Centenary Hosts Second Annual CycloneCon

Anyway you slice it, the second annual CycloneCon of 2025 was a smashing success.

Over 550 people from Centenary and around Hackettstown converged on Centenary’s campus on Saturday, April 5 to enjoy and take part in this pop-culture convention, the brainchild of Dr. Erica McCrystal, assistant professor of English and the event director.

Everywhere you looked you saw costumed attendees, and every building on campus was bustling with event activities.

The day kicked off at 10 a.m. with ticket check-in in the Reeves Recreation Center. Here attendees were greeted by 28 vendors from crafts to media and more than 50 artists from Bamcomix to Chaotic Arts.

Over at Taylor Memorial Library, convention-goers enjoyed photo-ops, kid's activities, and an Author Alley Cosplay. Special guests included Scott Hanna, award-winning graphic novel artist; Pamela Ptak, fashion designer and instructor; Tom Raney, professional comic book artist; Darren Auck, cartoonist, illustrator, art director and monster maker; and Gary Fields, professional cartoonist and graphic artist.

Next up was activities in the Littell Building which included workshops on voice acting, drawing, stage combat, theatrical make-up and kid’s drawing.

The Seay Building was game-central as it hosted a video game arcade and board game competitions.

Trevorrow Hall is always home to Centenary fashion and on this afternoon, it hosted a fashion design workshop.

"With our increasing variety of free workshops in addition to the exhibitors and activities, CycloneCon is growing to become a hands-on pop culture experience with something for everyone!" said McCrystal. 

All the cosplayers convened at the end of the day in the Lackland Center for a Catwalk and Masquerade. In addition to Centenary’s own Cyclone mascot wandering the event, several Star Wars cosplayers from the global group 501st Legion—Vader's First mingled with the crowd.

All during the event, WNTI – Centenary’s radio station – cranked up the volume to maximum level as they broadcast live from the main lobby of the Reeves gym. Flanked by tables for The Cyclone Chronicle – the student newspaper – and Crunch Fitness, the radio station had its own designated table full of merchandise and technical equipment.  

Manned by John Del Re, the station’s director, and Tanner Sullivan, student programming director, the studio aired live programming from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This content primarily focused on music, with tunes broadcasted through devices connected to aux cords as well as CDs.  

Other campus DJs including Callista McKeon and Carly Wolf also joined the fun, letting their musical taste roam free in their own hour-long blocks.  

While various songs blasted through speakers into the Reeves hallway, a giveaway was also held at the table. Sponsored by Buddy’s Auto Repair and frequently promoted throughout the day, the sweepstakes offered  a Visa gift card up for grabs. Eventually, it came time to announce the winner towards the end of WNTI’s shift. After the drumroll dissipated, the champion was revealed to be none other than The Cyclone Chronicle’s own Editor-in-Chief, Alexis d’Ambly.  

Once the frequencies faded and speakers were turned off, the station’s shift came to a close. WNTI saw success in the live broadcast format, playing a plethora of songs, holding a fun giveaway, and maintaining a consistently upbeat tempo throughout the event. As the equipment was disassembled and the table was retired for the evening, the DJs left with smiles on their faces, eager for what the next CycloneCon would bring.