LAMEcon Continues Today (June 30)

It’s back.

The Library Anime & Manga Enthusiasts Convention, or LAMEcon as its cheekily and affectionately known, has returned for its fifth year in a year. It kicked off yesterday (June 29) and will continue today (June 30) at the Land O’ Lakes library, 2818 Collier Parkway.

Paul Stonebridge, teen services manager for Pasco Libraries, said attendance climbed from 50 people the first year to “last year, we had 468, to be exact.”

“People are finding out about us,” he said. “Then people realize, oh my God, we’re free, too.”

Organizers are expecting about 500 people to show and if they do in fact get that turnout, next year’s convention will likely move to a larger venue.

Lovers of Asian comic art will find lots to do at LAMEcon 2013.

Today (June 30) is the main convention day and runs from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. There are panel discussions, a trivia contest, an artist’s alley, a video game room, an “achievement system” where attendees can earn more than 20 badges, a vendor’s area, a cosplay contest plus a maid café where $5 gets you food, drink and entertainment. Fittingly, this year’s theme is “It’s Not Just About Anime.”

“There’s more than we have ever had going on,” Stonebridge said of the 2013 convention.

Here is Sunday's schedule, courtesy of the convention's Facebook page: