HOPEWELL — We invite you to the 2nd Annual Free Comic Book Day Festival this Saturday in Hopewell. The event, which will be held from noon to 5 p.m. on May 4, is a collaboration between Time Capsule and Hopewell Downtown His Partnership.
Rick Ralsten, owner and operator of The Time Capsule, has been selling comic books, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Funko pops from his beloved brick-and-mortar location at 205 East Broadway for more than 20 years. Previously, his business was located in Chester, Virginia.
Last Saturday, I stopped by the time capsule while Ralsten was hosting a Magic the Gathering event. I don't think a lot of the fans even realized I was there because they were so engrossed in what they were doing. lol!
Last year, Ralsten expanded his participation in National Free Comic Book Day beyond storefronts to street vendors and food trucks. Members of the community gathered in droves.
“A quintessential American art form like this deserves a special day,” Ralsten said. “This year, we're building on last year's success by welcoming social media superstars Burn the Jukebox as our live band. I'm very excited to be able to develop it even further.”
Known for their ambitious commitment to releasing a cover song every day for a year, Burn the Jukebox has amassed over 250 million views across social media platforms. This impressive feat not only proved their versatility and dedication, but also earned them 2.2 million followers and established them as true social media stars. Their journey also included touring with David Michael Frank's “Private Party Tour,” which was recently featured in Billboard.
Please stop by The Time Capsule. Receive your free comic book while supplies last. Burn the Jukebox will run for three sets from 1pm to 4:30pm, with vendors offering delicious food, comic books, collector cards, face painting, toys, crafts, and more. At this fun event, you can also purchase raffle tickets to win weekend passes to Cosplay World USA in Richmond on June 15-16 or Immersecon in Henrico on June 22-23.
Free parking is available in the large public parking lot next to the Appomattox Regional Library at 209 East Corson Street. Free street parking is also available in his second large parking lot near Hopewell City Hall.
In 2001, Comic Book Shop gave away free comic books to customers on the same day around the world, and this annual tradition continues to delight fans. Joe Field, a California-based comics retailer, events promoter, and partner at WonderCon, founded Free Comic Book Day. According to Diamond Comic Distributors, during the first Free Comic Book Day he had more than 2,000 participating stores and distributed more than 2 million of his comic books from four publishers. The following year, 29 evangelists participated.
Invite your friends and family to join the street festival in downtown Hopewell this weekend. Everyone is encouraged to cosplay and dress up as their favorite characters and superheroes. Follow The Time Capsule and The Hopewell Downtown Partnership on Facebook.
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Award-winning columnist Christy K. Higgins (aka The Social Butterfly) is a trending topics and food Q&A reporter for Progress Index and a 2022 Tri-Cities Best of the Best Social Media Personality was selected.Have a tip for local trends or business news? Contact Kristi at khiggins@progress-index.com and follow her @KHiggins_PI X and@socialbutterflykristi On Instagram.
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