Convention du Lac
Convention du Lac is a North American multigenre convention, held annually in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The convention is operated by The Southwest Louisiana Science Education Foundation, a non-profit organization.
History
Convention du Lac grew as the brainchild of local resident Justin Toney. The organization was unofficially formed in December of 2007 and finally incorporated in February of 2009 by Board of Director's Justin Toney, Michael Rousell, Stuart Griggs, Kevin Cinquemano, and Garrett Manuel. The non-profit organization is based on the mission statement: "We are dedicated to the promotion of arts in science through related fictional and non-fictional media".
Today the organization continues its commitment of education through the media by its use of the Convention du Lac event.
Convention du Lac, or Convention at the Lake, is The nod to the French culture and that found in Southwest Louisiana.
Programming
The 2 and 1/2 day convention provides over 20 hours or unique programming spanning from Science Fiction, Comics, and Art, to Acting, Literature, and cosplay.
Year One-2009
From humble beginnings Convention du Lac held its first event at the Enos Derbonne Sports Complex where an estimated 280 attendees participated in the convention. Battlestar Galactica actor Richard Hatch was the first media guest to attend. Fan groups including the Bast Alpha Garrison and CajunBot attended as well. Upon completion of the first convention, organizers knew expansion was necessary.
Year Two-2010
After successfully hosting the first convention, organizers searched for a new facility capable of hosting the expanding convention. The event moved to the Lake Charles Civic Center and several programming options were added. Guests for this convention included Battlestar Galactica's Luciana Carro and Star Trek's Chase Masterson. Supporting guests included Larry Nemecek, Roger Nygard, Daryl Frazetti, and Curtis Webster. Fan groups from Louisiana and Mississippi also participated in the convention. With popularity growing, the convention membership grew to 450.
Year Three-2011
Planning is under way for the next convention.