Live Oak — Have you ever heard of the MegaCon Convention in Orlando?  

Well, if you are a comic book or Sci-Fi aficionado, I bet you have. You see, the annual three-day event attracts thousands of dedicated - no passionate - pop culture fantasy fans. In other words, if you have a Star Trek uniform and are seeking a place to wear it where you won’t look out of place, or if you think Stan Lee is to comic books what Shakespeare is to the theater, you will want to be at the Orange County Convention Center this Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

What you might not realize however, is that this convention, considered by many to be the premier event of its’ type in the entire Southeastern United States, as well as the largest, is the product of a Live Oak woman and her company.

Now for the record, Beth Widera didn’t set out to be a super hero convention boss.  How it happened may not be worth a comic book of its own (after all, there appear to be no evil villains lurking about and she has not been bitten by a radioactive spider), but it certainly is a tale worth the telling.  

Beth’s adventure in the parallel worlds of comic books and fantasy fiction dates back to the late 1990s. A career teacher with a Master’s Degree in Education, she had moved to the Tampa area, where Beth went to work, not for a school, but for a comic book company. Her job was to find methods of incorporating the art of comic book storytelling into an academic environment.    

About this same time however, her employer also bought MegaCon Incorporated, a tiny convention enterprise with a name far more grandiose than its profit and loss statement could justify. And before she could say “Shazam!” Beth’s duties were expanded. In addition to finding ways to use comic books in the classroom, she was also assigned to help stage a MegaCon convention.  

The new assignment proved fortuitous.  

The annual comic book convention, once lucky to attract 3,000, began to grow.  Enough so, that when Beth had the opportunity to buy MegaCon from her employer in 2003, she decided it would be a wise move.  

hen three-years ago, Beth relocated to Live Oak, so as to live closer to her daughter Christine Alger. In the process, she brought the company with her and Christine became her mother’s right hand in running it.   

This weekend’s Orlando event will be the 19th MegaCon Convention held in Florida and it has become a very big deal among its devotees. Last year’s affair attracted some 42,000 people. It’s hoped this year’s crowd will be even larger. And while kids 10 and under are admitted free, the daily admission fee for everyone else is $25. Or you can shell out $60 for the entire three-day event.

For their money, the attendees will be able to wander through nearly 600 exhibits of one type or another, all relating to comic books, comic book art, gaming, toys, film animation or Science & Fantasy Fiction. In other words, and since I’m among their ranks, I think I can say this without insulting anyone - MegaCon is “Nerd Paradise.”  

Then there is also Beth’s stable of VIPs who will be present, including at least 65 established comic book artists and authors, as well as more than 30 actors with bona fide science fiction or fantasy film credentials. Among the many names you may recognize; Marvel Comics’ Stan Lee, Tom Felton (Drago of the Harry Potter films), Bruce Boxleitner (Captain John Sheridan of Babylon 5), Brent Spinner (Star Treks’ Mr. Data) and Charisma Carpenter (TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer).  

All of whom will be happy to sign an autograph or have a photo taken with you…for a price.

As you can imagine, putting together an event this large and complex is no simple matter. Beth wrestles with thousands of details in preparation for the three-day affair.  And having worked with my share of artists and actors over the years, I suspect her task is made even more difficult when you compute in the human ego factor of highly creative people.

Personally, I equate what Beth Widera does to juggling chainsaws, daily, blindfolded!  In other words, you need look no farther than our own backyard, if you want to find a real Wonder Woman!