Wooster Pop Culture Convention celebrates 30 years of 'The Sandlot' with film's actors

WOOSTER − Put on those superhero tights and a cape because the heart of farm country is getting its own comic-con-style event called the Pop Culture Convention.

Hosted by Operation Fandom owner and founder Josh Lehman, the event culminates years of planning and Lehman's dream to bring a slice of Hollywood to his hometown.

"We're incredibly excited to have this event," Lehman said. "It's something we've wanted to do for at least the last four years."

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The daylong event will feature cosplay competitions, vendors selling collectibles, fandom groups and guest appearances that include actors from "The Sandlot," a "Star Wars" voice actor, a musician and a toy designer.

The event is 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, April 16, at the Wayne County Fairgrounds Event Center.

General admission is $5. To get in one hour early is $10. Tickets are sold at the door.

The 30th anniversary of 'The Sandlot'

In short, "The Sandlot" is a comedy classic that features a group of neighborhood kids who play summer baseball at the local dusty lot adjacent to a property with a scary dog and an unpleasant owner.

Since starting Operation Fandom in 2018, Lehman has hoped to invite some of the movie's actors to Wooster for an event, he said.

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Initial planning was put on hold when the pandemic arrived in 2020, but now the store owner has wrangled three actors who starred in the film, including the lead.

Actor Tom Guiry, who played Scotty Smalls, Chauncey Leopardi as Michael "Squints" Palledorous and Alan "Yeah-Yeah" McClennan actor Marty York will take questions, sign autographs and get photos taken with fans, Lehman said.

"I have a group chat that we've been messaging back and forth on to organize this," he said.

Their Wooster visit is just one stop for the actors celebrating 30 years of "The Sandlot," a tour Lehman put together with Guiry, Leopardi and York.

"They don't have an agent anymore, so I helped them write up a contract for the anniversary tour," he said.

Aside from the three actors making an appearance, Lehman said there will be roughly $5,000 in "The Sandlot" merchandise. including items like Smalls' jersey.

'A pretty great lineup'

Three other special guests are lined up for autographs, questions and photos, he said.

First is Daniel Logan, the voice of the young bounty hunter Boba Fett in the "Stars Wars: The Clone Wars" animated series and who played a young Fett in "Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones."

Next is Ari Lehman, a musician and actor best known for his portrayal of Jason Voorhees in "Friday the 13th" and the boy in "Boy In The Lake," both horror films.

A musician with a passion for horror, he turned his Jason Vorhees role it into a punk metal experience for horror fans called First Jason Voorhees.

The only non-actor on the list is Jim Swearingen, who Josh Lehman said played a major role in designing many of the "Star Wars" collectibles of the late 1970s.

"It's not super common to have someone like Jim (Swearingen) at an event like this, so it's going to be really great for those who grew up with those figurines," Lehman said.

Many of these figurines and toys are now sold as valuable collectibles.

For his first convention, Lehman is proud of the faces who are showing up for fans.

"It's a pretty great lineup; some of the bigger conventions don't have this lineup," he said.

Collectibles and cosplays

The goal of the Pop Culture Convention is to bring as many people together who have a diverse range of popular culture interests ranging from science fiction to horror, fantasy, sports and film.

Lehman hopes he strikes the right balance.

He promises 20,000 square feet of collectible vendors, artists and plenty of fun.

Lehman said dressing up in costume is encouraged but not a requirement for entry into the event.

The Akron-based Rubber City Cosplay will hold a cosplay competition to decide on the best costumes. Anyone in costume can join the competition for free.

Why Wooster?

Lehman owns two businesses, Blackbird Records and Operation Fandom, with locations in Wooster, Medina and Mansfield.

With three cities to choose from for the convention, he said the obvious choice was Wooster.

"Wooster is where I'm from and it's where most of my staff are from," Lehman said. "It's like our home base."

Ever since he opened Operation Fandom in 2018, Lehman had dreams to host a popular culture convention featuring known actors, musicians, writers and more. But for him, the fun part is the location.

"We always said, 'Imagine if we had something like that here in Wooster,'" Lehman said. "And now we do."

If all goes well, Lehman hopes to make this an annual event featuring new faces and events each year.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Wooster's first Pop Culture Convention to feature 'The Sandlot' actors