YINZERCON Info and Lineup
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF YINZERCON!
HERE'S WHO WE HAD ON HAND FOR THE FIRST YINZERCON IN APRIL 2023:
2023 YINZERCON GUEST LIST:
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! WOW WOW WOW are we so excited to announce this last-minute addition to the lineup! The Pitt Panthers won two games in the NCAA Tournament and nearly won the entire ACC outright. This young man led the team in scoring AND rebounding and was named 2nd Team All-ACC! Please welcome BLAKE HINSON to YINZERCON!
A 6'7" junior forward from Deltona, Florida, Blake transferred from Iowa State and was a major reason for the Panthers' transformation from an 11-21 team a season ago to a 24-12 powerhouse in 2022-23 that came within a game of the Sweet Sixteen.
Averaging 15.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, Blake led Coach Jeff Capel's squad in both categories, with season highs of 27 points and 13 boards. In two games against the Final Four-bound Miami Hurricanes, Blake put up 24 and 21 points for the Panthers.Blake was a highly-decorated high school star who spent his senior season at Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas, where he was ranked the No. 1 player out of the state of Kansas. A four-star recruit, he started his college career at Ole Miss, averaging 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds his sophomore season.
YINZERCON Guest Announcement!
Check out this absolutely UNREAL YINZERCON EXCLUSIVE MENU from our friends at The Steel Plate in Monessen!
-Fresh squeezed lemonade and Arnold Palmers
-Isaly's Ham BBQ
-Big Mac-Inspired Sliders (they were invented in Western PA!)
-Patch Fries with Gravy and Cheese
-Pierogie with Butter and Onion
-Cap or Pastrami Pittsburgh Style Sandwich
and maybe if we're lucky, there's rumor of a Klondike Cheescake possibly being added!
The only way to get access to this ridiculously awesome menu Chef Russell Johnson has crafted is to claim your spot at YINZERCON, on April 15 at Remixxd by Steel City Galleries in the Amcel Center in Belle Vernon!
YINZERCON GUEST CONFIRMATION! We're so excited to announce that Mary Ours, superstar meteorologist at KDKA-TV, will be joining us at YINZERCON on April 15 for a meet and greet, with autographs, Tik-Tok videos, and selfies!
A native of Beaver Falls and a Point Park grad, Mary is Western Pennsylvania through and through. She joined KDKA in 2019 after interning there in 2011, then found her way back to Pittsburgh via WTOV9 in Steubenville, Ohio and WJAC-TV in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
Some fun facts about Mary: she started her own event to help victims of 9/11 when she was 12 years old; her favorite word is Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious; her guilty pleasure is "The Bachelor" franchise; and most importantly, she loves to spend time with her husband, children and her pomsky Jasper!
Mary has a very loyal following on social media, with over 54,000 followers on Instagram, 31,000 on Facebook, and another 23,000 watching her dance on Tik-Tok! We are so very lucky to be able to work with Mary and can't thank her enough for helping to make this event a reality!
YINZERCON GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT! We are THRILLED to announce our next guest: 2009 All-American Tight End, NFL Veteran and co-host of the 93.7 The Fan Morning Show, DORIN DICKERSON!
For our first guest athlete, we chose someone who embodies the Western PA success story. Following a stellar high school career at West Allegheny, Dorin was named the AP Pennsylvania Class AAA Player of the Year and ranked as the #5 overall college prospect in the state in 2006. After fielding a bevy of scholarship offers, Dorin chose the Pitt Panthers over over schools such as Penn State, Iowa, and Michigan.
Being such a naturally gifted athlete, Dorin was the kind of player that could line up at practically any position and be a difference-maker. After playing on both sides of the ball for Coach Dave Wannstedt, Dorin settled in at tight end in his junior year, and one season later was named an All-American by the Associated Press, CBS Sports, the Football Writers Association of America, the Sporting News, and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. I would be remiss if I did not mention that he was part of the "13-9" 2007 Backyard Brawl upset win over the West Virginia Mountaineers!
