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City of Vacaville’s VacaCon wins CPRS award; four celebrity guests announced for April event
Summary
City staff announced that VacaCon, the City of Vacaville’s fan convention, is a recipient of a California Park & Recreation Society award and previewed the April 12–13 event, including four confirmed celebrity guests, volunteer needs and program elements.
The City of Vacaville’s VacaCon program was announced as a recipient of a California Park & Recreation Society (CPRS) Creating Community Award of Excellence, city staff told the Park and Recreation Commission on March 5.
The recognition, staff said, honors recreation programs that meet community needs, show innovation and demonstrate community collaboration. Director Gretchen Mulder told commissioners the award will be celebrated at the CPRS conference in Sacramento March 18–20, where the program will be shown in a video at the opening session and promoted in the exhibitor hall.
The award matters to Vacaville because it highlights a locally grown event designed to keep fans from traveling to larger regional conventions, staff said. “We wanted to create something that was unique to Vacaville, and in our own backyard so folks didn't have to constantly be on the road,” said Elizabeth (recreation staff), who presented the award notice and previewed VacaCon 2025 to the commission.
Staff previewed VacaCon 2025 as a two-day event on April 12–13 with a cosplay contest, kids zone, exhibitor hall, artist alley, celebrity panels, food trucks, a sensory room and other activities. Elizabeth said four of six celebrity guests were confirmed at the time of the meeting and that two additional contracts were still being finalized. The confirmed guests staff named were actor Jason Mewes, actor Keith Coogan, performer John Morris and voice actor Jessica DiCicco.
Elizabeth said the event has grown substantially since its 2019 launch and now runs two days; staff described outreach and volunteer needs. “Our volunteers are really vital to the success of this event. Approximately 30 are needed for the event. In exchange for half day of their service, we do allow free entry to the event for the remainder of their day,” Elizabeth said.
Commissioners asked about guest selection and capacity. Elizabeth said staff consults attendees about guest interests, tracks who is active on the convention circuit, contacts agents and assesses availability and budget. Director Mulder noted the program’s recent recognition follows other awards the city received and said the CPRS notice is “great for the city.”
Staff did not provide final attendance projections, full budget detail or the identities of the two pending guests at the meeting. Elizabeth said the two additional guest contracts had not been finalized and therefore were not ready for public release.
For more information, staff encouraged the public to consult the City of Vacaville recreation calendar and VacaCon promotional materials as contracts and the program schedule are finalized.
