Wytheville's first sci-fi convention, WyVaCon, was held July 28 in Wytheville

WyvaCon, despite being the first event of its kind, drew an estimated 360 people to Wytheville, Va., on July 28. It was the brainchild of Chris Dehart and his family, who seemed quite pleased with the turnout. "We could have opened the doors had had 25 people here — all of whom we knew," one organizer was overheard saying.
"We never expected this!"

A con attendee dressed as one of the Orion slave girls from the original "Star Trek" show poses with a young fan. Puberty will arriving for this young man at warp speed.

The 501st Legion, a group of Star Wars costume builders, attended the con. The group's numerous chapters travel the country working for children's charities and making public appearances. A talented and generous group of folks.

Vendors came from all over Southwest Virginia, ranging from comic and video game stores, private collectors selling off some of their treasures, Steampunk enthusiasts, authors, artists, tabletop and RPG gamers, paranormal research groups, stand-up comedians, musicians, makeup effects artists, sci-fi and fantasy craft-makers and many more.

Zombies play an XBox Kinect game. Nothing is more disturbing than the dancing undead.

Steampunk as a sci-fi/fantasy genre was alive and well at WyvaCon.

This young man made his own Steampunk gear.

This Nosferatu-style vampire was an example of some of the impressive makeup effects on display.

Some of the 501st Legion's replica weapons.

A clonetrooper helmet replica

Joining the 501st Legion was Boba Fett and Jango Fett, with fan Alex Funk, an adopted Mandalorian commando for the day. The Fetts and a Stormtrooper posed for fans (in exchange for donations) and even demonstrated the work that goes into building their elaborate, screen-accurate costumes.

More Steampunk cosplay

The Cartoon Network show "Adventure Time" has become such a cult hit that it has perhaps as many — or more — adult and teen fans as kids. This vendor was selling homemade plushes and wreaths with characters like Finn, Jake, Ice King and Gunter the Penguin.

Paul Crockett's steampunk mask.

Kevin Brooks of Galax, in his Ghostbusters gear, poses with Alex Funk and his Holy Grail of toy finds — a "Samurai Jack" figure. The show has been off the air for about a decade, but it has legions of loyal fans and the toys have been elusive.

Warhammer 40K tabletop game players were well represented, with players from the Galax area and the New River Valley.

So a Ghostbuster and an Elf walk into a bar...

A fan dressed as scary (but heroic) vigilante Casey Jones, an ally of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

Doesn't get much geekier than this — homemade Cthulhu throw pillows.

Before you embrace the madness, maybe a nap.

Another example of a full-face prosthetic makeup appliance.

Comedy trio "Straight Outta Comic-Con"

Paul Crockett of Bluefield, W.Va., was on hand to promote "Pure Steam," a fantasy/steampunk role-playing game based in Appalachia in the 1800s. The developers are working to incorporate real settings into the game, which finds fantasy characters like giants and goblins living alongside regular folks in an inspired mash-up of genres. "Imagine slack-jawed hillbilly giants in bib overalls hurling rocks at you," Crockett said. "Or moonshining alchemists." It's an exciting project, which also includes novels and a soundtrack, which he described as industrial metal with banjos.

One of the organizes of Roanoke's long-running sci-fi convention, MystiCon, held each February.

A large Warhammer 40K game piece.

Many gamers who play Warhammer 40K are true artists, customizing and painting their small-scale pieces with intricate detailing. These figures are about 2 inches tall.