Dorin was selected in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans, and later spent time with the Steelers (2011), Patriots (2011), Bills (2012), Lions (2013), and Titans (2014–2015). He's been employed by the likes of Mike Tomlin and Bill Belichick and has been through battles at the highest level of competition.
These days, you can hear Dorin each morning talking sports as a co-host on the 93.7 The Fan Morning Show in Pittsburgh, and you can find him on Facebook @Dorin Dickerson.
I have to add that I approached Dorin months ago about possibly working together on something like this and he has been on board since Day One, before YINZERCON was even a thing. Any card-carrying Yinzer should be excited to meet him. I know he can't wait!
YINZERCON GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT! He's the Emmy-Winning host of WQED's "Cartoon Academy", internationally-syndicated illustrator of "Mazetoons", and Brand Character Integrity Consultant and artist for Starkist's beloved mascot, Charlie the Tuna...Pittsburgh's own JOE WOS!
Joe will be on hand signing copies of his book, "The Three Little Piggsburghers" (as told in Pittsburghese) and a little birdie told me he might have a limited edition print available! 
As a cartoonist, Joe has worked professionally since age 14, and has served as visiting cartoonist of the Charles M. Schulz Museum in California since its inception in 2001. He recently completed "A-Maze-Ing Peanuts", fulfilling his lifelong dream of working with Snoopy of Peanuts fame.
He is known world-wide for his hand-drawn illustrated mazes, which have been dubbed the world's largest and most difficult by "Ripley's Believe it or Not"!
Joe is the recipient of the 2020 Silver Reuben Award in the Variety Category from the National Cartoonists Society and has illustrated seven books of mazes thus far. Joe also co-authored "A Celebration of Animation: The Top 100 Animated TV Characters".
Joe's resume is outstanding, but what really makes his appearance special is that he is one of us! He resides with his family in Oakmont and also teaches cartooning at Central Catholic High School.
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! I mentioned recently that in addition to the household names of yesterday and today, I really wanted to include some of the "Next Generation" personalities of Western Pennsylvania. And if you're not yet familiar with our next guest, be sure to turn on 93.7 The Fan on your radio dial, or pull up www.audacy.com/937thefan or www.instagram.com/don54ched and get familiar with the one and only "DONNY FOOTBALL"!
In 2019 he became a producer at 93.7 The Fan, and joined the PM Team of Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller as producer in 2021, where you can catch him weekdays from 2-6 PM.
A well-known chicken wing aficionado with an amazing Western Pennsylvania accent, his 𝙒𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙄𝙏 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝘿𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙮 𝙁𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙡 
segments on Instagram are appointment viewing, as Donny takes his fans on a regular tour of the area's finer wing establishments.
segments on Instagram are appointment viewing, as Donny takes his fans on a regular tour of the area's finer wing establishments.Donny also wanted everyone to know that since have multiple people from the legendary world of George A. Romero, he has a fun fact for us: his mom worked at JC Penney in Monroeville Mall during the filming of Dawn of the Dead!
It's time for another YINZERCON guest announcement! We are SO EXCITED to announce the addition of actor, producer, and director Mike Ancas, a featured zombie in the 1985 George Romero classic, "Day of the Dead", and his wife, producer and author Brenda Ancas!
In addition to his famed zombie work, Mike and Brenda produced two films for Amazon, the documentary "Chasing Giants" (2020) and the sci-fi drama "Tributaries" (2021).
Mike's lengthy resume also includes "Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas", 31 episodes of Comedy Central's "Crank Yankers", the Fred Rogers biopic "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" with Tom Hanks, "Dear Zoe" with Sadie Sink, "Sweet Girl" with Jason Momoa, "Happiest Season" with Kristen Stewart, "An American Pickle" with Seth Rogen, and "Mindhunter" on Netflix.
Mike currently has five upcoming films, including "The Deliverance" with Glenn Close and Omar Epps, and "Unsinkable" with Karen Allen.
