GarasuNoShiCon confirms seven guests for 2010
TOLEDO, OH – May 25, 2010 – GarasuNoShiCon ("Glass City Convention"), the Toledo, Ohio, area's premier anime and Japanese culture gathering, is pleased to announced it is able to confirm seven guests for its second-annual event to be held on Saturday, July 17 and Sunday, July 18 at Owens Community College. The event will be host to voice actor Robert Axelrod and voice actresses Cassandra Hodges and Julie Jensen, rock and roll band The Man Power, local kimono specialist Kerry Porter, soloist Gavin Goszka and featured GarasuNoShiCon artist Alex Heberling. Since GarasuNoShiCon operates with no attendance fees, you can bring your friends and family to the event to meet our esteemed guests and have access to our events, panels, screenings and more without paying a dime!
Voice actor Robert Axelrod is perhaps best known as the voice of Lord Zedd and Finster from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but has also lent his voice to a number of anime features, including Digimon, Robotech, Akira, The Big O and Cowboy Bebop, among others, and has just wrapped up work on Gaiking, Danguard Ace, Captain Horlock, The Adventures of Nadja and Fist of the North Star. Cassandra Hodges has performed for a number of different media, but anime fans may recognize her voice from several Funimation productions including School Rumble, Glass Fleet, Hell Girl, Mushi-shi, Solty Rei, Stigma and My Bride is a Mermaid. Ohio native Julie Jensen, also a member of the Salad Time Soldiers, provides additional voicing for a number of Disney's cartoons (such as Phineas and Ferb) and feature films.
The Man Power is the first of this year's confirmed musical acts and is a rock and roll band that has been performing since 2006. With a new album set to release in 2010, The Man Power has formerly shared the stage with acts such as the notable Japanese punk rock band Peelander-Z along with Zombie Bazooka Patrol, The Slants, The Notorious MSG and The Protomen. Returning to GarasuNoShiCon for its second year is acoustic soloist Gavin Goszka. Goszka has been recording songs since the age of 17 and as a fan of anime and Japanese music, one of his latest projects has him working on an original English CD featuring vocaloid Megurine Luka.
Also making a return for the convention's second year is featured local artist Alex Heberling. Heberling crafts original Web comics, including Garanos, and is responsible for all of GarasuNoShiCon's original art and mascot designs. Last, but certainly not least, local kimono specialist Kerry Porter will also be on hand. Exposed to the Japanese kimono and culture as a child through military bases, Porter will be offering a large collection of kimono for viewing and attendees will be able to interact with select kimonos during workshops she will be leading throughout the event.
With the event still a couple of months away, GarasuNoShiCon is still working a number of other guest possibilities and will announce any future confirmations on its Web site, www.glasscitycon.com. If you are involved in the anime/manga or video game industry, any venue pertaining to anime culture or run a prominent fan organization that is inspired by the anime industry and are interested in being a guest at GarasuNoShiCon 2010, please e-mail [email protected] with your information.
However, attendees are running out of time to take advantage of one of the greatest hotel discounts in convention history! The Days Inn of Toledo is offering rooms at the rate of just $44.99, plus tax, a night for those mentioning they are attending GarasuNoShiCon, but these rooms can only be guaranteed until June 1. Call 419-666-5120 to book your hotel today and visit http://glasscitycon.com/info/location.html to learn more about the convention's location as well as extended hotel information and points of interest.
Again, GarasuNoShiCon will be held July 17 and 18 at Owens Community College and will not only be featuring our esteemed guests, but also various events such as a electronic dance, cosplay competition, a fire show held by our mascot and more. Of course, we will have anime screenings running throughout the day and attendees that wish to be hands-on with the Japanese culture can take part in various panels, enjoy Japanese snacks and food at our snack bar and play video games that have never been released in the U.S. For up-to-date news and information about GarasuNoShiCon, please visit www.glasscitycon.com and feel free to contribute on the forums if you have any suggestions or concerns.