CloverCon 2024 Recap:
Wow! It’s been almost a month since CloverCon happened! I have put away most, but not all, of the bits & pieces that crowded my porch & my life! So, every year (not counting the missing Covid years) how does the Anime & Manga Club keep stepping up? Well, we don’t re-invent the wheel; we just grease the wheels that already work. With our marvelous mix of panels, improv & drawing workshops, video & table top games, manga library, labyrinth, & anime screenings, we also have a gym full of artists & dealers, plus Clover Café & the Cosplay Catwalk Contest. Although this year we added upstairs in our Game Room several more table top ones to the schedule, because why not? Hey, the more the merrier!
So, why do we do it? Well, because we love our people (our tribe), we keep on keeping on. It’s never perfect, but it does speak to our heads, hearts, hands, & yes, our health (BTW all in our 4-H pledge!). We love the whole long process that becomes CloverCon as it promotes Japanese traditional & popular culture. Our stepping stone convention attracts young adults who love to cosplay plus some families that also play in our multi-verse. We are the little con that could!
A grateful thanks goes out to our Somerset County 4-H’s encouragement of our annual event, which also promotes 4-H as a great youth development program. 4-H is a brilliant & inspired collective of deep interests. Their whole mission is to have youth discover their “best self” as they learn to actively cooperate in whatever interests them the most. Besides our Anime & Manga Club aka Village Hidden in the Clovers, it’s a coming together of several 4-H clubs: the Chinese Culture Club, Role 4 Initiative: Dungeons & Dragons Club, Game On! Club, PhotoBombers, & Clover Ensemble. I want & need to thank everyone & every club that helped again to make this another successful fundraiser for our 4-H Anime & Manga Club because we all really benefit in the long run. Oh yeah, the more the merrier indeed on this shared adventure!
Good News: Mark your calendars for May 18, 2025 when we open our doors & hearts for the next CloverCon!
Sincerely,
Betty sensei