In addition to her work in the film industry, Brenda Ancas is an author who currently has a book entitled "Who We Were" (with many Pittsburgh references) that will be available for purchase and signing at YINZERCON!
YINZERCON GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT! We have a Pittsburgh Sci-Fi LEGEND joining us - and in his spare time, he's also been a George Romero Zombie! Welcome ROBERT MICHELUCCI to the lineup!
In 1978, Bob played the "Scope Zombie" in George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead". He also played a priest in "Children of the Living Dead" and a cop in John Russo's "Santa Claws". In 1979, he was awarded a Saturn Lifetime Achievement Award from The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror.
Bob is one of the pioneers of the independent horror publishing field. His first book was "The Collector's Guide to Monster Magazines" in 1977. Self-published along with Dick Zdinak, it was considered the "bible" for film-monster magazine collecting. Bob published an updated second Collector's Guide in 1988 complete with Jack Davis cover art. In 1978, he partnered with Bill Wilson to design and co-publish a slick sci-fi magazine called "Questar" under the business name of MW Communications and that magazine reached circulation of 100,000 at its peak in 1981.
In 1981 he formed Imagine, Inc., and began a long career publishing and designing some now-classic trade paperback titles including "Tom Savini's Grande Illusions" and "Grande Illusions Book 2", "Dick Smith's Monster Make-Up Handbook", "The Complete Night of the Living Dead Filmbook", "Eroticism in the Fantasy Cinema" (intro by Chris Lee), "Forrest J. Ackerman, Famous Monster of Filmland (Intro by Vincent Price) and "Bruno Sammartino: Autobiography of Wrestling's Living Legend".
In 1993, Bob acted as Chairman for the "Zombie Jamboree", The 25th Anniversary Convention for the film "Night of the Living Dead" in Pittsburgh, PA that brought together the original cast for the first time in twenty-five years! He had previously chaired two other conventions in Pittsburgh: "Fantasy Film Celebrity Con" I and II in 1978 & 1979. The '79 show was Caroline Munro's first US con appearance.
Other publishing projects of Bob's included magazines such as "Scream Queens Illustrated", "Scream Beat", "Drive-In Cinema", and "Making Movies". Bob also oversaw the production of several trading card sets including five series of "Scream Queens", "Night of the Living Dead" (with Fantaco), "Tom Savini Grande Illusions" (with Fantaco), "Wrestling Legends", "Fantasy Girls" Series 1 & 2, "You Slay Me", two series of "Dark Shadows" cards, and three "Dark Shadows" limited edition 18X24 illustrated prints by John Graziano.
Bob's current projects include compiling and publishing his two most recent books, "Memories of the Living Dead" and "Bob Michelucci's MONSTERous Portfolio". He is also creating The Greater Pittsburgh Entertainment Museum, and a companion book titled "The Complete History of the Greater Pittsburgh Entertainment Industry".
YINZERCON GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT! So many of us grew up watching our next guest as "The Shop n Save Lady" on TV from 1984-2005, and we're so excited to meet her in person! Please give a warm welcome to our next featured guest, KATHY SVILAR!Kathy has been a mainstay on local TV and radio for decades, as a 31-year spokesperson run as the face of a major supermarket chain would attest. But she is so much more than Shop n Save!
