SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Collectors and families of all ages gathered for the first all Pokémon convention at the Hilton Garden inn.
PokeKon Fest was the first dedicated Pokémon only show in the South Bend market.
"I arrived at 9:30 a.m., I was shocked, people were actually here around eight, nine. They were like lined up outside, they were in the lobby waiting just to get in," said Miss Whitney, Co-host and Co-Organizer of PokeKon Fest.
Los Angeles-based voice actor Joe Hernandez, known for roles including Daruk and Yunobo in "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," Boucheron in "Fire Emblem Engage," and Galarian Darmanitan in "Detective Pikachu Returns," appeared throughout the day signing autographs and meeting fans, drawing one of the event's longest lines.
One attendee traveled from Massachusetts just for this event, "She said we drove just to be here, and I was actually shocked and she said she will be back actually next year," said Miss Whitney.
The show comes as Pokémon marks its 30th anniversary amid a broader national resurgence in card collecting, giving the one-day South Bend event a direct tie to a currently multibillion-dollar hobby.
The day was filled with dozens of vendors and local artists that were selling and trading Pokémon cards, prints, 3-D printed collectibles, and even mystery boxes.
Trading-card tables also drew sustained lines from open to close.