HOT SPRINGS NATIONAL PARK, Arkansas — A Superhero Parade featuring
people dressed as Star Wars characters such as Darth Vader will kick off two days
of fun on Saturday, September 23, for the Spa-Con Season 7 at the Hot Springs
Convention Center.
The three-day comic and pop culture convention will run September 22 – 24.
The Diamond Garrison of the 501st Legion — the club whose members cosplay Star
Wars characters — will lead the CASA Superhero Parade through the Convention
Center’s Expo Hall to kick off Spa-Con.
Funds raised through parade sponsorship and entry fees will go directly to Tri-
Lakes CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), which serves children in
Garland, Hot Spring and Grant Counties.
"Spa-Con is thrilled to be working with CASA again this year to bring the Superhero
Parade to Spa-Con Season 7," Visit Hot Springs Special Events Manager Alexis
Hampo said. “There was something so exciting seeing the Diamond Garrison of the
501st Legion leading the 2022 version of the parade throughout the
Convention Center. What a fun way to start the Con.”
Hampo said, “The parade will end with the Spa-Con Kids Cosplay Showcase. This
isn’t a contest, but a showcase where cosplaying kids will get to show off their
awesome costumes on stage. This will be hosted by award winning cosplayers like
Gregory Harris, Knightmage and Andi Serpenti.’
Registration for the Superhero Parade begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, September 23,
in the Spa-Con Theater, Room 207 of the Convention Center. Registration is $25
and can be accomplished at www.spa-con.org. The parade begins at 10 a.m. and
runs through 10:30 a.m.
The parade route will take participants from the Spa-Con Theater, down the center’s
concourse, through the Expo Hall and back to Spa-Con Theater for the Kids Cosplay
Showcase. Parade participants are encouraged to dress up as their favorite
superhero. The first 100 registrants will receive a custom superhero cape and a T-
shirt, and all registered marchers under the age of 13 will receive a complimentary
Saturday Day Pass to Spa-Con.
Tri-Lakes CASA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of
abused and neglected children in the court system. Its mission is to provide trained
volunteer advocates to safeguard the best interests of the children in dependency-
neglect cases by providing factual information to guide decisions made on their
behalf. An affiliate of the national and state CASA organizations, Tri-
Lakes CASA relies on grants and donations for daily operations and program
support. If you are interested in volunteering with Tri-Lakes CASA, please call 501-
321-9269 or email info@trilakescasa.org for more information.
Highlights of Spa-Con Season 7 announced previously include Spa-Con Showdown
2023, a top-rated video gaming Saturday, September 23, at Bank OZK Arena. It will
feature the recently released Street Fighter 6, and will have a $1,000-plus pot bonus
added to the players’ entry fees.
The Season 7 convention begins Friday evening with a concert by Galactic Empire,
which calls itself the galaxy’s foremost progressive technical heavy metal Star Wars
cosplay John Williams tribute band. Concert tickets are available at www.spa-
con.org
Other features for include cosplay workshops and appearances as well as
appearances by the 1972 Winnebago RV featured in the fourth season of “Stranger
Things” and the sheriff’s 2000 Ford Crown Victoria from “The Walking Dead.”
Also appearing will be Annabeth Gish, known to “X-Files” fans as Special Agent
Monica Reyes, comedian, writer, actor, producer Orlando Jones, who has been
called “the King of Fandom” by MTV, and Janeshia Adams-Ginyard, who starred in
the blockbuster movies “Black Panther” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
For more information call Alexis Hampo at 501-321-2027.