Kathy is currently the host of Cornerstone Television's "Sister 2 Sister", a weekly talk show syndicated to 400 Christian stations across the country. She is also the spokesperson for Pella Windows and Doors, a job she's held since 2017. Those are just the latest highlights of a long, accomplished resume that includes:
• WPGH Fox 53: 2011 Pet Show host, Christmas Parade Master of Ceremonies, Leukemia Telethon host
• WFLA-TV: AT&T Video magazine (National) Tampa, FL
• KDKA-TV: Let’s Read a Story (children’s program) host, "Win a Fortune" prize drawings, Live Pittsburgh Regatta show
• WTAE-TV: Booth announcer and celebrity auctioneer for the Project Bundle Up telethon, 2009 Home Show prime time special, 2008 Host of the Humane Society telethon
• WQED-TV: Celebrity cooking shows, appearances on the network’s pledge-drives
• QVC: National shopping network, Host for John Connelly’s House of Angels product line of Vatican Treasures
• Live shows: Pittsburgh Today, Good Day Pittsburgh, Evening Magazine, Cornerstone Television, PCNC Night Talk, Pittsburgh’s Talking
Kathy also hosted six different weekly radio talk shows from 2004-2013: The Real Estate Riches show, Business Builders, Atlanta Wealth Builders, What’s Cooking, Win Realty Radio, and Cool Stuff Radio. She has been a guest DJ at 104.7, WSSH, 3WS, and WHJB. And that is just the tip of the iceberg!
For an event billed as the Best of Western Pennsylvania, Kathy checks all the boxes! She is very excited to be a part of YINZERCON on April 15, so please give her a warm Pittsburgh welcome! 
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! This is really special for us because our company is located in Belle Vernon and our guest is a Belle Vernon High School graduate who is making her hometown proud on a daily basis! Presenting Emmy-Nominated KDKA reporter Erica Mokay!
Erica then moved to CBS affiliate WWMT-TV in 2017, covering Kalamazoo, Battle Creek and Grand Rapids, Michigan, anchoring Morning, Noon, and Evenings newscasts throughout her time there. Her outstanding work as a reporter was rewarded with an Emmy Nomination in 2019!
Working at one of Pittsburgh's major news stations was always Erica's goal, and she gained valuable experience outside the area before her official homecoming in October, 2023, to KDKA-TV | CBS Pittsburgh, where she once interned alongside current meteorologist (and fellow YINZERCON guest) Mary Ours!
When she's not working, Erica enjoys interior design, antique shopping, photography and all things that have to do with the beauty and lifestyle industry. And if you see her on social media, she's a proud parent of her dog Lila!
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! Of course, we're going to have some good food at the event, so please welcome EKernally Yours Gourmet Popcorn and Sweet Treats!
If you've been to a festival in the area, or if your kids have ever done fundraisers, odds are you're familiar with Ekernally Yours. They have a wide variety of gourmet popcorn, fudge, pretzels, chocolates, and apples, and they also have a food truck offering a variety of sweet and savory treats and foods!
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! This man wears a baseball hat among many other hats, and I'm convinced he never sleeps! Give it up for Pro Baseball Scout, Carnegie Mellon Baseball Head Coach, TV Host, Motivational Speaker and host of two radio shows, Claudio Reilsono!
But that's just the tip of the iceberg for Claudio: he hosts, produces & writes for “The Boxing Authorities” which is aired on the WBC 24/7 Channel ChannelBox (Vive TV Global Network.). He is also the host of “The Claudio Reilsono Show” (www.claudioreilsono.com) where he interviews legends ranging from Donnie Iris to Mario Andretti, and Italian Impact Weekly (www.italianimpactweekly.com), where I recently had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of doing a radio interview alongside my father, Angelo.
Mr. Reilsono is also a sought-after speaker, focusing on team-building, leadership, and motivation. And I can tell you, just reading all the things he does should get you motivated!
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! Donning the Black and Yellow and teaming up with Pittsburgh Thor to keep our fellow Yinzers safe, it's PITTSBURGH IRON MAN!
Pittsburgh Iron Man will be appearing for photo ops at YINZERCON on April 15!
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! You can say you were there from the beginning with our next guests, as they recently premiered their first episode on The Monster Channel! Please give a warm welcome to Terror Night Theatre!
Joseph Ferreri, AKA "Sebastian Sinister" is the Host of "Terror
Night Theatre". He is joined in each episode by co-host Drucilla Darkly and the singing butler Cedric.
