Future of Steel City NerdCon in question
A popular event in Sault Ste. Marie may not return next year. Organizers of Steel City NerdCon say with plans for a bigger event in 2023 fell through, coupled with the loss of its usual venue, the future of the event is in question.
Michael Turcotte, organizer and owner of Vintage Games N' Junque, said he was hoping to pair Nerdcon with another popular summer tourism draw, Poutine Feast.
"We found that it would be a great idea to try and combine the two at the GFL and make the biggest event we could, and unfortunately it didn’t really work out for some reason," said Turcotte.
The Sault Ste. Marie Downtown Association, which is involved with Poutine Feast, says a venue change cannot be accommodated due to agreements that are in place.
"Poutine Feast is a joint venture between us and the Ermatinger Clergue Historical Site, and they've been a founding partner," said the associations’ executive director, Salvatore Marchese.
"So, the location it is in benefits both us and them. So, it's just a matter of not being able to shift the location to honour our partnership."
Marchese says the Downtown Association is still willing to work with NerdCon to find an appropriate venue. In the meantime, Turcotte said the event is not likely to return to the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre.
"We had booked July 2nd, 2023 with Edie Suriano," said Turcotte, referring to the former event coordinator at the heritage centre.
"Unfortunately, she’s not there anymore and Jamie Hilsinger took over. And Jamie just chose to cancel our event."
Hilsinger told CTV News July is in the thick of prime tourism season, and she wants the venue open to bus tours and other visitors who pass through.
"We want to make sure they get the full Bushplane experience," said Hilsinger.
"The event (NerdCon) itself is excellent, we love it. We just don't feel it's necessarily appropriate at that time."
Hilsinger said other dates were suggested to the organizers.
Turcotte, in the interim, said while booking the GFL Memorial Gardens is not possible with NerdCon's budget.
Turcotte said he is not entirely ruling out an event in 2023, adding that other agencies and city councillors have reached out offering support.
"If we have any way of making it work, we’re going to try and make it work."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.