If you go
› What: Chattacon 41 fandom convention.› When: Friday, Jan. 29, to Sunday, Jan. 31.› Where: Chattanooga Choo Choo, 1400 Market St.› Admission: $50 adults; $35 ages 8-12; free for ages 8 and under with a paid adult. Register online for quicker pickup.› Website: www.chattacon.org.
Best-selling author William C. Dietz is the guest of honor at Chattacon 41.Bethany Holtsclaw has been hanging out around wizards, starship captains and superheroes since she was still knee-high to a hobbit.
Growing up, Holtsclaw says her parents held “pretty much every position there is” at Chattacon, an annual gathering of fans for all things genre fiction, whether fantasy, science fiction or horror. Now 26 years old, she’s followed in their footsteps and currently oversees media relations for the event, which will kick off its 41st gathering this weekend at the Chattanooga Choo Choo.
Over time, she says, the convention has come to mean more to her than just a place where she can gush about the latest books, TV shows and movies. It’s a 72-hour window to feel like part of a close-knit community.
“For me, it’s like escaping to another world for a weekend,” Holtsclaw says. “It’s not quite like a vacation – it’s something different – because it’s all of your friends in one place, and you get to meet new ones and have experiences you’ve never had. It’s a special escape for people who are like-minded.”