Movies, skits by the cast of Vamperium Castle, interviews with horror guests, Supernatural stories, music, and much, much, more!
They premiered on the Monster Channel and currently can be seen on You Tube under Terror Night Theatre, episode one: (www.youtube.com/@terrornighttheatre)
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! Not only do we have activities going on inside, we have activities going on outside - like a display from our friends at Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway!
Cars and drivers will be available for meet-and-greet and photo ops, so you can see a real race car up close and personal! This should get you thoroughly hyped for the Season Opener on April 29 at their track in Imperial, PA! For the entire 2023 lineup, please visit www.ppms.com/schedule.
Come see the PPMS cars and drivers at YINZERCON on April 15 at Remixxd!
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! He hunts what most of us hunt, and was able to make a career out of it! The host of the TV show "Hunting Nostalgia", please give a warm welcome to the one, the only, Nick Bartley!
If you're not familiar with Nick's program, let's correct that right now! He scours all the nooks and crannies of Western Pennsylvania searching for the treasures of yesteryear, and his sweet spot is vintage wrestling. His show takes him to conventions, storage units, garages, flea markets, and even to Remixxd in Season 4, Episode 10 "Retailtainment" (which you can watch here)!
Wonder where I got the lead to find our Hills Department Store shopping cart? It was from watching "Hunting Nostalgia"! It's an absolute must-watch as you go treasure hunting with Nick to see what he'll uncover next. And trust me, he finds some unbelievable things!
Now in Season Five, the show airs nationally on Armstrong Cable, and is also streaming on Youtube! Here is an episode-by-episode guide: www.huntingnostalgia.com/videos
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! We're inching toward the end of the guest announcements, only for the reason that we need to have a final list in place for tickets next week. So we're getting to some guests that have a very special meaning for yours truly, such as our next guest. You know him as a Pittsburgh Steeler, a three-time Super Bowl Champion, even a USFL Champion. But to me, he will always be "Coach".
Mr. Banaszak served in the United States Marine Corps on active duty from 1969 to 1971 and in reserve status from 1971 to 1975. He played college football at Eastern Michigan University from 1972-1974, and joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1975, where he was a 3-time Super Bowl champion (X, XIII, XIV) under Coach Chuck Noll, starting at right defensive end in Super Bowl XIII and Super Bowl XIV.
After moving on from Pittsburgh following the 1981 season, John played in the United States Football League (USFL), winning a championship as a starting defensive end for the Michigan Panthers in 1983 alongside former Steelers Ray Pinney and Tyrone McGriff. He became a member of the Memphis Showboats in 1985 where he was a teammate of "The Minister of Defense", Reggie White.
In 1995, he officially became "Coach" when landing at Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, PA, as the defensive coordinator of their highly decorated football team and the head coach of their baseball team. That is where and when he first crossed paths with a freshman from Fayette City, PA, named Don Spagnolo!
"Coach" was officially named "Head Coach" at W&J in 1999, where he went 38-9 and won PAC Championships in each of his four seasons at the helm.
In 2003, he moved to Robert Morris University as the defensive coordinator under former New York Jets Head Coach and Steelers offensive coordinator Joe Walton. Banaszak took over for Walton in 2013 as the head coach, where he remained until parting ways in 2017.
Now fully enjoying retirement while chasing eight grandkids, Coach Banny and his three Super Bowl rings will take some time out of his schedule for one of his old players on April 15 at YINZERCON!
Being a part of his teams were some of the greatest times of my life, and having him here on such a big occasion will truly mean the world to me!
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! This is a special one for me, for obvious reasons. But believe it or not, my Dad is actually a celebrity! Oh yes, it's true. On June 18, 1985, at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Florida, he officially "won" the title of America's Worst Avid Golfer in a tournament hosted by Golf Digest, shooting a 257 for 18 holes, including a 66 on the famed 17th "Island Green" hole, where he put 27 balls in the water and was forced to putt up the cartpath. If you think I'm making this up, it's all too real. Golf Digest actually just featured him on their social media feed during the TPC tournament recently, and the reaction was huge. So let's give a warm welcome for the Worst Golfer but the Best Dad, ANGELO SPAGNOLO!
