For the fourth year in a row, the town of Bartow has hosted a celebration of “Out of this World” proportions. Hosted by Sean Serdynski, SYFY Bartow is a free, family-friendly, science fiction, car show convention held solely outdoors.

Having grown to encompass four city blocks, this year’s festival had a variety of events for guests to take part in including: Super Hero Karaoke, Scott Fensterer’s amazing makeup demonstration, a comic/superhero-based Match Game and Family Feud and a twenty- four foot Rock Wall to climb. Members of the Jedi Training Academy of Central Florida taught about light sabers and how to be a Jedi master. The car show displayed TV and movie themed cars, motorcycles and SUVs. Street vendors highlighted their talents for guests to discover, informative panels and author meet and greats debuted throughout the day.  New to the Convention this year was “Costume Alley”, a place where Costumers and Cos-Players of all ages and genres could display their craft.

Located on the corner of Main and Central Street in front of the Hacienda Mexican Restaurant, the Guardians of Justice stood poised to great guests as they made their way to and from Costume Alley. Costumed characters posed for photos and talked about our group, sharing our Mission statement with those who stopped by the booth or met as they explored the event. Guardians encouraged interested guests to investigate our website, guardiansofjustice.org or our Guardians of Justice Facebook page for information on joining, donating (having obtained our 501(c) (3) status) or details for requesting our group for an event.

Earlier that day while setting up for the event, Guardian members Carla Moore and Monica Hernandez hid 12 hand painted rocks of super heroes, Snoopy, Elsa, TMNT and more with our charity information on the back throughout the Convention area. Guests who found these designated rocks and brought them back to our booth were treated with a special surprise gift bag. Also that day, our very own Batman participated in an interview with local radio station MAX 98.3. He taped a segment highlighting our group’s dedication and commitment to give back the community and our emphasis on children/children causes.

All in all, this year’s SYFY Bartow Convention was an overwhelming success for everyone. So much so, that not even an unexpected shower by Mother Nature could dampen the spirits of those there that day. Truly this year’s Convention was “Out of this World “.

Mark the date, February 17, 2018, on your calendar, for SyFy Bartow returns with Monsters vs Aliens.