After last year’s mass cancellations, I’m so excited to announce our return to my first (and favorite) Halloween and horror convention, Scares That Care Charity Weekend. This family-friendly, fun-filled weekend began in 2014, and is still going strong thanks to generous donations, volunteers, word-of-mouth, and all-around spooky atmosphere. STC aims to fight the real monsters of life — like childhood illness, burns, and breast cancer — raising thousands of dollars for families fighting these terrible conditions. Con attendees not only have a hand in helping those families with donations, they get a weekend filled with celebrity meet-and-greets, vendors, movie nights, a costumed 5-K run (complete with participation t-shirt and medal), and panels. STC has grown from one event to two, with the original happening in Williamsburg, Virginia, and the second event in Racine, Wisconsin.
Like many other horror events that had been cancelled in 2020, 2021’s “reopening” had to do it big! Each year, I’ve noticed how STC’s celebrity and author list has gotten bigger and more prominent. I also see they’ve made a few changes, one thing in particular I was very excited about — the 5K race; usually the race is held that Friday morning, but this year it was Saturday, which is awesome because this means I could actually participate this year (which I did)! And keeping in theme with doing it big, the race had a record level of sign-ups.
Of course there were celebrities, authors, and vendors too. Usually, I will go to see one or two people in particular, but this year had quite a few well-known actors that I was more than excited to meet, including Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp, Cold Blooded Killers, Camp Twilight), Billy Zane (Titanic, Dead Calm), P.J. Soles (Halloween, Carrie), and Tom Atkins (Halloween III: Season of the Witch), among others. Many even had lines out of the door. Scott Cole, who wrote one of my favorite books, “Superghost,” was back again. And the vendor that keeps filling my living space, Mike Smash (“CuriousGoods”) was there too, selling his meticulously-handcrafted shadowboxes. Rooms were filled with costumed guests, horror memorabilia, and fans from all walks of life.
Scares That Care isn’t the biggest convention around, but I think it is the most loving and heartfelt. I truly believe that the horror community is the best fan community out there. Our likes may involve blood, gore, violence, and nudity, but we’re a family bonding over it all. And when the horror community comes together, we can create beautiful things. This year, STC was able to donate thousands once again to families in need. The horror community, led by Joe Ripple and the amazing Scares That Care volunteers did that. And this is why I come back every year, as should you.
Visit the Scares That Care Charity Weekend site, and donate if you can!
Read about our experiences at past STCs here.