My father has seen and done it all in his life. A Journalism major at Point Park University (where he met the future Mrs. Spagnolo, my mother Darlene), he started out in the newspaper business, publishing "The North Star" in the 1970s, where he doubled as a sports reporter with "Black and Gold", covering the '70s Steelers.
But the family business soon came calling, and he became a third-generation grocer, spending the bulk of his career operating Giant Eagle franchises in Belle Vernon from 1983-2001. Then came his Jurassic Dog Products business venture, which produced oversized, hickory-smoked bones that resembled those of dinosaurs, and a decade of writing both fiction and non-fiction books (he's up to eight and counting).
However, his biography will always lead with his infamous reputation for bad golf, cemented on that molten lava-hot day in Florida four decades ago in front of a throng of worldwide media. He has appeared on a Nike commercial with Curtis Strange and Peter Jacobsen (with accompanying poster!), "Life's Most Embarassing Moments" with Steve Allen (alongside Gary Coleman), "Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports" (alongside football star and "Sloth" from "The Goonies", John Matuszak), "The Lighter Side of Sports" with iconic basketball coach Jim Valvano, and has been the subject of two Dateline NBC features.
He was challenged to a head-to-head golf match by Myron Cope, and hit golf balls from the home plate of Three Rivers Stadium, Point State Park, and out of PNC Park with his partner-in-crime, Alby Oxenreiter by his side. His "WAG" Tournaments raised millions of dollars for the Multiple Sclerosis Service Society in Western Pennsylvania over the years, so he was able to do a lot of good in the process. But most importantly, he has been an exemplary husband, father, and now grandfather, always setting a high bar for his two sons.
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! One of the true rising stars in the Pittsburgh art scene, the man behind VC2 Art and The Athletic Aesthetic Podcast, and in his own words, "Just a Yinzer Who's Breaking the Mold", please give a warm welcome to VC2, VINNIE CANDELORE!
A graduate of Elizabeth Forward High School and West Liberty University, VC2 has become known for his custom shoes and canvas paintings, which were recently on display at his "Athletic Aesthetic: Exhibit 1" interactive art experience held at Pittsburgh's Stage AE. The event featured VC2's entire "HIM Collection", a stunning series of art featuring NFL stars such as Kenny Pickett, George Pickens, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and many others.
In addition to his artistic endeavors, VC2 is host of the Athletic Aesthetic Podcast, where art & sports connect through conversation. The Athletic Aesthetic Podcast brings together sports fanatics, artists, and athletes, providing an outlet for creative inspiration.
VC2 boasts nearly 18,000 followers on Instagram, a testament to the influence he has gained so quickly in his young career. He brings the energy and positivity that fit in so perfectly with the group we have assembled for YINZERCON, and he is truly one of the faces of the Next Generation of great Pittsburghers.
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! In addition to celebrities, we're going to have some fantastic, Pittsburgh-centric attractions at our event. And we have a lot to announce, so let's start with The Burgh Bus!
The Burgh Bus is Pittsburgh’s one and only transportainment bus! One of their local comedians will guide yinz on a journey all through the ‘tahn as you sip your favorite beverage, hear some jokes, see the sights, and learn a thing or two about Pittsburgh.
The Burgh Bus does comedy tours, Steeler tours, special event tours such as a St. Patrick's Day Party Bus, and rentals!
The Burgh Bus will be at YINZERCON so you can check it out, up close and personal!
Please check them out on social media and at www.burghbus.com, and plan on visiting the bus and their comedians on April 15 at YINZERCON!
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! He keeps the city safe from Loki, Hela, and Flyer fans... When he's not with the Avengers, he's waving a Terrible Towel...let's give a warm welcome to our Black and Gold God of Thunder, PITTSBURGH THOR!
