The Orland Park Public Library marks its fifth OPPLCon July 20 with the addition of a Royal Tea Party, a scavenger hunt, robot racing and the opportunity to wield a 3D pen.
The six-hour pop-culture event also anticipates the return of superhero training, a costume parade, 3D printing demonstrations and other popular mainstays.
“Just under” 2,000 visitors of all ages attended the mini comic con in 2018, said OPPLCon Chair Kortnee Fingler, a committee member since the event’s inception in 2015.
Fingler said attendance has “gone up steadily,” adding, “We’re trying to get it bigger every year.”
To that end, the 2019 mini comic con, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., adds the opportunity to wield a 3D pen in the computer lab from 10-11 a.m. or 2-3 p.m., along with robot racing in the driveway from noon to 1 p.m. Each activity is first come, first served.
The Very Special Bright Starts program presents “Wish Wisely, Aladdin” from 10 to 10:15 a.m. in the Storytime Room.
The Royal Tea Party from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. in the Storytime Room will feature favorite characters, juice and cookies, as well as an opportunity for the participating children to make a craft.
“Cards for Kids,” debuts as a formal activity, Fingler said, who said the library has made handmaking cards for hospitalized youngsters an informal activity “once or twice before. We decided to add it in as something else to do,” she said.
The uplifting cards are distributed through Cards for Hospitalized Kids, an internationally recognized charitable organization.
Youth Services activities include the transformation of a room into a Superhero Escape Room from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with superheroes required to find hidden clues and solve puzzles to escape. All superheroes must regi
ster in advance. For those unsure of their superhero credentials, training is being offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the driveway.
OPPLCon participants can also compete for prizes by engaging in seven activities. Five of the activities are available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.:
Make a card at the Cards for Kids table, first floor
Complete Superhero Training, driveway
Complete a craft at the Craft Table, Youth Services
Complete the I-Spy Room, Youth Services
Complete the Scavenger Hunt, Youth Services
The two other activities are the special story time from 10 to 10:30 a.m. and the Royal Tea Party from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m.
Activity participants collect buttons, also known as “badges,” from staff members to earn up to six drawing tickets toward prizes.
“It’s a different way to get them involved in different activities,” Fingler said.
The OPPLCon encourages family-friendly costumes, with photos offered to cosplayers in the lobby anytime during the event. In a related action, the annual costume parade is scheduled for noon.
In other activities, the Artists Alley returns, with Room 104 staffed by 17 artists and outfits for the entire event.
OPPLCon
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., July 20
Where: Orland Park Public Library, 14921 S Ravinia Ave.
Information: 708-428-5100; https://www.orlandparklibrary.org/comiccon/
