ARCHON 35 MASQUERADE WINNERS:

Best in Show – Senator Padme’ Amidala; Vera Campbell

Best Master Class – Sen Tokugawa; Jill Dailey

Best Journeyman Class – Momohime; Vicky Assarattanakul

Best Novice Class – Captain Liliana; Wei He

Best Junior Class – Mr. Bubbles Takes a Walk; Lucian LaCroix

Best Anime – The Art of Black and White; Stacey Feldman

Judges Choice for Reimagining of a Character – Anthromorph R2; Yuki Suzuki

Judges Choice for Best Humor – Capt Oscar the Grouchiest Pirate of the Seven Seas; Thomas “Phoenix” Gambino

Judges Choice for the Junior Presentation – Phineas & Ferb; Jonny & Will Stadter

Judges Choice for Crown Pleaser– Rock-A-Bye Fairy; Frank Sauer, Dana Wiltshire, Eric Sauer, Mindi Wiltshire & Jean Sauer

Honorable Mention for Anime – Jun the Swan; Chantella La Croix

Honorable Mention for Best Wings – Little Fairy; Audrey Bakke

Honorable Mention for Magical Presentation: Dr. McCaffery Saint George of the Ministry of Magic; Denise Dietsch

Workmanship Awards:

Best in Show – Let My People Go; Jim Inkpen, Carol Inkpen, Pierre Pettinger, Sandy Pettinger, Larry Miske, Michael Bruno, Susan Parisi, Rebecca Paris, Steve Swope, Ramona Taylor, Karen Heim, Genie Hillen & Dave Kanoy

Best in Journeyman – Best Anime Recreation – Sen Tokugawa; Jill Dailey

Best Fit and Finish – The Art of Black and White; Stacy Feldman

Best Sculpture Work –Rock-A-Bye Fairy; Frank Saur; Dana Wiltshire, Eric Saur, Mindi Wiltshire, & Jean Saur

Best Recreation from Media – A Walk in Dark Places; Sarah Bloy

Best Headress – Escape from the Chrysalis; Julia Ann Hyll Pest Piecework (with difficult fabric) 

Best Tailoring – Senator Padme Amidala; Vera Campbell The Magic is in the Details – McCaffery Saint George of the Ministry of Magic; Denise Dietsch

Best Engineering –The “Magic” of Viagra; Valerie & Michael Ritchie

Best Appliqué – Lord f Midnight; Ashley Counts

Best Robot – Mr. Bubbles Takes a Walk; Lucian LaCroix

Best Detail Work – The Court of the Muffin Queen; Margaret Blakesley, Joyce Blakesley, Mora Mai; Susan Eisenhauer & Danielle Roth

Best Makeup – Rah Rah Rah; Bruce (the Lesser) Hingerleitner & Dana Hinterleitner

A Pair of Front Row Seats Available for the Grande Masquerade

This year we will raffle off a pair of front row seats to the Grande Masquerade! Anyone who has waited in line for 1 1/2 -to- 2 hours knows how valuable this can be! No need to wait in line. No need to eat dinner very early or very late. No need to miss other panels. These seats will be located next to the official photographer and her assistants. Tickets will be on sale at Con HQ in the Convention Center for $1 each or 6 for $5. All proceeds will be donated to the Challenger Learning Center, Archon's official charity. One ticket will be drawn at 5:00 PM. THE WINNER WILL RECEIVE TWO FRONT ROW SEATS IN A COMFY COUCH!  (Note: The winner will be contacted by cell phone, if provided.) The ticket number will be posted by Con HQ, announced in the lobby of the Convention Center, posted on Facebook, and Tweeted!

If you've attended an Archon in the last ten years, you know what to expect from an Archon Masquerade - a unique blend of theatre and talent show, a bit of old-time burlesque, with a bit of Saturday morning cartoons thrown in for good measure. The stage is large and well-lit, the sound system rocks; the M.C. is author Victor Milan, a long-time crowd favorite who keeps things moving with good humor and grace, and the occasional bad pun. Well, okay, more than occasional... really, he's very punny! Anyway. we've seen all manner of costumes cross our stage, representing every aspect of science fiction and fantasy media, books, and artwork. Historical reproductions, role-playing characters, and the odd... well, let's just leave it at "odd".

 

What makes the Archon masquerade any different from any other con masquerade, you may ask? The answer, my friend, is in the details- the little things that, when put together, make the show run so smoothly. Our tech team provides total support for the costumer, whether experienced or not, and makes each contestant feel like a star. We rehearse for hours to produce a show that is slick, entertaining, and fun for both the costumers AND the audience. What the audience sees on our stage is the product of a lot of people working very hard to showcase the art of each individual costumer, and to make it appealing to the crowd, as well.

The Archon Masquerade has drawn contestants from both coasts, as well as Canada. They come the first time to see for themselves what the fuss is about - they come back each year after that because they know that they are welcomed here like no where else. Some of our long-time contestants compete as families, drafting the kids and even Grandma along for the ride!

While many convention masquerades have faltered in the last decade, the Archon Masquerade has grown steadily. One of the reasons may be because of the Best Anime Costume Award we began offering a few years ago. We've seen some wonderful new talent cross our stage as a result.

If you decide to enter a costume into the Archon Masquerade, here’s what you can expect from us:

1. A fun, positive experience. If you're not happy, we're not happy - period.

2. A tech rehearsal where you will get to walk the stage, hear your music, find the best lighting, check your props, etc.

3. Staff and crew people that want to make you shine, and have the toys to make it happen.

4. An exclusive no-cost Post-Masquerade party for costumers and crew.  Where you can relax and enjoy hot food and cold drink while watching the video replay of what the audience saw.

If you would like to find out more about the Archon Masquerade, check out the website at: http://www.archonmasq.org. You can also contact the Masquerade Directors, Sheila Lenkman and Scott Corwin, at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Or, if you prefer the non-electronic way, at: Archon Masquerade, PO Box 4191, Ballwin, MO 63022.