlers to grandparents were not only attending, but they were also participating.
Aside from seeing the vendor booths, the more popular events were Fairmont’s Praxeum Light Saber contests and Lip Sync Battles. There was a game room with a variety of old-school games ranging from the original Nintendo system to the latest editions of Call of Duty on PlayStation and Xbox. There were even pinball machines. Yes, there was also a Pawsplay event for pets to take part too.
Members of AWAY WV’s staff and volunteers worked the event both selling tickets and providing customer service, and they were all smiles at the support and enjoyment that came from this annual event. People that want to pursue careers in cosplay, be more involved in the community, or simply looking to contribute in ways beyond attending are encouraged to reach out to Causeacon organizers and get involved.
The dates for the 2024 edition of Causeacon have yet to be announced. For more information, go to www.causeacon.com or follow their Facebook page.
All images courtesy of Causeacon.
