PortConMaine is an annual four-day anime and gaming convention held during June at the DoubleTree by Hilton in South Portland, Maine. The convention uses outdoor tents due to space limitations and is also located across from The Maine Mall.[4][5] PortConMaine was founded by Julie York.[1]

PortConMaine
StatusActive
GenreAnime, gaming, and geek culture[1]
VenueDoubleTree by Hilton
Location(s)South Portland, Maine
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated2002
FounderJulie York[1][2]
Attendance2,389 in 2021[3]
Websitehttp://portconmaine.com/

Programming

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The convention typically offers artists alley, boardgame tournaments, collectible card games competitions, cosplay competitions, dealers room, film screenings, karaoke, and video gaming.[4][6][7][8][9]

History

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Julie York started PortConMaine in 2002 due to the lack of nerd events in New England, with the first event being held at the University of Southern Maine.[10] PortConMaine added multigenre content to the convention in 2011.[11] In 2014, Thursday's content was for pre-registered attendees only.[12] Despite running out of space at the DoubleTree, the convention has not moved from the hotel due to the lack of available options.[10] PortConMaine in 2016 utilized space in The Maine Mall for gaming.[7] The changes allowed for an expanded artists alley and panel space. PortConMaine 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13][14]

Event History

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Dates Location Atten. Guests
April 19–21, 2002 University of Southern Maine
Portland, Maine
250 John Andersen, Ian M. Clark, Bobby Kayetennae Crowwolf, David Foster, Christopher Gurney, Daniel Kevin Harrison, Scott A. Melzer, Jared A. Sorensen, and Ben Spaulding.[15]
June 13–15, 2003 Best Western Inn: The Merry Manor
South Portland, Maine
400 Jason Amerkanian, Rae Bradbury-Enslin, Stephen K. Chenault, Ian M. Clark, Joe Digiorgi, Daniel Kevin Harrison, Alaina B. Karavitis, Jason Libby, Dave Lister, Truax McFarland, Matthew Pearson, Sidney C. Peters, Robert Quill, Jared A. Sorensen, Ben Spaulding, Ukyo, and Darren Watts.[16]
June 18–20, 2004 Best Western Inn: The Merry Manor
South Portland, Maine
811 Jason Amerkanian, Chris Barrett, Allison Carmichael, Ian M. Clark, Joe Digiorgi, Nate Frisoli, Daniel Kevin Harrison, Sarah "Nami" Hevey, Sharon Lee, Jason Libby, Ian McConville, Jessica McLaughlin, Steve Miller, Robert Quill, Zev Shlasinger, Jared A. Sorensen, Vaz, and Jes Weigand.[17]
June 24–26, 2005 Sheraton South Portland Hotel
South Portland, Maine
1,170 Kevin Brunelle, Brian Carroll, Drew Cass, Cat Dancer, Chris Drouin, Sean Edwards, Nate Frisoli, Mohammad "Hawk" Haque, Daniel Kevin Harrison, Nick Johnson, Alex Karantza, Dave Lister, Clayton McNally, Ananth Panagariya, Megan Phonesavanh, Peter Rimkunas, and Michael "Mookie" Terracciano.[18]
June 30 – July 2, 2006 Sheraton South Portland Hotel
South Portland, Maine
Tom Brown, Drew Cass, Cat Dancer, Luci Christian, Jonathan Doughty, Chris Drouin, Lisa Furukawa, Shawn Handyside, Daniel Kevin Harrison, Chris Judd, Jon Knight, Jason Libby, Joe Miles, Theresa Pereira, Scott Ramsoomair, R.A. Salvatore, Jared A. Sorensen, Michael "Mookie" Terracciano, and Nathaniel Jay Alexander Wiley.[19]
June 22–24, 2007 Sheraton South Portland Hotel
South Portland, Maine
1,663 Tom Brown, Svetlana Chmakova, J Dee DuPuy, Jessica Franklin, D.S. Gannon, Karen Gosselin, Garth Graham, Daniel Kevin Harrison, CJ Henderson, Erica Henderson, Elizabeth Jackson, Stacey Kardash, Jon Knight, Bettina M. Kurkoski, Dave Lister, Chris "Kilika" Malone, Mike McFarland, Joe Miles, Theresa Pereira, Michelle Pinard, A.E. Prevost, Robert "Sketch" Scholz, Michael Sinterniklaas, and Katy Ullman.[20]
July 3–6, 2008 Eastland Park Hotel
Portland, Maine
1,650 Tom Brown, Garth Graham, Daniel Kevin Harrison, CJ Henderson, Erica Henderson, Elizabeth Jackson, Stacey Kardash, Jon Kneeland, Michele Knotz, Christian Matzke, Clayton McNally, Kori Michele, Randy Milholland, Mike Oxx, Michelle Pinard, Nicklaus Reichel, Bill Rogers, Robert "Sketch" Scholz, Christina Siravo, The Slants, Michael "Mookie" Terracciano, and Andi Wrede.[21]
June 18–21, 2009 Wyndham Portland Airport Hotel
South Portland, Maine
1,804 4Player Podcast, Tom Brown, Garth Graham, Tiffany Grant, Daniel Kevin Harrison, CJ Henderson, The Hsu-nami, Samantha Inoue-Harte, Bettina M. Kurkoski, Christian Matzke, The Penny Dreadfuls, Denise Poirier, Robert "Sketch" Scholz, and Michael "Mookie" Terracciano.[22]