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! All I can say about our next guests are WOWWWWW! Ever since we opened our retail store experience, I've been absolutely blown away by the interest in horror films. And being that one of the all-time legends in that genre operates a school about five minutes from here, I heard some whispers that we might be able to get some of their rock star artists to join us. Today, it becomes official: please welcome the Students of Tom Savini's Special Make-Up Effects Program at the Douglas Education Center! Tom Savini's Special Make Up Effects Program (www.dec.edu/ts)
Students will be on hand sculpting, doing make ups, and bringing some awesome projects! Who knows what awesomeness they will come up with?! Check out the examples of them at work! This is truly a thrill to have the future makers of movie magic with us!
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! When your event is called YINZERCON, you have to have the Steel City's Wrestling Hero, Yinza, as a featured guest!
Born in the 412 and inspired by lucha libre, Yinza the Pittsburgh Luchador is currently the reigning and defending KSWA Golden Triangle Champion. Yinza can also often be frequently seen alongside his good buddy "Big Country" Matt McGraw as part of the tag team "The Renegades."
Coming soon, Yinza can be seen hosting "Yinzermania," a television show on the Armstrong Neighborhood Channel celebrating the city of Pittsburgh, and the people and places in its surrounding communities. You can read more about Yinza at www.yinzerlucha.com.
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! She's the Zombie Mom in "Night of the Dead 30th Anniversary", she was in the 1996 slasher film "Santa Claws", and she's married to the Scope Zombie himself, Bob Michelucci! Please give a warm welcome to DEE MICHELUCCI!
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! Fans of comic books and fans of all things Pittsburgh will both LOVE our next group of guests! Please give a warm welcome to COMICSBURGH, a collaborative group of self-published Pittsburgh-based creators of comic books and pop-culture/fantasy products!
Founded in 2021, it currently includes Heroineburgh, The Edge, Beowulf, Theme of Thieves, MusicMakerComix, and Tiffany Apan.
The following three Comicsburgh creators will make an appearance at YINZERCON this year:
Heroineburgh is a live-action TV series and comic book series based in Pittsburgh, featuring three dozen women who gain amazing powers after a mysterious dark-energy meteor explosion above the Steel City. With cover art by Jason Wright, colorist extraordinaire for DC Comics, three issues are now available in stores, each sold with a free character sticker inside, and 23 episodes are downloadable from the website
at www.heroineburgh.com .
The Edge is an ongoing comic book series by Marvin Wynn about a drug which gives its users superpowers, but slowly kills them or drives them insane the more they use them. With cover and interior art by Filipino comics master Mark Vuycankiat, the story has progressed to five issues so far, with one-shots and crossovers soon to follow. More information can be found at www.theedgecomic.com.
Beowulf is a fantasy comic book about the modern reincarnation of the ancient Germanic hero as a thirtysomething slacker. Aided by a
teenage sidekick and a talking sorcerer cat, our hero must gather up the courage to battle a dragon who has risen after a thousand years.
Grant Lankard is the Pittsburgh-based writer and artist of the title, and he also publishes a horror anthology called Memoirs of the Morbid. More details on Grant's comics can be found at www.comicsburgh.com/creators/blog-post-title-two-n7xpn.
YINZERCON Guest Announcement! Today's announcement falls under the category referenced earlier in the week of the "Next Generation of Important Pittsburghers": they signed to a record label and just released their debut EP - it's one of the hottest young bands in the area, Broom!
Broom is a local group with five members: Bodie Dubreucq, Ben Filak, Caleb Beichner, Carter “the drumming beast” Stasicha, and Race Michener. Just read this glowing review on Pitt Music Live and you'll see why people are so excited!
Broom actually wanted to play at our event and we wanted them to play, but with the logistical hurdles in our first year, it just wasn't possible. BUT! They've agreed to do a meet-and-greet, signing and will be available for photo ops at YINZERCON, where you can pick up their music and get introduced to the guys!