Soky’s Choice: Bowling Green Anime-Fest brings cosplay, community and creativity to the Corvette Museum

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WNKY) — Anime fans from across Kentucky and beyond filled the Corvette Museum Conference Center on Sunday for Bowling Green Anime-Fest, a celebration of pop culture, creativity, and community.

The annual event, now in its fourth year, featured voice actors, artists, vendors, trivia contests and a packed cosplay competition. Organizers said the day-long convention continues to grow in both size and spirit.

“It brings the community together for anime and stuff like that,” said convention manager Brian Echlos. “They get to come here, have a good time. It’s nice and safe, lots of friendly vendors, and they get to experience each other and their hobby.”

This year’s guests included voice actors Aaron Campbell and Greg Dulcie, who met with fans, signed autographs and talked about their latest anime projects. Campbell said the passion of Kentucky fans made the trip well worth it.

“We get lots of people. People come from several hours away to see voice actors and to be a part of the anime community, which has grown exponentially in the past few years,” Campbell said.

Dozens of local and regional vendors lined the conference floor, selling art, collectibles and handmade items. Among them was Julianna, CEO of Premium Tufting, who brought her custom anime-inspired rugs.

“This event is very important for the anime community,” she said. “It’s the perfect place to find all your people that love anime.”

Fellow vendor Lili, representing UberMonk3D, said Bowling Green’s hospitality stood out from other conventions she’s attended across the country.

“The venue is fantastic here. It’s very friendly, very kind, and I’ve seen some of the best costumes now, the show has been amazing,” she said.

Echlos said the event’s family-friendly atmosphere is part of what keeps fans coming back each year.

“We always get good turnouts, and we try to do a good family-orientated event,” Echlos said. “We want people to want to come back, and we try to bring new voice actors and everything to spice it up.”

For more information about Bowling Green Anime-Fest, visit www.bganimefest.com.