Earpapalooza

By starrymag | May 4, 2018

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) How does Earp-a-palooza set itself apart from other “Wynonna Earp”- centric conventions? What are the foundations of the convention?

 

Allison: Well, as the first U.S. con for “Wynonna Earp,” we wanted to try and really bring to light the origin of Wynonna Earp because without it we wouldn’t have the show today. So, we have Beau Smith the creator of the original comics coming as a guest and Lora Innes who designed several covers for comic series as well as other pieces. The foundation of our convention is simply just built around the fans. Everything we’re doing is to try and allow the fans to have an amazing weekend. Our tagline for this convention has been “Come and celebrate what it means to be an Earper” because that’s what we hope fans take away from the event.

 

Q) Are there any special events or activities throughout the con that Earpers can look forward to?

 

Laura: We have a few meet-and-greets that we’ll be doing soon where some lucky Earpers will be able to have a one-to-one meeting with each guest. Then, we’ll be doing the VIP dinner, a Karaoke night for everyone and we do have a future announcement on programming still. Keep your eyes peeled!

 

Q) Are you still looking for volunteers and how can Earpers get involved?

 

Tanya: Definitely! Go to our website and fill out the volunteer form. Also, follow us on Twitter and spread the word!

 

Q) What does “Wynonna Earp” and being an Earper mean or signify to you?

 

Allison: The show is so special in many ways. The show illustrates how a woman can be a hero or leader even if she’s not perfect. I love that because there’s often times in my life where I’ve felt like I couldn’t do something because I was a woman, but watching the show illustrates how you absolutely can do anything. Being an Earper, to me, means being a part of a community of people who accept you with no questions asked. Also, being an Earper means having people in your corner when you need them. It’s special to me because I’ve found so many great friends in this fandom and I honestly can’t imagine life without them.

 

Laura: The show itself is rather significant to me as it shows that family is not always about the one you’re born or adopted into. I have found many people in my life that are family over anything else, including my own blood. And being an Earper has just been an extension of that as I have formed friendships with people that know me better than my family. I never say I’m part of the Earper fandom – it’s always a FAMdom.

 

Tanya: Earpers are a family and we support & have each other’s backs. It’s unlike any fandom I’ve ever been a part of and that’s a direct reflection of Emily [Andras] and the cast.

 

Q) What has the outpouring of Earper support meant to you?

 

Laura: It has been beyond wonderful and a bit mind-blowing. I have known Earpers are loving, generous and just a great family to be a part of but seeing it directed toward the Earper conventions has been amazing. Ever since we started the website and put the first announcements out about Earp-a-palooza I have been overwhelmed with Earpers offering to help in any way, from the artists who have done our artwork, everyone retweeting our posts, Earp-a-palooza countdown (thanks Shannon!) and those providing additional donations/sponsorships.

 

Allison: Yes, the reason we started this convention was because of the fans…so having their support has been incredible. When we announced our event back in September of 2017, we had so many people immediately reach out willing to give all their support and we’ve felt an outpouring of love and support from everyone, including the cast members who are so excited to attend. It’s truly amazing.

 

Q) What’s been the most challenging aspect of putting this con together?

 

Allison: It’s challenging in general because planning a convention is not easy. We had to be willing to dedicate so much personal commitment toward this event. One challenging thing has just been making sure everything falls into place together. We’re working almost 24/7 making sure every little piece is in place so that the fans have a great experience at the con.

 

Tanya: For me, it’s the waiting. I want it to be October already so that I can finally see if my vision was able to be carried out and that Earpers had an amazing experience.

 

Q) What’s been the most fun and rewarding aspect?

 

Allison: The most fun or rewarding aspect in my opinion has been seeing the excitement of the fans every time we announce something new. It makes the hard work we’ve been putting into this event worth it.

 

Q) What are some of the themes of the series or highlights that you hope Earpers hold on to from attending?

 

Allison: One of the huge highlights from the show that we hope Earpers get from our convention is the idea of found family. We hope the Earpers leave Earp-a-palooza with a sense of pride in finding their family in the Earpers and in the show.

