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Star Trek: TNG's Counsellor Troi visited Timmins this week

Biggest Northern Expo yet happened on the weekend

The sixth Northern Expo, a two-day sci-fi and pop culture convention was an out of this world experience this past weekend with exhibitors and attendees coming from all over the universe including London, England, Los Angeles, California, Buffalo, New York, Gaspésie, Quebec and Mississauga Ontario.

“This is turning out to be our best Northern Expo ever,” said Jason Denis, the president of the Northern Expo. “And we are truly appreciative of the larger space granted us by the Sportsplex.”

“Last year at the McIntyre Ballroom we barely squeezed in 25 booths and display,” Denis explained. “This year we are double our previous size with between 40 and 50 booths.

Among the intergalactic characters who participated were Marina Sirtis from London, England by way of Los Angeles who played Counselor Deanna Troi on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the four feature films that followed.

Sirtis who was born in the east end of London, England was very concerned that her English Premier League team Totem Hotspurs lost their final game of the season thus finishing second to the Cinderella team from Leicester.

Sirtis explained why fans have endearing love and affection for her character.

“Counselor Troi was very caring and nurturing,” said Sirtis. “In a very stressful environment aboard a federation starship, she helped people suffering from all sorts of damage including PTSD.”

Next to Marina was Walter E. Jones, the original Black Ranger from the first generation of Power Rangers, who looks way, way younger than his 50 years.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers went on air, August 28, 1993 launching Fox Kids TV programing. Now into its 23rd year, the franchise has spawned, two movies with a third set for 2017 release.

“The Power Rangers continue to be popular years later because viewers can identify with the characters,” explained Jones. “These are teenagers who are called upon to fight evil as represented by Rita Repulsa and others.”

“Each character can call special power it has when they morph into Power Rangers, like each one of us has special talents and powers,” Jones added.

The Northern Expo is evolving into a prime family time event in Timmins. Mothers and fathers with toddlers, pre-teens and babies in strollers were everywhere in the aisles taking in the various exhibits, displays, representations and even screenings of favourite movies.

Strolling along with those regular earth families were a myriad of Klingons, superheroes, and Star Wars characters who were also taking in the show.

Closer to home the Northern Expo featured many excellent homegrown Timmins talents such as the three-person team that has published three issues of Auric of the Great White North.

This comic book series is a bona-fide made-in-Timmins original. The original character first drawn especially for the Northern Expo 2015 by artist Mike Rooth. It was named Auric by Katy Montigny during a social media contest held on the Northern Ontario Expo Facebook page.

Davis Dewsbury is the writer for the series and Andrew Thomas, the primary artist, though the last issue was drawn by Sharon Gauthier who is from Gaspe, Quebec.

Further afield came the 1966 Batmobile all the way from a secret bat cave in Buffalo New York. Batman always loved Buffalo chicken wings so he and Alfred set up Wayne Industry in de-industrializing Buffalo where he got a great rate on property.

“I actually got involved with great cars of television (and movies) because I grew up watching the Dukes of Hazzard, Knight Rider, Starsky and Hutch, the A-Team,” said Jett Yaskow, from Buffalo. “It was a great time to watch TV.”

“Growing up in the 1980s was a great time to watch television and films because of all the great cars,” Yaskow added.

And now that the Northern Expo 2016 has come to a close and sci-fi aficionados need a fix of their favourite super-hero they need not despair as Jump City can provide them with their favourite comic books, graphic novel and other paraphernalia.

Jump City which had a very well visited booth at the Northern Expo has a shop on 229 Pine Street South in Timmins. It is run by sisters Julie and Katy.

Why are so many people in Timmins and world wide so fascinated by comics, sci-fi and pop culture gatherings like the Northern Expo 2016?

As one person put it – “It fascinates the young children and it keeps their parents feeling young and connected to their own youth.”


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Frank Giorno

About the Author: Frank Giorno

Frank Giorno worked as a city hall reporter for the Brandon Sun; freelanced for the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star. He is the past editor of www.mininglifeonline.com and the newsletter of the Association of Italian Canadian Writers.
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