June 24–27, 2010 Wyndham Portland Airport Hotel
South Portland, Maine
2,072 Tom Brown, Chris Cason, Geek Comedy Tour, CJ Henderson, Erica Henderson, Stanley Hollenbeck, Jon Kneeland, Christian Matzke, Luke Morgan, Mike Oxx, The Penny Dreadfuls, Robert Quill, Robert "Sketch" Scholz, Jared A. Sorensen, and Michael "Mookie" Terracciano.[23]
June 23–26, 2011 Wyndham Portland Airport Hotel
South Portland, Maine
2,150 4-Player Co-Op, Christopher Ayres, Brian Brushwood, George Dalphin, Barry Dodd, Karen L. Dodd, Barry C. Fernandes, Daniel Kevin Harrison, Sharon Lee, The Mandalorian Mercs, Christian Matzke, Steve Miller, Luke Morgan, Elizabeth O'Malley, Robert "Sketch" Scholz, J. Michael Tatum, Michael "Mookie" Terracciano, Mort Todd, and Lex Winter.[24]
June 21–24, 2012 DoubleTree by Hilton
South Portland, Maine
2,306 Ay-leen the Peacemaker, Sue Boisvert, Brian Brushwood, Lucretia Dearfour, Robin Lown Gardella, Kyle Hebert, Jim's Big Ego, Bryant Paul Johnson, Maine Ghostbusters, The Mandalorian Mercs, Joel McDonald, Luke Morgan, nickelPUNK, Elizabeth O'Malley, Odaiko New England, Michael Peterson, Rachel Robichaud, Robert "Sketch" Scholz, and Lex Winter.[25]
June 20–23, 2013 DoubleTree by Hilton
South Portland, Maine
2,502 4-Player Co-Op, Eric Anderson, Sue Boisvert, The Boston Sprockettes, Jeff Burgess, Chris Cason, Jeff Day, Keith R. A. DeCandido, Dorks in Dungeons, The East Kingdom, Shawn French, Nicolas Genovese, Mortimer Glum, Frederick Greenhalgh, Bethany Ingraham, Late Night Disaster, Julie Le Shane, Cherami Leigh, Maine Ghostbusters, JL Major, The Mandalorian Mercs, Luke Morgan, Nuclear New England, Elizabeth O'Malley, Robert "Sketch" Scholz, Side Scrollers, and Lex Winter.[26]
June 19–22, 2014 DoubleTree by Hilton
South Portland, Maine
2,634 Christopher Alcott, Dan Brian, Christine Marie Cabanos, Chamber Band, Crunk Witch, George Dalphin, Dark Follies, Dorks in Dungeons, Glenn Given, Savannah Houston-McIntyre, Stacey Kardash, The Mandalorian Mercs, Mary Bichner & Planetary Quartet, Meg McGinley-Crowe, Luke Morgan, Corinne Sudberg, Michael Tresca, Catherynne M. Valente, David Vincent, and Vivid Motion.[27]
June 25–28, 2015 DoubleTree by Hilton
South Portland, Maine
3,219 3.5 Geeks, Eric Anderson, Barak Blackburn, Crunk Witch, The East Kingdom, Shawn French, Games by Play Date, Mortimer Glum, Ellie Hillis, Japan America Society of Maine, Sean Gordon Murphy, Amber Nash, Peeter Parkker, Keith Silverstein, and Lucky Yates.[28]
June 23–26, 2016 DoubleTree by Hilton
South Portland, Maine
3,391 501st Legion, Brian Beacock, Barak Blackburn, Bill Brock, Jessica Calvello, Chuck Carter, Svetlana Chmakova, Julie Falatko, Ellie Hillis, Ross Kearney, The Mandalorian Mercs, Bill McLean, Gabby Nu, Odaiko New England, Rebel Legion, Carol Salemi, Lucas Schuneman, and Lex Winter.[29]
June 22–25, 2017 DoubleTree by Hilton
South Portland, Maine
3,411 Michelle Delecki, Keith Giffen, KugoTheMighty, Myratheon, Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld, John Swasey, and Lara Woodhull.[30]
June 21–24, 2018 DoubleTree by Hilton
South Portland, Maine
3,412 Alanaleilani Connolly, Tom Deschenes, Ryan North, Odaiko New England, Paul Pelletier, Aaron Roberts, Scott Sherman, and Mort Todd.[31]
June 27–30, 2019 DoubleTree by Hilton
South Portland, Maine
3,602 Jessica Cavanagh, Leah Clark, Lauren Edinger, Reggie Groff, Andrea Parsneau, Pumpkadoodle, Josh Sparks, Austin Tindle, and Darren Watts.[32]
June 24–27, 2021 DoubleTree by Hilton
South Portland, Maine
2,389 Bryn Apprill, Ryan Bartley, Becky Chambers, Sean Chiplock, Svetlana Chmakova, C. L. Clark, K.D. Edwards, Crystal Frasier, Justin Gary, Nicole Glover, TJ Klune, Michael Kovach, Krystal LaPorte, League of Larcy, Marissa Lenti, Melissa McCommon, Kayli Mills, Sarah Monette, Anairis Quiñones, Jonah Scott, Matt Shipman, Jonathan Sims, Society for Creative Anachronism, and Kc Wayland.[3][n 1]
June 23-26, 2022 DoubleTree by Hilton
Maine Mall games arena[6]
South Portland, Maine
Jon Allen, T.M. Blanchet, Aaron Campbell, SL Choi, John Gremillion, Brittany Lauda, Molly Searcy, Matt Shipman, Paul St. Peter, Brandon Winckler, and Andrew Wojtal.[33][n 2]
June 22-25, 2023 DoubleTree by Hilton
South Portland, Maine
Paul Castro Jr., GaRuPoweR!!, Jeff Kline, Brianna Marie, Jason Massey, Seanan McGuire, Patrick Pedraza, and Kevin Urban.[34]
June 27-30, 2024 DoubleTree by Hilton
South Portland, Maine
Jordan Dash Cruz, Kelsey Cruz, GaRuPoweR!!, Karina Gaz, Maarta Laiho, and Mallorie Rodak.[35]

