Celebrity guest and artist changes announced for Steel City Con in Monroeville

May 20—Organizers of Steel City Con, a pop culture convention at the Monroeville Convention Center, announced new celebrity guests and artists for its upcoming show.

Hollywood legend William Shatner tops the list of more than 25 guests scheduled for June 11-13 at 209 Mall Plaza Blvd.

The Emmy award-winning actor, writer and producer/director is best known for his portrayal of Capt. James T. Kirk of the starship USS Enterprise on the original "Star Trek" series and movies.

A "M*A*S*H" reunion is scheduled with Loretta Swit, Jamie Farr and Jeff Maxwell.

The iconic American war comedy-drama lasted 11 seasons on CBS from 1972 to 1983.

Stars from the Steven Spielberg-directed sci-fi classic "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" will be on hand for photos and a panel discussion.

They include Matthew DeMerrit, C. Thomas Howell, Robert MacNaughton, Henry Thomas and Dee Wallace.

Tim Busfield, Donald Gibb, Curtis Armstrong, Andrew Cassese and Robert Carradine from "Revenge of the Nerds" are on the docket as well as WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi.

Pro wrestler and Pittsburgh dentist Britt Baker, Micky Dolenz of The Monkees and Larry Thomas of "Seinfeld" fame also make the list for next month's show.

Megan Withey is the featured artist. Various prints will be available for purchase.

The card is subject to change.

The convention was rescheduled three times due to the pandemic. That resulted in some celebrity guests dropping off the list due to scheduling conflicts.

Tickets purchased for last year's shows will be accepted.

Guests rescheduled for the next show in August include: John Carroll Lynch, Wil Wheaton, Julian Glover, Robert Englund, Jon Bernthal, Denis Lawson, Monica Keena, Ken Kirzinger, Catherine Tate, Brooke Theiss, Amanda Wyss, Richard Oldfield, Steven Ogg, Lisa Wilcox, Cailey Fleming and Jesse "The Body" Ventura.

Masks may be optional by the time doors open. Temperature checks are expected to be required. There will be hand sanitizing stations, and most booths will be socially distanced.

"We will follow all federal, state, and local guidelines and we anticipate by June any restrictions will be further reduced, as a predicted 70% of people will be vaccinated by that point," said Steel City Con co-owner Robert Stein. "Many of our fans have been social distancing and following guidelines for the entire pandemic and most are getting vaccinated. So, with a fun event like Steel City Con, we are giving people something positive to look forward to. Additionally, the small businesses and Monroeville economy need events like ours to happen for their livelihood."

Jerad Bechar, chief executive officer for the Steel City's official tourism site VisitPITTSBURGH, said events like Steel City Con help boost the economy.

"This is the right time for events to start coming back," he said.

Bechar referenced the World of Wheels Custom Car Show at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center downtown and how thousands of people safely took part in that indoor April event.

"It was well run. It was well-managed," he said. "There are a lot of health and safety protocols that need to be put in place (such as) making sure traffic flow is set up. All of those measures can greatly reduce risk. I know that Bob is going to do whatever he has to (in Monroeville for guest safety)."

Tickets are $23 for June 11, $35 for June 12, $23 for June 13 or $50 for a three-day pass.

More information such as celebrity photo pricing, tickets, panel discussion schedules and more can be found at steelcitycon.com.

Michael DiVittorio is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at 412-871-2367, mdivittorio@triblive.com or via Twitter .