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Matt and Ryan hit the road again this past weekend (January 3rd-5th) for Anime-ZAP in Peoria, IL!  The convention was held at the delightful Embassy Suites Hotel and their adjoining conference center.

While small, the con had plenty of opportunities for our boys to chat with attendees and make some new friends.  Even when the weather turned south and the power went out (seriously!) there was a great sense of solidarity and camaraderie that permeated this show!

 

As you can see, we pulled out all the stops on our winter wear and Lemon Squeezies!  With the snow, people were looking to bundle up and the new corgi and wiener dog scarves were irresistible.  Our rave hoodies were also a popular item and we had several other vendors and artists come up and buy some before the dealer’s room had officially opened on Friday!  Speaking of fellow vendors, the folks at Lilly Inverse Designs and Little House of Crafting deserve a shout out for being rad neighbors (and because Ryan accidentally pulled all their grid wall down on his own head).

  

After the dealer’s room closed, Ryan and Matt spent time teaching folks how to play the My Little Pony collectible card game from Enterplay.  Right now the whole Lemonbrat office is caught in the death grip of MLP card game fever, but Ryan at least found time to geek out about kaiju movies with a few attendees while Matt broke away to host some very excellent games of Ultimate Werewolf.  It was all fun and games until the snow rolled in Saturday evening. With over 3 inches falling on an already snow-laden con and a cold snap bringing temperatures down to -20 with the windchill, Anime-ZAP unfortunately ended on a somber note.

Despite weather woes, however, the show was a lot of fun and we will very likely be back next year!  Thanks to all of you who stopped by!