Visitors to the Cass District Library Saturday were transported to a different world: one filled with larger-than-life superheroes, monsters and ghouls from beyond the grave, and even aliens hailing from galaxies far, far away.

Hundreds of children, teenagers and adults from around the area stopped by the Cassopolis library that afternoon for the first-ever Fandom Fest, a five-hour celebration of geek culture organized by leaders with the Cass, Dowagiac, Berrien Springs and Eau Claire libraries. Attendees had the chance to win prizes, play board and card games, listen to presentations from area college professors, and check out artwork and comic books from area artists.

The event was devised by leaders with the four libraries based on the popularity of comic books and graphic novels among many of their patrons, said Matt Weston, director of the Dowagiac District Library. Fandom Fest was organized similarly to events such as the San Diego Comic Con and the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, conventions that bring together fans of genre comic books, TV shows and movies.

“We all knew patrons who were willing to drive an hour, two hours or even farther to large cities to attend these types of events,” Weston said. “By hosting something closer to home, these people wouldn’t have to travel as far. Plus we could feature some local artists.”

These area artists were the chief draw to Saturday’s event, Weston said. As larger conventions can charge people $200 or more for booth space to showcase their work, smaller events such as
Fandom Fest allow emerging artists to get their work out to the world without paying a large fee to do so.

Among the exhibitors at Saturday’s gathering was Dowagiac Union High School senior Kayland Shepard. Kara Pauley, the youth librarian with the Dowagiac District Library, invited the teenage artist to showcase her work during the event, Shepard said.

Situated in the corner of the library’s conference room, Shepard’s booth showed off dozens of the colorful and vibrant drawings, paintings and sketches she has made over the last several years. Although she had several works depicting realistic subjects, including a sketch of her sister, much of her work was based on fantasy, depicting fantastic creatures and characters — playing well into the theme of Fandom Fest.

In spite of her initial worries about attending, Shepard’s work received praise from many of the people who passed by her booth, she said.

“Everyone keeps telling me I should keep going, and that they really liked what I have done,” Shepard said.

Shepard has been drawing since she was in middle school, she said. Her talents were recognized and encouraged by her art teachers over the years, in particular Dean Hill, she said.

“I love the creativity of [art], the ability to come up with something in your mind and be able to put it down on a piece of paper,” she said.

An avid reader — she owns around 300 books — Shepard also loves to write as well. She had the in-progressive manuscript of one of her novels, “Angel’s Redemption,” at her booth on Saturday.

Thoroughly bitten by the art bug, Shepard said she wants to pursue a career in graphic design after she graduates. She is particularly interested in creating book covers (she drew the covers of her own novels herself, she said).

“They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover — but everyone does,” she said. “It’s the art on the cover that makes a book look interesting.”

Organizers with Fandom Fest said they are interested in making the event an annual tradition, and will look for new ways to spruce things up in the future — including possibly adding virtual reality machines, Weston said. They are also looking for other venues to host the event.