 

Tanya: Like Jeremy (Varun Saranga) said in the finale, he doesn’t fit in but none of the others ask him to – if anyone feels like that in reality, I’d want them to feel like that with fellow Earpers while at Earpapalooza.

 

Laura: That this is an Earper family reunion above all. We want everyone, every Earper, to be able to enjoy every day and be lost in the fact that we ALL share the same love.

 

Q) What are some necessities attendees should be aware of such as food/art sales/location/photo ops/panel and or autograph lines?

 

Allison: Well, we’ve got a list that we’ll be posting closer to the con of food establishments within three to five miles that attendees can check out in the Minneapolis area. In terms of vendors, there will be some art sales, so Earpers can look forward to seeing some classic Earper artists at the convention. For everything else, we’d want fans to remember that when you’re waiting in lines, just remember why you’re there. We will do our best to keep things moving swiftly, but it’s a convention – there will inevitably be lines. So, just stay positive and enjoy the experience!

 

Q) What are the panel themes or pairings can look forward to attending?

 

Tanya: There might be something with Wayhaught. Do people like them? [wink]

 

Allison: We don’t want to give too much away prior to the convention, but you’ll see some classic pair ups for panels as well as some potentially new and exciting ones! In the panels, we’ll be sure to highlight some themes that come out of Season 3 (we’re excited for that)!

 

Q) What’s your favorite moment from watching Wynonna Earp?

 

Allison: There are so many. My favorite episode thus far is Season 1, episode 4, “The Blade” because we see a little of Doc’s (Tim Rozon) background, which I loved learning about. Then at the end, we see a truly great moment between Wynonna (Melanie Scrofano) and Waverly (Dominique Provost Chalkley) where Waverly admits to feeling like she should be the heir, and not Wynonna. It was a raw and honest moment between the Earp sister and I just loved that.

 

Laura: I want to say Waverly’s cheerleader scene, Wynonna in the bar yelling “crazy chick with a gun” or Wayhaught’s first kiss, but for me my favorite moment was Wynonna and Nicole (Katherine Barrell) in Pussy Willows. When Kat and Mel are on screen they have such great chemistry and work well as opposites. You can’t fake that nor fake the comedic timing they have and that was by far the best scene with them (to date).

 

Tanya: That’s hard to pick just one, but any Earp sisters moment is pretty special, and I can’t wait to see how Wynonna hiding the location of their mom will affect their relationship.

 

Q) Which of the attending guests are you excited to meet in person and why?

 

Allison:  I’ve met most of them before, but I feel like you can never meet them enough. They are all so wonderful. I’m excited to meet them all again, but since I’ve never met him, I’ll say I’m probably most excited to meet Papa Earp, a.k.a. Beau Smith.

 

Laura: Michael Eklund because while I am in awe of his talent, I am more excited to meet a man who takes the time out of his busy day to talk one-on-one with people. He loves life, it’s clear to see even though we have never met and I feel like he might give great hugs. So, I may take the chance and ask for a hug!

 

Tanya: Luckily, I got the opportunity to meet Kat, Dom and Emily at ClexaCon (and definitely excited to see them again [winks]), but I think it’s Tim – he’s the biggest Earper of us all.

 

Q) Is there anything else about the convention you would like attendees to know?

 

Laura: That we aren’t done yet, there is over five months before the convention and we promise we will keep everyone updated on the programming. We have some cool events happening throughout that weekend and I can’t wait for everyone to be able to be back among their family and friends. And for sure make new friends! I’m wondering how difficult it would be to have one big Earper group hug too – think we can do it?

 

Tanya: Get ready to have a damn good time!

 

 

 

Extras:

Allison: I also want to highlight our sincerest of gratitude toward IDW and SyFy for their involvement/development of the show and for giving us three seasons thus far (Is it too soon to ask for Season 4?).  Without IDW and SyFy, none of this would be possible. It’s only because of them that we have the show and, therefore, can create this convention. So, from our Earp-a-palooza team, we just want to say thank you.

 

 

 

 

All Questions Answered By Convention Directors Allison Shank, Tanya Heltemes & Laura Naselli