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Photo by Jon Anderson
Lydia Ranzy of Hoover, Alabama, placed first in the costume contest at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024. She was dressed as Ballora from the Five Nights at Freddy's horror video game.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
The top three winners in the costume contest at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024. From left are Matthew and Jessie Guarino of Hoover as Flynn Rider and Rapunzel (third place), Lydia Ranzy of Hoover as Ballora from the Five Nights at Freddy's horror video game (first place) and Allen Pilkington of Tarrant as a Pokemon park ranger (second place).
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Allen Pilkington of Tarrant, Alabama, placed second in the costume contest at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024. He was dressed as a Pokemon park ranger.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Matthew and Jessie Guarino of Hoover, Alabama, came in third place in the costume contest at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024. They were dressed as Flynn Rider and Rapunzel.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Rachel Jordan of Hoover, Alabama, dresses as Pyro for the costume contest at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Elijan Nelson of Pelham, Alabama, dresses as a "Clonetrooper going to work" in the costume contest at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A girl dresses as Junko Enoshima at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A participant in the costume contest at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Louis Knight of Birmingham, Alabama, dresses as Cogsworth from the Dungeons and Dragons game at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Megan Bauman of the Bluff Park community dresses as Rayla from "The Dragon Prince" animated show for the costume contest at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Emma Talley of Columbus, MIssissippi, dresses as Ellie Winter from "The Last of Us" for the costume contest at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Maddie McLendon of Hoover, Alabama, (standing) and Killian Knight of Alabaster, Alabama, dress as Laudna and Caviar the dog from Dungeons and Dragons at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Megan Bauman of the Bluff Park community dresses as Rayla of The Dragon Prince animated show in the costume contest at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Winter Odom dresses as TechnoBlade from Minecraft in the costume contest at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo courtesy of Lance Shores/H
A secne from the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Shanea Gulledge of Ritual Trend Beauty demonstrates how to apply cosplay makeup with Zoe Brown as a model at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Zoe Brown serves as a model during a cosplay makeup demonstration at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
People make their way through the vendor area at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo courtesy of Lance Shores/H
A visitor at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
People play video games at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo courtesy of Lance Shores/H
A man dressed as Luigi from Mario Bros. plays a video game at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo courtesy of Lance Shores/H
Girls play a video game at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo courtesy of Lance Shores/H
A panel discussion at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo courtesy of Lance Shores/H
Visitors to the the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo courtesy of Lance Shores/H
Star Wars characters check out some books at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo courtesy of Lance Shores/H
Matthew and Jessie Guarino, dressed as Flynn Rider and Rapunzel, talk with other visitors to the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo courtesy of Lance Shores/H
Darth Vader checks out a book at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo courtesy of Lance Shores/H
A vendor at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo courtesy of Lance Shores/H
Artwork on display at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo courtesy of Lance Shores/H
Matthew and Jessie Guarino, dressed as Flynn Rider and Rapunzel, play a board game at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo courtesy of Lance Shores/H
Books for sale at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
People play the Age of Sigmar game at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024. From left are Benjamin Blevins, Michael Owens, Harris Weed and Matthew McDonald.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
People play the Kingdom Builder game at the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, on Saturday, July 27, 2024. From left are Brett Stiefel, Jacob Phillips, Gryan Allgood and Mindy Austin
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Photo courtesy of Lance Shores/H
Visitors to the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library on Saturday, July 27, 2024, get their picture taken with Star Wars characters.
A Hoover girl won the costume contest at the 2024 Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest at the Hoover Public Library on Saturday.
Lydia Ranzy took first place in the contest by dressing as Ballora from the Five Nights at Freddy’s horror video game, one of her favorite games. Ranzy said she has been playing the video game and watching other people play for it at least two years.
She decided to come to the Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest and enter the costume contest after hearing about the festival three days ago during a cross-stitch class at the library.
Ranzy was one of 13 people in the costume contest, though there were actually only 11 entries in the competition because two of the entries included two people entering together as a pair.
Second place went to Allen Pilkington of Tarrant, who dressed as a Pokemon park ranger, while third place went to Matthew and Jessie Guarino of Hoover, who dressed as fictional characters Flynn Rider and Rapunzel.
Hundreds of people came to this year’s Sci-Fi Fantasy Fest, which was being held in person for the first time in five years. The festival, which started in 2015, went virtual in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with activities and events being held online only. The festival was not held in 2022 and 2023 after the primary organizer left her job at the Hoover library.
In addition to the costume contest, other activities this year included panel discussions, a cosplay makeup demonstration, video games, cosplay photos, tabletop fantasy games, fantasy art, science fiction used book sale, other vendors and an interactive screening of “The Princess Bride” movie, done in the style of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” with people shouting out lines and acting out scenes.
There also was a “Camp Half-Blood” for kids at 10 a.m. with crafts and activities based on the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” TV series.
The festival went from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
