Chase Quint, 8, of So. Hutchinson selects his prizes after finding the hidden medallion during Hutch Mini-Con in Memorial Hall on Mar. 8, 2025 CREDIT GINA LONG/THE HUTCHINSON TRIBUNE
By Gina Long
Pop culture, comic book and superhero fans of all ages filled Memorial Hall on Saturday during the second annual Hutch Mini-Con.
Hundreds of attendees participated in costume and cosplay contests, a Mortal Kombat tournament, shopped at vendor booths, and competed in a medallion hunt. At the entrance, each child 15 and under was given a scavenger hunt card and a prize for finding all the items.
Event organizers Kendall and Kimberly Evans and their sons Paul and Wyatt alternated between taking tickets at the door, answering questions, running activities on the main stage, and lining up costume and cosplay participants.
“We’ve had a lot of people this morning,” Kimberly Evans said, but she was not keeping a running tally and did not have an estimate of attendees.
“Hutch came out, and it was awesome,” Kendall said. “Memorial Hall is a great facility. We had people from Salina, Wichita Pratt, Derby and Oklahoma. It’s a great economic boon for Hutchinson.”
The family owns NaCl Comic Cons and manages multiple comic cons in Hutchinson. They recently began organizing conventions in Salina and Ponca City, Okla.
Hutch Mini-Con doubled the number of vendors from the previous year, providing merchandise for many sci-fi, anime, and pop culture fans.
Ralondra “Loni” Brown of Loni’s Handmade Keychains & More sold keychains, lanyards, stuffed animals, necklaces, and more. She handcrafts almost every item sold. Her husband, Theodore, helps with customers and setting up the sales racks. The couple traveled from Yukon, Okla. Last year, they participated in the mini-con and the larger Hutch Comic Con on the fairgrounds.
“I try to cater to everyone,” Loni said, so she carries items including superheroes, popular television shows and anime.
“I just started creating sports stuff,” she said, pointing to NFL-branded keychains and lanyards. “We have a great time working with the Evans family and will be back at Hutch Comic Con in June.”
Final Orbit, a Hutchinson-based eSports startup, debuted at the mini-con, hosting a Mortal Kombat tournament.
Co-owner Davon Demaris talked about plans for Hutch Comic Con in June, during which Final Orbit will host Call of Duty and Magic: The Gathering tournaments at the fairgounds on Friday, June 20, and a Fortnite tournament on Saturday, June 21, during the comic con.
NaCl Comic Cons’ next event is the Hutchinson Comic Con, which will be held on June 20 and 21 in the Pride of Kansas building on the Kansas State Fairgrounds. The event is partnering with Salt City Pride, so the $10 entrance fee covers both events on Friday and Saturday.
A new three-day event, “Past, Present, Future,” will debut on the fairgrounds October 17-19.
Goldi / March 10, 2025
What a positive, quality, inclusive event for our community! I appreciate the coverage both before and after the event
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