As someone who loves attending conventions and doing cosplay, it was important to me when moving that I find these types of events in Nebraska. I was fortunate enough to attend my first convention in Nebraska in November– NebrasKon.

NebrasKon focuses heavily on anime, but there were panels focused on other topics including video games, pop culture, and comic books. The community at NebrasKon seemed supportive of each other, with a large amount of attendees mingling with new people and stopping to take pictures with cosplayers who had a look they admired. According the the NebrasKon website, there were over 6 thousand people in attendance!

The convention goes beyond just having fun and actually aims to raise money for a good cause each year. The 2016 NebrasKon, which was my first convention in Nebraska, reportedly raised  $5,777.12 from event-goers for Children and Adults with ADHD. The board will match that amount for a total donation of  $11,554.24. For the 2017 convention they have already selected their charity– Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

I love that this convention was not only a great time, but also has a mission to raise funds to help others. I think that is a huge part about what the “nerd community” should be about.

Some of the highlights of my NebrasKon experience include the cosplay competition, which had a performance by the Jing Mo Tong Athletic Association: Lion Dance Team. The team shared a Chinese cultural experience by performing with large lion-costumes that required multiple people to operate each one. The lion costumes had blinking eyes, which one of the team members would operate in between choreography. I had never seen a Lion Dance Team performance before, but I look forward to seeing them again– it was truly a joyful experience.

NebrasKon had a wide variety of things to do for people with an array of interests. From discussion panels to performances to shopping in the vendor room, I highly recommend the experience. I feel lucky that I was able to travel to the Omaha area to attend this convention and I hope to be able to go next year as well!