Notes

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  1. ^ All guests attended virtually.
  2. ^ Almost all guests attended virtually.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Hood, Miles (24 June 2023). "Maine's oldest, largest fan-run 'Geek Convention' is back!". WMTW. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  2. ^ Delahanty, Patrick. "Interview with Julie McCubrey, Founder and Chair of PortConMaine". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b "PortConMaine 2021 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  4. ^ a b Delahanty, Patrick. "PortConMaine 2015 Report". AnimeCons TV. animecons.com. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  5. ^ Delahanty, Patrick. "July 2017 Feedback & PortConMaine 2017 Report". AnimeCons TV. animecons.com. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  6. ^ a b Murphy, Sean (June 24, 2022). "PortConMaine returns for sci-fi, fantasy fiction fans". Spectrum Local News. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  7. ^ a b Delahanty, Patrick. "PortConMaine 2016 Report". AnimeCons TV. animecons.com. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  8. ^ Kamila, Avery Yale (2010-06-24). "Cover Story: Get your geek on". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  9. ^ Skelton, Kathryn (1 July 2006). "PortCon: Eclectic, feathered". Lewiston Sun Journal. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  10. ^ a b Martin, Dylan (June 20, 2014). "Portland 'geek culture' convention continues to grow and support the local economy". Mainebiz. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  11. ^ Delahanty, Patrick; O'Malley, Elizabeth; Wilder, Doug; Scholz, Robert; Shiva, Shiva. "July 2011: PortConMaine 2011 and Brian Brushwood". AnimeCons TV. animecons.com.
  12. ^ Delahanty, Patrick. "PortConMaine 2014 Report". AnimeCons TV. animecons.com. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  13. ^ "PortConMaine 2020 Cancelled". PortConMaine. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  14. ^ "PortConMaine 2020 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  15. ^ "PortConMaine 2002 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  16. ^ "PortConMaine 2003 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  17. ^ "PortConMaine 2004 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  18. ^ "PortConMaine 2005 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  19. ^ "PortConMaine 2006 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  20. ^ "PortConMaine 2007 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  21. ^ "PortConMaine 2008 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  22. ^ "PortConMaine 2009 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  23. ^ "PortConMaine 2010 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  24. ^ "PortConMaine 2011 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  25. ^ "PortConMaine 2012 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  26. ^ "PortConMaine 2013 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  27. ^ "PortConMaine 2014 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  28. ^ "PortConMaine 2015 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  29. ^ "PortConMaine 2016 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
  30. ^ "PortConMaine 2017 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  31. ^ "PortConMaine 2018 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  32. ^ "PortConMaine 2019 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  33. ^ "PortConMaine 2022 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  34. ^ "PortConMaine 2023 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  35. ^ "PortConMaine 2024 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
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43°38′7″N 70°20′20″W / 43.63528°N 70.33889°W / 43.63528; -70.33889