STATE COLLEGE — The Happy Valley Comic and Collectibles convention returned to the Nittany Valley Sports Centre on Friday, Feb. 24, and Saturday, Feb. 25.
After a successful debut in 2023, the annual convention came back for its second year, bringing celebrities, panelists, cosplayers, vendors, artists and more to Centre County.
Centre Hall residents Tom and Maureen Range, along with their children Megan and Mitchell, hosted and organized the convention. The family began work on the 2024 convention just days after completing the 2023 rendition of the event.
“We had a much larger turnout this year. Saturday was especially huge; the attendance was larger than the whole weekend last year,” Tom Range said. “We had one vendor comment, ‘It’s four o’clock in the afternoon, and people are still coming into the convention. You did something right!’”
HVC3 boasted a tremendous number of varied vendors offering everything from handmade soaps and art to comic books and video games worth thousands of dollars. There was no shortage of activities and fun for all ages on the show floor.
The event also offered some truly unique aspects to guests, such as costume contests, Padawan training sessions from the Central PA Chapter of the Saber Guild, Magic the Gathering and Pokémon tournaments and even tattoos from Holey Truth Body Art LLC.
“I always enjoy the costume contests. I was impressed with how many people showed up for all ages. The 18-and-over group put a lot of time and energy into making their costumes,” Maureen Range commented. “When the winner of the 11- to 17-year-olds won, he immediately sat down and put his gold medal around his neck. His Demoman costume won the hearts of the judges! The under-10 winner was a white cat who stayed in character even after winning the award.”
Cosplayers walked around the Nittany Valley Sports Centre in carefully curated costumes. Characters from Star Wars, Doctor Who, classic comic books, beloved television shows and more were brought to life at HVC3.
“There were quite a few highlights,” Tom Range remarked. “Seeing all the Star Wars cosplayers come together and do a group photo under the banner Maureen created, seeing Adam Lenker’s Dalek train to be a Jedi, taking part in a group photo with my Phi Mu Alpha brothers on the USS Solstice set and then getting pictures of Penn State fencer Kamar Skeete battle Darth Maul!”
Notable celebrities made guest appearances throughout the weekend, including Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld, who voiced Nurse Joy on Pokémon; Carey Means, who voiced Frylock from Aqua Teen Hunger Force; James Urbaniak, who voiced Dr. Venture from Venture Brothers; and Susanna Malek, who plays Jawa on The Mandalorian and the Book of Boba Fett, among others. Additionally, HVC3 featured Matt Servitto and Al Sapienza from The Sopranos, along with Sapienza’s singing partner, Deborah Rennard from the show Dallas.
“We are extremely happy that the second year was a success. We have to thank everyone who has supported this event, including the Comic Vault in Altoona, Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, the Happy Valley Brewing Company, Patton Township Police and all the family, friends, vendors and attendees that supported the event,” Tom Range said.
As for 2025, HVC3 is already anticipating another successful event, with Maureen Range in the process of designing the next yearly logo.
“We shall return!” Tom Range said. “The convention was a huge success, and we expect it to be even bigger next year. We are currently trying to work out a date that will work with the Nittany Valley Sports Centre. They have been very supportive, and the Sports Centre is amazed by how many people came out and enjoyed themselves.”
“We are encouraged by our success these last two conventions and are looking forward to next year’s convention and beyond,” Maureen Range added.
The turnout for this year’s convention shows a definite interest from community members in the region, and the Range family hopes to have started a new annual tradition in Happy Valley.
